 | Term | Definition |
| |
intelligence |
mental quality consisting of the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations |
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factor analysis |
statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test |
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general intelligence (g) |
general intelligence factor that underlies specific mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test |
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savant syndrome |
condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill |
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emotional intelligence |
ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions |
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creativity |
ability to produce a novel and valuable idea |
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intelligence test |
method for assessing an individual's mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others using numerical scores |
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mental age |
measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; chronological age that most typically corresponds to a give level of performance |
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Standford- Binet |
widely used American revision of Binet's original intelligence test |
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intelligence quotient (IQ) |
defined originally as the ratio of mental age to chronological age multiplied by 100 |
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aptitude test |
test designed to predict a person's future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn |
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achievement test |
test designed to assess what a person has learned |
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Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test |
the WAIS is the most used intelligence test |
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standardization |
defining meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested standardization group |
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normal curve |
symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes |
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reliability |
extent to which a test yields, consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test |
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validity |
extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is suppose to |
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content validity |
extent to which test samples the behavior that is of interest (like a driving test that samples driving skills) |
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criterion |
the behavior (such as future college grades) that a test (SATs) is designed to predict |
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predictive validity |
success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict |
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mental retardation |
condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence score of 70 or below |
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Down syndrome |
condition of retardation and associated physical disorders caused by an extra chromosome in one's genetic makeup |
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stereotype threat |
self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype |
