Deck 8: Intelligence

Question 1

Different theorists conceptualize intelligence differently, but most agree that intelligence:

A) Is largely the result of inherited abilities
B) Involves many different cognitive processes
C) Is an entity quite separate and distinct from learning ability
D) Is almost exclusively a function of accumulated knowledge

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Judging from what you have learned about how intelligence is typically measured, which one of the following would you be least likely to find on an intelligence test?

A) How many friends do you have?
B) What does the word candid mean?
C) In what way are a tree and a flower alike?
D) What does the expression Leave no stone unturned mean?

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The original purpose of intelligence tests is still their main purpose today-that is, to:

A) Assess youngsters' ability to solve abstract problems
B) Measure people's innate ability to adapt to a complex environment
C) Identify children who may require special services or interventions
D) Predict how well youngsters are likely to perform in various professional careers

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Lily is ten years old. She gets a score of 97 on an IQ test. What does this tell us about her intellectual ability?

A) Lily's score is fairly average for her age group.
B) Lily's score is in the bottom fifth of the population.
C) Lily must be a very smart girl, because 100 is a perfect score.
D) Lily is brighter than two-thirds of her age-mates, as IQ scores go up to about 150.

Question 5

If teachers consider Gardner's view of intelligence, they would be most likely to conclude that:

A) They can bring about dramatic improvements in students' IQs in a year or two if they provide a stimulating classroom environment.
B) Regardless of cultural background, students with high intelligence will do well in school.
C) Most students are likely to be "intelligent" in one way or another.
D) Students who are fluent in two or three languages will be more intelligent than students who are fluent in just one.

Question 6

If you are concerned about the validity of an intelligence test, which one of the following questions would you be most likely to ask?

A) Does this test rely heavily on language skills?
B) Does this test really measure intellectual ability?
C) How much training do I need to administer and interpret this test?
D) Do children tend to get similar scores on the test from one time to the next?

Question 7

Max is quite skilled in cartography, the art of making maps. Without knowing anything else about Max, in which of Gardner's multiple intelligences would you expect him to be strong?

A) bodily-kinesthetic
B) naturalist
C) linguistic
D) spatial

Question 8

If you are concerned about the reliability of an intelligence test, which one of the following questions would you be most likely to ask?

A) Does this test rely heavily on language skills?
B) Does this test really measure intellectual ability?
C) How much training do I need to administer and interpret this test?
D) Do children tend to get similar scores on the test from one time to the next?

Question 9

Which of the following intelligence tests includes an Attention scale, a Simultaneous scale, a Planning scale, and Successive Subtest scale?

A) The UNIT
B) The WISC-IV
C) The Cognitive Assessment System
D) The Stanford-Binet

Question 10

Sam is a very talented dancer; he also shows considerable creativity in art class. He finds math and science classes very difficult, but he loves to read and tell stories to his many friends. Which view of intelligence is best reflected in Sam's abilities?

A) The concept of g
B) Gardner's multiple intelligences
C) Piaget's theory of cognitive development
D) Distributed intelligence

Question 11

Four high school teachers have just learned that one of their students, Ralph, has scored extremely well on an intelligence test. Which teacher reveals a belief in the concept of g in intelligence?

A) Mr. Hudson says, "No wonder Ralph performs consistently well in all of his classes!"
B) Ms. Crawford says, "Ralph is an exceptional writer, but from what I've observed, his math skills are only average."
C) Ms. Wyman says, "I agree that Ralph writes very well, but his spelling is atrocious."
D) Mr. Grant says, "Ralph has trouble remembering basic math facts, but he's very good when it comes to solving challenging math problems."

Question 12

Robert is a 15-year-old boy who has attended U.S. schools since he began kindergarten at age 5. With this fact in mind, identify the task that is most likely to require Robert's fluid intelligence rather than his crystallized intelligence.

A) Finding Egypt on a map
B) Solving a new kind of puzzle
C) Applying algebra to a mathematical word problem
D) Writing a persuasive essay on a current issue in the news

Question 13

Which one of the following is a correct interpretation of a high school student's IQ score of 115?

A) The student is probably not "college material."
B) It will remain constant for that student for a period of at least five to six years.
C) The student has acquired 84% of the average adult's intellectual capabilities.
D) The student has performed better on an intelligence test than the majority of students of the same age.

Question 14

Which one of the following statements best reflects Sternberg's theory of successful intelligence?

A) Intelligent behavior is a function of how well people draw on prior experiences and cognitively process information in order to adapt to a new situation.
B) Intelligence is due to heredity, environment, and a complex interaction between the two; ultimately, researchers can never disentangle the effects of these factors.
C) Intelligent behavior evolves in three stages: concrete thought, abstract thought, and automatization.
D) To be truly intelligent, one must show competence in creativity and social skills as well as in traditional academic tasks.

Question 15

"A child's ability to behave intelligently may vary considerably depending on the particular context, skills, and cognitive processes required by a given task." This statement is consistent with three of the following conceptualizations of intelligence. With which one is it least consistent?

A) Sternberg's triarchic theory
B) Cattell's concept of fluid intelligence
C) The concept of distributed intelligence
D) Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences

Question 16

Which one of the following most accurately characterizes IQ scores?

A) In the range of scores between 90 and 110, more people get a score of 110 than any other score.
B) If you divide an IQ score by 2, you get a person's percentile rank on the intelligence test from which the score was obtained.
C) The average score is 100, with equal numbers of people getting every score between 70 and 130.
D) The average score is 100, with more people getting scores near 100 and fewer people getting scores farther away.

Question 17

Marissa seems to be a "born leader." As president of the school service club, she can often persuade her classmates to get involved in school and community service activities. Given this information, we could conclude that Marissa has a strength in which one of Gardner's multiple intelligences?

A) Spatial
B) Naturalistic
C) Interpersonal
D) Bodily-kinesthetic

Question 18

Which one of the following statements most accurately reflects the concept of distributed intelligence?

A) How "intelligent" children become is, to some extent, a function of the number of siblings they have; children from larger families tend to have slightly lower IQ scores.
B) How "intelligent" children are is, to some extent, a function of class size; children achieve at lower levels when they are in larger classes.
C) Children almost invariably perform at higher levels in some academic subject areas than they do in others.
D) Children will behave more intelligently when they can use outside resources as well as their minds.

Question 19

Only one of the following statements reflects an accurate comparison of Gardner's and Sternberg's theories of intelligence. Which one?

A) Both theorists view the development of intelligence as being almost exclusively the result of nurture rather than nature.
B) Gardner believes that intelligence is comprised of multiple abilities, whereas Sternberg views it as being comprised of a single entity.
C) Both theorists characterize intelligence as a multifaceted ability, such that children may behave intelligently in one situation but not in another.
D) Sternberg restricts his view of intelligence to the cognitive abilities and processing skills related to academic success, whereas Gardner takes a broader perspective.

Question 20

Which one of the following is a true statement about IQ scores?

A) They are calculated from this formula: (MA/CA) x 100.
B) They are calculated from this formula: (CA/MA) x 100.
C) They are derived from comparisons with the test performance of others.
D) Scores near 100 indicate average performance.

Question 21

Poor nutrition is a problem for many children who live in poverty. Which one of the following situations is likely to be associated with poor nutrition?

A) Hilda has problems with mathematics but is otherwise a bright and attentive student.
B) Even though Yvonne tries hard in school and pays attention most of the time, she has difficulty learning anything abstract.
C) Lonnie learns things easily but does not work very hard in class. He is often too busy fooling around with friends to pay attention in class.
D) Jill appears to have trouble remembering things and does not seem motivated to achieve in school.

Question 22

Which one of the following statements best reflects most psychologists' current views about the relative effects of heredity and environment on intellectual development?

A) Heredity clearly has a greater influence.
B) Environment clearly has a greater influence.
C) Good environmental conditions are most important for children who are born with high genetic potential.
D) Determining the relative effects of heredity versus environment may ultimately be impossible.

Question 23

Which one of the following items on an intelligence test is most likely to have cultural bias?

A) How are a puppy and a kitten alike?
B) Croquet is to mallet as golf is to _______.
C) What is the next number in the following series? 5 8 11 14 __
D) What's missing in this picture of a person's foot?

Question 24

Ms. Youmans has a class of 24 sixth graders, 12 girls and 12 boys. Given what we know about gender differences in verbal ability and visual-spatial ability, which one of the following is Ms. Youmans justified in concluding about her students?

A) Her highest reading group will have almost all girls, and her lowest reading group will have mostly boys.
B) All of the boys should do better than all of the girls on a test of visual-spatial ability (in other words, there is no overlap between the two groups).
C) About 80% of the boys should do better than 80% of the girls on a test of visual-spatial ability.
D) Ms. Youmans probably won't notice differences in the average abilities of boys versus girls.

Question 25

Three days a week, 8-year-old Erica meets with a tutor after school to help her with her reading and writing skills. If you wanted to know how much Erica is benefiting from the tutoring, you would most likely use:

A) The WISC-IV
B) The Stanford-Binet
C) A dynamic assessment instrument
D) A measure of distributed intelligence

Question 26

With the help of three teacher aides, a kindergarten teacher gives her students a school readiness test on the first day of class. Given what we know about such tests, which one of the following is the best thing to do with the test results?

A) Suggest to the principal that high-scoring children be placed in first grade.
B) Meet with the parents of low-scoring children to ask them to consider placing their children in preschool or Head Start for the year.
C) Enroll all children in kindergarten and use the results to form tentative hypotheses about where it would be best to begin instruction for each child.
D) Suggest to the principal that low-scoring children be placed in a more intensive "pre-kindergarten" class; these children would then return to kindergarten the following year.

Question 27

Daveda has always had a knack for working with numbers. As a child, she often sought out mathematical brainteasers that would challenge her, and when she reached high school, she enrolled in the most challenging math courses in the curriculum. By 12th grade, she was taking an advanced calculus course at a nearby university. Daveda's behavior is a good example of:

A) Fluid intelligence
B) Niche-picking
C) Automatization
D) Distributed intelligence

Question 28

Which one of the following is the best example of dynamic assessment?

A) Mr. Thiessen asks Macy to show him how to use a microscope properly.
B) Ms. Ursinas asks her students to work in groups of three to write a paper describing the effects of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
C) Ms. Vincenti gives her students 20 multiple-choice questions; she then gives 20 additional, more difficult questions to students who've done very well on the first set, as a way of assessing the upper limits of their knowledge.
D) Mr. Warren observes and records how Minnie's logical thinking changes over time as she gets assistance and experience in scientific reasoning tasks.

Question 29

At age 2, Madeleine is given up for adoption by a mentally ill single mother who realizes she cannot provide adequate care for her daughter. Shortly thereafter, Madeleine is adopted by parents who provide lively conversation, lots of books and educational games, and frequent trips to zoos and museums. Based on this information you might expect Madeleine's IQ scores to:

A) Show gradual increases over time
B) Remain constant until school age and then gradually increase
C) Fluctuate over time, but in no discernable pattern
D) Show no variation over time, as IQ is largely the result of heredity

Question 30

Three of the following statements about the effects of heredity and/or environment on intelligence are accurate. Which one is not accurate?

A) Children tend to get higher IQ scores when they attend school regularly.
B) Some toxic substances in children's homes or neighborhoods can adversely affect their cognitive development.
C) Biologists working in the Human Genome Project have recently identified the chromosome that carries the "intelligence" gene.
D) On average, children's performance on intelligence tests has risen around the world, suggesting that improvements in environmental conditions enhance IQ.

Question 31

Twin studies show that monozygotic (identical) twins who are raised in separate homes have similar IQ scores. Such evidence:

A) Suggests that intelligence is partly influenced by heredity
B) Suggests that intelligence is partly influenced by environmental factors
C) Shows the interactive influences of heredity and environment on intelligence
D) Illustrates that the relative influences of heredity and environment on intelligence cannot be determined

Question 32

Researchers have suggested a variety of explanations for why children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) families often perform less well on IQ tests and in school than their higher SES counterparts. Three of the following are common explanations. Which one is not?

A) Teachers often have lower expectations for low-SES students and so give them less attention and fewer challenging assignments.
B) On average, low-SES children have less nutritious diets and less health care than high-SES children.
C) Parents with limited education themselves are less able to support their children's academic learning.
D) In general, parents in low-SES families don't appreciate the importance of a good education.

Question 33

Which one of the following tasks are you least likely to see on the Bayley Scales?

A) Playing peek-a-boo
B) Crawling across the room
C) Making a tower with three blocks
D) A multiplication word problem

Question 34

When a group of children were given the WISC-IV in January and again in April, their scores tended to be quite similar on both occasions. Such a result indicates that the WISC-IV:

A) Has good validity
B) Has good reliability
C) Is a good measure of distributed intelligence
D) Is suitable for situations requiring dynamic assessment

Question 35

Which one of the following statements is most accurate about assessing cognitive abilities in infants and toddlers?

A) Appropriate assessment instruments exist, but they are less reliable than assessments created for older children.
B) Assessment instruments appropriate for infants and toddlers exist and are just as reliable as assessments created for older children.
C) Assessment instruments exist only for infants and toddlers within the normal range of functioning, not for those with significant disabilities.
D) Because infants and toddlers have limited ability to focus their attention and follow directions, meaningful estimates of their cognitive abilities cannot be obtained.

Question 36

Researchers have discovered that gender differences in various cognitive abilities are due to three of the following. Which one is not a likely source of gender differences?

A) Differences in levels of certain hormones
B) Subtle anatomical differences in the brain
C) Differences in forehead shapes of boys versus girls
D) Differences in typical "boy" toys versus "girl" toys

Question 37

Which one of the following statements best illustrates the Flynn effect?

A) On average, children today perform better on the Stanford-Binet than children did in the 1980s.
B) When taking intelligence tests, girls perform better on verbal items whereas boys perform better on spatial items.
C) When taking intelligence tests, girls perform better on spatial items whereas boys perform better on verbal items.
D) In general, children perform better on intelligence tests that are administered in their native language and have culturally relevant content and tasks.

Question 38

Which one of the following statements most accurately describes the relationship between IQ scores and classroom performance?

A) IQ scores obtained in the early elementary years are excellent predictors of high school success.
B) On average, students with higher IQ scores do better in school than students with lower IQ scores.
C) Students with IQ scores above 110 perform better when they are placed one or two grade levels ahead of where their age-mates are.
D) Because intelligence tests measure inherited potential, IQ scores are unrelated to school achievement, which is influenced primarily by environmental factors.

Question 39

Studies of monozygotic (identical) twins who are raised in the same home are more similar in IQ than twins who are raised in different homes. Such evidence:

A) Suggests that intelligence is partly influenced by heredity
B) Suggests that intelligence is partly influenced by environmental factors
C) Shows the interactive influences of heredity and environment on intelligence
D) Illustrates that the relative influences of heredity and environment on intelligence cannot be determined

Question 40

The teacher of a sixth grade class is concerned about the poor academic performance of a 12-year-old student named Nancy. The teacher looks through Nancy's school records and discovers that Nancy got an IQ score of 80 when she took an intelligence test in preschool. Considering the textbook's discussion of IQ scores, the teacher should conclude that:

A) Nancy's IQ is mostly an inherited characteristic, so there is little the teacher can do to improve her learning potential.
B) Nancy's IQ is mostly due to environmental conditions; given proper stimulation, instruction, and curricular materials, it can probably be raised as much as 30 points over the next school year.
C) Nancy's IQ score in preschool is not necessarily a good reflection of her capability in sixth grade.
D) Nancy may still be at Piaget's preoperational stage of cognitive development.

Question 41

In one or two sentences, explain what theorists mean by the Flynn effect. Then, in three additional paragraphs, describe three credible explanations for this effect.

Question 42

You have referred the following four youngsters to the school psychologist for evaluation. Which one is the psychologist most likely to identify as having an intellectual disability?

A) Matthew has difficulty in math but performs at grade level in reading and spelling.
B) Lacy shows low achievement in all areas and prefers to play with younger children.
C) Wanda is hyperactive and frequently expresses her boredom with class material.
D) Mark is a low achiever in all areas; he is a leader of a local neighborhood gang.

Question 43

Two years ago Sean took an intelligence test and earned a score of 99. Recently he took the same test and earned a score of 102. Yet at school Sean earns straight-A grades, and his teachers consider him to be an outstanding student. Given what you've learned about intelligence tests and IQ scores, choose the most likely explanation for the apparent discrepancy between Sean's IQ score and school performance.

