Testing and Intelligence Review Sheet

Psychometrics: is the study of acquiring, analyzing, and measuring psychological data. Field measures
mental abilities, traits, and processes. Psychologists that work is this field and often make
intelligence tests are Psychometricians.

Intelligence capacity to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal with environment.

Mental Age intelligence level that corresponds to a given chronological age. Average 8 year old has a
mental age of 8.

Stanford-Binet constructed by Lewis Terman using ratio formula for IQ.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) calculated by taking mental age/chronological age X 100. Now, IQ based on deviation from
mean since it wouldn’t be accurate for older adults.

Wechsler Intelligence Tests 3 age individual tests: WPPSI (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence),
WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children), WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale).
Based on two scores: verbal and performance. Difference between two helps to identify
learning disabilities.

Factor Analysis statistical procedure that identifies common factors among groups of items by determining
which variables have a high degree of correlation. Vocab and Paragraph Comprehension
have high correlation since both measure verbal intelligence.

Standardization two-part test procedure: first establishes test norms from the test results of a large
REPRESENTATIVE GROUP and then assures that the test is both administered and scored
uniformly for all test takers.

Norms standard used to compare scores of test takers.

Reliability CONSISTENCY OF RESULTS. Do you get same results? Measurement includes:

Validity test measures what it is supposed to measure. Includes content and predictive validity.

Face Validity Also known as content validity. Measure of the extent to which the content of the test
measures all of the knowledge or skills that are supposed to be included within the domain
being tested. Example: If 50% of your math quiz includes questions about the history
legacy of Christopher Columbus, it lacks face validity.

Construct Validity refers to whether or not a scale measures the theorized concept (or construct) it is supposed
to. Example: If an IQ test has construct validity, it would mean the questions on the test
truly deal with all the components that make a person intelligent. (Intelligence would be the
construct).

Aptitude Test assess capacity to learn. Ex: SAT

Achievement Test assesses what a person has already learned. Ex: Algebra test, AP Psych Exam.

Criterion refers to the behavior a test is supposed to measure. Ex: SAT’s criterion is grades in college.

Group Test tests many people at once; test taker works alone; cheaper; more objective

Individual Test interaction of one examiner with one test taker; expensive; subjective grading

Spearman’s g-factor general intelligence. Underlying ability in all mental tasks.

Mental Retardation refers to those with IQ’s 70 and below.

Down Syndrome form of mental retardation caused by extra chromosome.

Crystallized Intelligence learned knowledge and skills. Ex: History facts. INCREASES WITH AGE.

Multiple Intelligences Gardner’s theory that broadened definition of intelligence and went against traditional
conceptions of intelligence. Argued individuals had 8 intelligences: logical-math,
verbal-linguistic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and
naturalistic.

Savant Syndrome individuals with low intelligence scores but one or two extreme skills. Ex: Rainman and
counting.

Triarchic theory of Intelligence Sternberg’s theory of intelligence; also called SUCCESSFUL INTELLIGENCE. Argued
humans possessed 3 separate and testable intelligences: analytic (facts), practical (street
smarts), and creative (seeing multiple solutions.)

Stereotype Threat concept that anxiety influences achievement of members of a group concerned with their
performance on a test will confirm a negative stereotype. May account for lower scores of
blacks on intelligence tests and girls on math tests.

Variance is standard deviation squared. Measures of spread of data. To get standard deviation from
variance take the square root. Ex: Variance=49 Standard Deviation=7

Creativity ability to create new ideas.

NORMAL CURVE INFORMATION

Normal Distribution bell shaped curve that represents data about how lots of human characteristics are dispersed
in the population. KNOW THE CURVE BELOW.

Percentile express the standing of one score relative to all other scores. SAT score in 85 th percentile
means your score is better than 85% of people who took it.

Standard Deviation measures the average difference between each score and the mean of the data set.

KNOW DISTRIBUTIONS OF THE CURVE: