Psychology · Ch 1 — Variations in Psychological Attributes
Key Terms
Key Terms
- Intelligence: The global capacity to think rationally, act purposefully, and adapt effectively to the environment.
- Intelligence Quotient (IQ): A score derived from standardized tests, where average is set at 100 and standard deviation at 15 (e.g., Wechsler scales).
- Mental Age (MA): The level of intellectual functioning typical for a given chronological age, used in early IQ calculation: IQ = (MA ÷ CA) × 100.
- Two-Factor Theory (Spearman): Intelligence consists of a general factor (g) common to all tasks, plus specific factors (s) unique to each task.
- Primary Mental Abilities (Thurstone): Seven relatively independent abilities — verbal comprehension, numerical ability, spatial relations, perceptual speed, word fluency, memory, and inductive reasoning.
- Structure of Intellect Model (Guilford): A three-dimensional classification of intelligence by operations, contents, and products, yielding 5 × 4 × 6 = 120 (later 150) distinct abilities.
- Triarchic Theory (Sternberg): Three types of intelligence — analytical (problem-solving), creative (novel ideas), and practical (adapting to real-world contexts).
- Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner): Eight distinct intelligences — linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.
- Emotional Intelligence (EI): The ability to perceive, understand, manage, and regulate one’s own and others’ emotions.
- Aptitude: A specific, innate potential to acquire proficiency in a particular area (e.g., mechanical, scholastic).
- Interest: A preference for engaging in certain activities or fields, measured by inventories like the Strong Interest Inventory.
- Personality: The relatively stable pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that distinguishes one individual from another.
- Creativity: The ability to produce original, novel, and valuable ideas or solutions, often measured by divergent thinking tests.
- Divergent Thinking: Generating multiple, varied solutions to an open-ended problem (e.g., “How many uses for a brick?”).
- Convergent Thinking: Finding the single best or correct answer to a well-defined problem (typical of standard IQ tests).
- Intellectual Disability: Significantly below-average intellectual functioning (IQ ≤ 70) with deficits in adaptive behavior, onset before age 18.
- Giftedness: Exceptional intellectual ability (typically IQ ≥ 130) or outstanding talent in a specific domain, often requiring enrichment or acceleration. …