Unit Organization:

1
Unit Organization

• Learning
• Memory
• Intelligence
• Thinking and Language

2
Intelligence

• Another one of those hypothetical constructs
• Probably the most controversial topic in
  Psychology

3
Intelligence Defined

• A persons capacity for goal-directed, adaptive
  behavior.
• The ability to make survival enhancing changes as
  a result of learning, problem-solving and
  reasoning.

4
Issues in the definition

• Adaptive within or across culture?
• One specific trait, or the combination of many
  traits?
• How is it related to neurological activity?

5
Culturally Defined Intelligence

• Is intelligence whatever abilities your culture
  deems important?
• Markers of cultural determined abilities in our
  culture
• Verbal skills
• Quantitative skills
• Task orientation

6
Culturally Defined Intelligence

• Does intelligence override culture as a way to
  adapt to any environment?
• Markers of non-technological cultures
• Space perception
• Different role of time
• Crocodile Dundee and his girl.

7
Reification and the History of Intelligence

• Brocas Skulls
• Binets IQ
• Termans modifications
• The Army Alpha
• Psychologys need for numbers
• Reification Turning a concept into a THING

8
Types of Intelligence

• Spearmans g
• Thurstons s
• Gardners multiple intelligences
• verbal, math, music spatial, movement insight
• Salovey and Mayers emotional intelligence

9
Neurology and Intelligence

• Brain size issues
• Moderate (.44) correlation between MRI brain
  size and IQ
• Experience does alter the brain size of rats.

10
Neurology and Intelligence

• Brain function Issues
• High IQ performing brains are LESS active doing
  the same task as low IQ performing brains
• High IQ performing brains seem to process
  perceptions, memory retrieval and judgments
  faster than low IQ performing brains.
• Is efficiency the issue?

11
The Measurement of Intelligence

• IQ tests
• Stanford Binet, WAIS, WISC, Wonderlic
• Aptitude Tests
• GATB, AFATB,
• Achievement Tests
• ACT, SAT

12
Measurement Issues

• Validity Does the test measure what it says it
  measures?
• Reliability Is the test consistent in its
  measurement?

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Types of Validity

• Face Validity
• Content Validity
• Criterion Validity
• Content Validity

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Face Validity

• Obvious relationship between the test and what it
  is supposed to measure
• A typing test for a potential clerk WPM -
  errors ability.

15
Content Validity

• The test questions are directly related to the
  material to be mastered.
• Expect questions about Psychology on the next
  test, not questions about Physics.

16
Criterion Validity

• A relationship between the test/measurement and
  some other (criterion) variable
• Two types
• Predictive and Concurrent

17
Predictive Validity

• The ability to predict some future behavior.
• ACT scores predict Freshman year performance
• Job applications predict work performance

18
Concurrent Validity

• The ability to compare two measures at the same
  time.
• Scores on two versions (Stanford Binet and WAIS)
  of a test.
• The same test given to two different sections of
  the same class.

19
Construct Validity

• Does the test measure the idea that it is
  supposed to measure.
• Questions about unusual thinking, reactions or
  experiences as a measure of psychopathology, e.g.
  the MMPI.
• T/F I have often thought of suicide.

20
Reliability

• A measure of the consistency or stability of a
  test.
• Types
• Test-Retest
• Split-half
• Inter-item

21
Test-Retest Reliability

• Will you get the same score on an IQ test
  administered today as you got on the same IQ test
  one year ago?
• Good measure of temporal stability.

22
Split-half Reliability

• Would your score on all the odd questions be the
  same as your score on all the even questions?
• Good measure of internal stability.

23
Inter-item Reliability

• How does your answer to one question compare to
  your answers to all the other questions?
• Good way to determine how much any one questions
  helps the total test.

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The Relationship of Validity and Reliability

• Valid tests are usually reliable, but reliable
  tests may or may not be valid.
• Some valid scores may change quickly because the
  measured construct can change quickly, e.g. The
  Depression score on the MMPI.

