Learning objectives of course component 4: From intelligence test to theory
You can explain the early research into intelligence differences between men and women
by Hollingworth and Thompson, and Lewin’s theory.
1900 – 1950 Leta Hollingworth, Helen Thompson and Kurt Lewin
Hollingworth: tested the hypothesis by Thorndike stating that men are more likely than
women to have either very high or very low intelligence (variability hypothesis). This
hypothesis was not true.
Thompson: What about a mean difference in intelligence between men and women? Some
differences in some tests, but in general more similarities.
Lewin:
- Put emphasis on person and the environment.
- Founder of social psychology.
- First to study group dynamics.
- B = f(P, E)
o B = behaviour
o f = function
o P = personal characteristics
o E = environmental factors of the group
- Social action research: psychological research should be used to make societies
better.
You can explain Spearman’s g and the work on tests for intelligence of Galton, J. Cattell,
Binet, Wechsler, Raven, and R. Cattell.
1850 – 1900 Galton
Galton:
- genes versus environment or nature versus nurture
- use of twins to study the role of genes and environment
- he thought the ability to make sensory discriminations was linked to general
intellectual power. In line with Locke: all information enters the mind via the senses
(empiricism)
- developed the correlation coefficient
- pioneered the analysis of questionnaires
- observed that individual differences are normally distributed -> invented the normal
distribution
- invented the standard deviation
1900 – 1950 Charles Spearman, James Cattell, Alfred Binet, David Wechsler, John Raven and
Raymond Cattell
, J. Cattell:
- created mental tests for measuring elementary psychological abilities (reaction time
to sounds, time for naming colours, judgement of 10 seconds and bisection of 50 cm)
- these test scores did not correlate with each other
- correlation between test scores and exam grades was zero
- tests did not seem to measure mental abilities well
Binet:
- was more successful in measuring mental abilities
- French law made it mandatory for children (6 - 14) to attend school
- Binet was asked by the French government to design a test that could separate the
normal child from the child with learning difficulties. -> test was successful in
identifying children with special needs
Spearman: successful in measuring intelligence
- General intelligence factor, g: this underlies the performance on all tests (math,
sensory discrimination, language, music). Inspired by Galton
- He tested this and all correlations were positive.
Wechsler: designed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, or WAIS, which was an
improvement of the Stanford-Binet test, including an IQ distribution. Measures fluid and
crystallized intelligence.
Raven: published the Progressive Matrices test: 3 x 3 visual matrix with bottom right cell
missing. Select missing cell among eight alternatives. Measures fluid intelligence.
R. Cattell:
- published the Culture Fair Intelligence Test, which aimed to measure g devoid of
cultural influences.
- In 1960s, proposed that g can be divided in fluid and crystallized intelligence.
o Fluid intelligence: is the procedural ability to solve new problems with no
assumption of prior knowledge. Declines with age.
o Crystallized intelligence: the ability to use acquired declarative knowledge,
such as vocabulary and knowledge of facts. Improves with age.
- Fluid and crystallized intelligence are correlated with each other
Flynn effect: test scores have increased almost linearly during the past century.
You can describe the work by the Gestalt psychologists Köhler and Wertheimer, and the
work of Bartlett and the linguist Chomsky.
1900 – 1950 Wolfgang Köhler and Max Wertheimer
Gestalt psychology: “The whole is different from the sum of its parts” said Köhler
Köhler: went to Spain to study chimpanzees and found out that chimps had solved problems
through insight rather than trial-and-error, as behaviourists like Thorndike maintained.
You can explain the early research into intelligence differences between men and women
by Hollingworth and Thompson, and Lewin’s theory.
1900 – 1950 Leta Hollingworth, Helen Thompson and Kurt Lewin
Hollingworth: tested the hypothesis by Thorndike stating that men are more likely than
women to have either very high or very low intelligence (variability hypothesis). This
hypothesis was not true.
Thompson: What about a mean difference in intelligence between men and women? Some
differences in some tests, but in general more similarities.
Lewin:
- Put emphasis on person and the environment.
- Founder of social psychology.
- First to study group dynamics.
- B = f(P, E)
o B = behaviour
o f = function
o P = personal characteristics
o E = environmental factors of the group
- Social action research: psychological research should be used to make societies
better.
You can explain Spearman’s g and the work on tests for intelligence of Galton, J. Cattell,
Binet, Wechsler, Raven, and R. Cattell.
1850 – 1900 Galton
Galton:
- genes versus environment or nature versus nurture
- use of twins to study the role of genes and environment
- he thought the ability to make sensory discriminations was linked to general
intellectual power. In line with Locke: all information enters the mind via the senses
(empiricism)
- developed the correlation coefficient
- pioneered the analysis of questionnaires
- observed that individual differences are normally distributed -> invented the normal
distribution
- invented the standard deviation
1900 – 1950 Charles Spearman, James Cattell, Alfred Binet, David Wechsler, John Raven and
Raymond Cattell
, J. Cattell:
- created mental tests for measuring elementary psychological abilities (reaction time
to sounds, time for naming colours, judgement of 10 seconds and bisection of 50 cm)
- these test scores did not correlate with each other
- correlation between test scores and exam grades was zero
- tests did not seem to measure mental abilities well
Binet:
- was more successful in measuring mental abilities
- French law made it mandatory for children (6 - 14) to attend school
- Binet was asked by the French government to design a test that could separate the
normal child from the child with learning difficulties. -> test was successful in
identifying children with special needs
Spearman: successful in measuring intelligence
- General intelligence factor, g: this underlies the performance on all tests (math,
sensory discrimination, language, music). Inspired by Galton
- He tested this and all correlations were positive.
Wechsler: designed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, or WAIS, which was an
improvement of the Stanford-Binet test, including an IQ distribution. Measures fluid and
crystallized intelligence.
Raven: published the Progressive Matrices test: 3 x 3 visual matrix with bottom right cell
missing. Select missing cell among eight alternatives. Measures fluid intelligence.
R. Cattell:
- published the Culture Fair Intelligence Test, which aimed to measure g devoid of
cultural influences.
- In 1960s, proposed that g can be divided in fluid and crystallized intelligence.
o Fluid intelligence: is the procedural ability to solve new problems with no
assumption of prior knowledge. Declines with age.
o Crystallized intelligence: the ability to use acquired declarative knowledge,
such as vocabulary and knowledge of facts. Improves with age.
- Fluid and crystallized intelligence are correlated with each other
Flynn effect: test scores have increased almost linearly during the past century.
You can describe the work by the Gestalt psychologists Köhler and Wertheimer, and the
work of Bartlett and the linguist Chomsky.
1900 – 1950 Wolfgang Köhler and Max Wertheimer
Gestalt psychology: “The whole is different from the sum of its parts” said Köhler
Köhler: went to Spain to study chimpanzees and found out that chimps had solved problems
through insight rather than trial-and-error, as behaviourists like Thorndike maintained.
