Intelligence and the Assessment

of Intelligence
Saba Muhammad Asif
What is Intelligence?
• Based on the definitions, it is:
▫ Rational thought and reasoning
▫ The ability
 to act purposefully in an environment.
 to deal with situations, in an effective manner,
within an environment.
 to learn from experience
 to live and cope with the demands of daily life
Defining Intelligence
“mental activity directed towards purposive
adaptation to, and selection and shaping of, real-
world environments relevant to ones life”
(Sternberg, 1985)

“the aggregate or global capacity of the individual

to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal
effectively with the environment”
(Wechsler, 1958)
What Factors Determine Intelligence?
• Both genetics and the environment play a role in
determining intelligence.
• It is important to note that genetics and the
environment interact to determine exactly how
inherited genes are expressed.
Genetics Environment
• Heritability estimates • Like other traits, IQ is
for IQ is about .50 in a changeable (height for
population example).
• Educational
experiences affect IQ
• IQ scores have
increased over the
years (nutritional
factors, increasing
access to information)
Theories of Intelligence
Charles Spearman: General Intelligence

• General intelligence, also known as ‘g’ factor,

refers to the existence of a general intelligence
that influences performance on mental ability
measures.
• Those who hold this view believe that intelligence
can be measured and expressed by a single
number, such as an IQ score.
• The idea is that this underlying general
intelligence influences performance on all
cognitive tasks.
Raymond Cattell: Two-Factor Theory
• Raymond Cattell (1963) believed that ‘g’ is composed
of fluid and crystallized intelligence.
• Fluid Intelligence & Crystallized Intelligence:
▫ Crystallized intelligence is the ability to use
previously attained information, facts, knowledge,
and experiences.
▫ Fluid intelligence is the ability to solve new
problems without relying on knowledge from
previous experiences.
Howard Gardner: Multiple Intelligences

• His theory describes eight distinct intelligences

that are based on skills and abilities that are
valued within different cultures.
Assessment of Intelligence
Purposes of Intellectual Assessment:

• Psycho-educational Assessment
▫ Identification & placement of special-needs
students.
• Predict academic and work performance.
• Evaluate for Mental Retardation & Learning
Disabilities.
• Evaluate for neurological impairment.
• Career Counseling.
• Research.
History of Intelligence Testing
• Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution sparked interest in
the study of differences in mental abilities.
• Francis Galton, cousin of Charles Darwin, studied family
trees to try to demonstrate a hereditary basis for
intelligence.
• Early intelligence tests measured sensory-motor functions,
such as reaction time.
• 1905: Alfred Binet & Theodore Simon developed a test to
identify mentally retarded students in Paris, France.
• 1916: Lewis Terman published the first version of the
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.
• 1939: David Wechsler published the Wechsler-Bellevue
Scale.
Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

• It is a mathematical formula that is supposed to

be a measure of a person's intelligence.
• The term "intelligence quotient," or IQ, was first
coined in the early twentieth century by a
German psychologist named William Stern.
• Since that time, intelligence testing has emerged
as a widely used tool that has led to the
development of many other tests of skill and
aptitude.
Intelligence Quotient

• IQ= Mental age/Chronological Age X 100

• IQ ratio enables direct comparison of children of
different ages
Group Intelligence Tests
• Paper-and-Pencil examinations frequently used
to screen applicants & identify those in need of
more thorough evaluations.
▫ WWI: Army Alpha & Beta Tests.
▫ Wonderlic Personnel Test: 50-item instrument that
provides a quick estimate of cognitive ability.
Popular in organizational settings to screen job
applicants or make placement decisions.
• Examples of items: analogies, definitions,
logical reasoning, math, spatial reasoning,
The Wechsler Scales

• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

(WISC-R)
• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
• Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of
Intelligence (WPPSI)
The Wechsler Scales
Verbal Subtests Performance
• Information Subtests
• Vocabulary Picture Completion
• Arithmetic Picture Arrangement
• Similarities Block Design
• Comprehension Object Assembly
• Digit Span Digit Symbol
Verbal Subtests

• Information: culturally acquired information

• Vocabulary: general verbal intelligence
• Arithmetic: numerical reasoning
• Similarities: abstract reasoning
• Comprehension: social norms
• Digit Span: short term memory
Performance Subtests

• Picture Completion: visual concentration and

nonverbal general information
• Picture Arrangement: ability to plan, interpret
and anticipate in social context
• Block Design: perceptual organization, spatial
visualization and abstract concentration
• Object Assembly: visual motor organ., synthesis
• Digit Symbol: visual memory
Similarities
• In what way are an orange and a banana alike?
• How are whales and lions similar?
• How are anger and delight similar?
• "In what way are RED and BLUE alike?"
Vocabulary
• "What is a car?"
• Bed
• Ship
• Coin
• Carrot
Digit Span
• Demonstrate
▫ 459-223-558
Picture Completion
Block Design
Object Assembly
Digit Symbol Coding
Picture Arrangement