25
Determinates of Intelligence

• Is it genetics or environment that determines
  Intelligence?
• Importance due to the racial (racist)
  implications.
• Racial differences in average IQ
• The Bell Curve
• Arthur Jensen

26
Variation and Genetics

• In terms of intelligence, the variation within
  groups is greater than the variation between
  groups.
• Text example of flowers from the same package in
  rich or poor soil.
• Can you tell me the race (or gender) of a person
  given that you know his/her IQ is 107?

27
The rubber band analogy

• Genetics the rubber band as it comes from the
  box
• Environment how far you stretch the rubber
  band.
• Your description at any given time has to account
  for both.

28
Fairness in IQ Testing

• Do tests discriminate? Yes.
• Do tests discriminate fairly? Maybe, and maybe
  we need to work on this.

29
Unit Organization

• Learning
• Memory
• Intelligence
• Thinking and Language

30
Thinking

• Using CONCEPTS as the building blocks of
  cognition

31
Concepts

• Those categories or mental grouping we have
  already discussed as cross-referenced system or
  as schemas.
• Extracting the features that distinguish a class
  of items

32
Concept Formation

• Concepts formed through
• Definitions
• Prototypes

33
Definitions

• Formal statements that describe a specific thing,
  act, or idea.
• Closely related to our earlier discussion of
  operational definitions.

34
Prototypes

• The best example of a particular category.
• A robin in a prototype of a bird -- and a
  better/easier/more accurate example than a
  goose, also technically a bird.

35
Problem solving

• Using concepts to enhance adaptation
• Various strategies for problem solving
• trial and error
• hypothesis testing
• algorithms
• heuristics

36
Trial and error

• more or less random
• continued until solution is found
• not very efficient

37
Hypothesis testing

• Establishing possible solutions and testing them
  in order of likelihood
• The experimental method

38
Algorithms

• Systematic methods of solving problems
• the computer flow chart
• marked by logical, step-by-step procedures

39
Heuristics

• Learned ways to use algorithms that have worked
  before.
• Rules-of-thumb.
• A combination of systematic and intuitive methods

40
Language Development

• The predictable, step-by-step change in language
  skill as children grow.
• Proceeds via the same steps in all cultures.

41
Indiscriminant sounds

• includes all sounds from all languages
• in the rhythm of mothers speech

42
Cooing and Babbling

• Includes sounds that are not part of mothers
  language, which decrease in frequency over time.

43
Holophasic Speech

• One-word sentences that convey different
  meanings depending on inflection and context.

44
Telegraphic Speech

• Noun-Verb combinations without modifiers or
  articles which convey meaning.
• Basic language units.

45
Formal Speech

• The arrangement of sounds into complex meanings,
  consistent with the language surrounding the
  child

46
Units of Language

• A combination of sounds, meanings, arrangement
  and context that allows communication.
• Units phonemes, morphemes, grammar, syntax,
  semantics and pragmatics.

47
Phonemes

• Basic units of sounds
• 46 in English

48
Morphemes

• Basic unit of meaning -- roughly a word
• Also includes those sounds that change the
  meaning --
• walk and walked

49
Grammar

• The rules about morphemes
• Syntax
• Semantics

50
Syntax

• The rules that govern how we put words together.
• Gained without instruction.
• Even a 4 year old will know there is something
  wrong with the sentence
• Jack Jim hit.

51
Semantics

• The meaning of words
• A critical part of communications
• Definitions determining such things as group
  membership, professions, etc.

52
Pragmatics

• Using the right language in a specific social
  context.
• Class Vs dorm room language

53
Theories about Language Development

• Skinner and Learning theory
• Chomsky and the Language Acquisition Device.
• Integrated theories

54
Language and thought

• Words shape our perceptions.
• Words shape our emotions.
• Words solve problems.
• It is never just a semantic argument.

55
Test is next.