Educational Psychology
Chapter 4 Individual Variations
Intelligence: the ability to solve problems and to adapt and learn from
experiences.
Intelligence can only be evaluated indirectly by studying and comparing the
intelligent acts that people perform. Individual differences are the stable
consistent ways in which people are different from one another.
The Binet Tests: the test is called the 1905 Scale. It consisted of 30 questions.
Binet developed the concept of mental age (MA), an individual’s level of mental
development relative to others. Stern created the concept of intelligence
quotient (IQ), which refers to a person’s mental age divided by chronological age
(CA), multiplied by 100.
The Stanford-Binet Tests: a revised version of the Binet test. Researchers found
that scores were normally distributed. An important addition is analysis of five
aspects of cognitive ability:
1. Fluid reasoning, abstract thinking
2. Knowledge, conceptual information
3. Quantitative reasoning, math skills
4. Visual-spatial reasoning, understanding visual forms and spatial layouts
5. Working memory, recall of new information
Two new aspect of intelligence are verbal and nonverbal intelligence.
The Wechsler Scales: it provides an overall IQ score and scores on a number of
subtest and it yields several composite indexes.
The Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Tests and The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test
(OLSAT). It has their drawbacks. The examiner cannot establish rapport,
determine the student’s level of anxiety. Students might not understand the
instructions or might be distracted.
Theories of multiple intelligence
According to Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence, intelligence comes in
three forms:
1. Analytical, the ability to analyze, judge, evaluate, compare and contrast.
, 2. Creative, the ability to create, design, invent, originate and imagine.
3. Practical, the ability to use, apply, implement and put into practice.
Sternberg stresses that few tasks are purely analytic, creative or practical. Most
tasks require a combination. It is important to give students opportunities to
learn through all the types of intelligence.
Wisdom is finding a balance between self-interest, the interests of others, and
context.
Gardner’s eight frames of mind:
1. Verbal skills, the ability to think in words and to use language to express
meaning
2. Mathematical skills, the ability to carry out mathematical operations
3. Spatial skills, the ability to think three-dimensionally
4. Bodily-kinesthetic skills, the ability to manipulate objects and be physically
adept
5. Musical skills, a sensitivity to pitch, melody, rhythm and tone
6. Intrapersonal skills, the ability to understand oneself and effectively direct
one’s life
7. Interpersonal skills, the ability to understand and effectively interact with
others
8. Naturalist skills, the ability to observe patterns in nature and understand
natural and human-made systems.
Each form of intelligence can be destroyed by a different pattern of brain
damage, that each involves unique cognitive skills and that each shows up in
unique ways in both the gifted and idiot savants.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive and express emotion accurately
and adaptively, to understand emotion and emotional knowledge, to use feelings
to facilitate thought and to manage emotions in oneself and others.
A number of psychologists support the concept of general intelligence.
Studies using MRI scans to assess total brain volume indicate a moderate
correlation between brain size and intelligence. Some experts continue to
emphasize that high level thinking skills involved in intelligence are linked to the
prefrontal cortex. Other state that intelligence is distributed more widely across
brain regions.
Chapter 4 Individual Variations
Intelligence: the ability to solve problems and to adapt and learn from
experiences.
Intelligence can only be evaluated indirectly by studying and comparing the
intelligent acts that people perform. Individual differences are the stable
consistent ways in which people are different from one another.
The Binet Tests: the test is called the 1905 Scale. It consisted of 30 questions.
Binet developed the concept of mental age (MA), an individual’s level of mental
development relative to others. Stern created the concept of intelligence
quotient (IQ), which refers to a person’s mental age divided by chronological age
(CA), multiplied by 100.
The Stanford-Binet Tests: a revised version of the Binet test. Researchers found
that scores were normally distributed. An important addition is analysis of five
aspects of cognitive ability:
1. Fluid reasoning, abstract thinking
2. Knowledge, conceptual information
3. Quantitative reasoning, math skills
4. Visual-spatial reasoning, understanding visual forms and spatial layouts
5. Working memory, recall of new information
Two new aspect of intelligence are verbal and nonverbal intelligence.
The Wechsler Scales: it provides an overall IQ score and scores on a number of
subtest and it yields several composite indexes.
The Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Tests and The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test
(OLSAT). It has their drawbacks. The examiner cannot establish rapport,
determine the student’s level of anxiety. Students might not understand the
instructions or might be distracted.
Theories of multiple intelligence
According to Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence, intelligence comes in
three forms:
1. Analytical, the ability to analyze, judge, evaluate, compare and contrast.
, 2. Creative, the ability to create, design, invent, originate and imagine.
3. Practical, the ability to use, apply, implement and put into practice.
Sternberg stresses that few tasks are purely analytic, creative or practical. Most
tasks require a combination. It is important to give students opportunities to
learn through all the types of intelligence.
Wisdom is finding a balance between self-interest, the interests of others, and
context.
Gardner’s eight frames of mind:
1. Verbal skills, the ability to think in words and to use language to express
meaning
2. Mathematical skills, the ability to carry out mathematical operations
3. Spatial skills, the ability to think three-dimensionally
4. Bodily-kinesthetic skills, the ability to manipulate objects and be physically
adept
5. Musical skills, a sensitivity to pitch, melody, rhythm and tone
6. Intrapersonal skills, the ability to understand oneself and effectively direct
one’s life
7. Interpersonal skills, the ability to understand and effectively interact with
others
8. Naturalist skills, the ability to observe patterns in nature and understand
natural and human-made systems.
Each form of intelligence can be destroyed by a different pattern of brain
damage, that each involves unique cognitive skills and that each shows up in
unique ways in both the gifted and idiot savants.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive and express emotion accurately
and adaptively, to understand emotion and emotional knowledge, to use feelings
to facilitate thought and to manage emotions in oneself and others.
A number of psychologists support the concept of general intelligence.
Studies using MRI scans to assess total brain volume indicate a moderate
correlation between brain size and intelligence. Some experts continue to
emphasize that high level thinking skills involved in intelligence are linked to the
prefrontal cortex. Other state that intelligence is distributed more widely across
brain regions.