A) Sean probably gets support for academic achievement from family and friends and is motivated to do well at school.
B) School grades are notoriously poor measures of school achievement; Sean's IQ scores are better indicators of what he has learned at school.
C) Sean must have been feeling poorly both times that he took the test, because IQ scores are generally very accurate predictors of children's school grades.
D) Intelligence tests and school grades measure such different abilities that the discrepancy does not require any explanation.

Question 44

On average, how do children who are gifted compare to their peers in social and emotional development?

A) They tend to be loners, preferring such solitary activities as reading or computer games.
B) They tend to be less mature than their peers and more prone to emotional problems.
C) They tend to be above average in social development, and most are emotionally well adjusted.
D) They tend to be quite self-centered, with little regard for other people's needs or feelings.

Question 45

Which one of the following is the best example of an adaptive behavior, as the term is used in the identification of intellectual disabilities?

A) Ability to solve simple word problems in mathematics
B) Ability to remember and follow normal classroom routines
C) Ability to answer simple questions about a textbook passage
D) Ability to understand simple analogies (e.g., cat is to meow as dog is to bow-wow)

Question 46

Three of the following elementary school teachers are using strategies that are appropriate for students with intellectual disabilities. Which teacher is not using an appropriate strategy?

A) Ms. Akers gives feedback about specific behaviors.
B) Mr. Britton gives students explicit instructions, such as, "Hang up your coat, then come sit at your desk and take out a pencil."
C) Ms. Connors keeps a close eye on students and gives them instructions at least once every five minutes.
D) Mr. DiStefano presents new material at a slower pace than he does for his nondisabled students.

Question 47

As a teacher, you may find that some of your students have exceptional abilities and talents in the subject matter you are teaching.
a. Describe three behaviors that may lead you to believe that one or more of your students is potentially eligible for special services for the gifted.
b. Identify three different strategies you might use to provide educational experiences suitable for students who are gifted. For each strategy, describe what you might do in specific, concrete terms.
Developmental Trends Table
The table below presents descriptions of children and adolescents at each age level, one or more theoretical perspectives that some of the descriptions reflect, and potential educational implications. Apply what you've learned about theories of intelligence to fill in the empty cells in the table.
Using Various Theories of Intelligence to Understand Youngsters' Behaviors

Question 48

Explain what psychologists mean by the term distributed intelligence. Describe at least three different teaching and/or assessment strategies you might use that would be consistent with this concept.

Question 49

In addition to low general intelligence and poor academic performance, what other characteristic must be present to classify a child as having an intellectual disability?

A) A genetic condition such as Down Syndrome
B) A discrepancy between intelligence and level of academic achievement
C) Distractibility and an inability to focus on the details of a particular task
D) Difficulty functioning in age-appropriate ways in the social environment

Question 50

When intelligence test scores are used to make decisions about young children, developmentalists generally agree that:

A) Due to recent improvements in intelligence testing, practitioners can confidently make decisions about young children on the basis of test scores.
B) Although scores often provide some useful information, they should always be used in conjunction with other sources of information.
C) Test scores provide virtually no meaningful information about young children, and so their use in decision making is rarely defensible.
D) Practitioners can confidently make decisions only about young children who fall within the "normal" range of intelligence.

Question 51

Karin and her mother live on welfare in a poor, inner-city neighborhood in Detroit. Karin is quite bright and highly motivated, and she really wants to get a college education. However, she knows that, on average, students from low-income homes perform more poorly on a college aptitude than students from wealthier homes. When she takes the test, she is so nervous that she has trouble concentrating on the test items, and so her scores are disappointingly low. Which of the following concepts best explains what has happened to Karin?

A) Niche-picking
B) The Flynn effect
C) Stereotype threat
D) Crystallization of intelligence

Question 52

Eight-year-old Carlos is a likeable child with good social skills. His teacher, Ms. Fortier, describes him as a "sponge" who absorbs and remembers much of what he studies in school. Yet she worries about his difficulty in learning how to read, and so she refers him to a school psychologist for evaluation. The psychologist administers several tests, including an intelligence test that yields a score of 70.
a. Explain how IQ scores are derived and what a score of 70 definitely indicates.
b. Decide whether Carlos's IQ score is an accurate reflection of his intelligence. If it is, explain why you think so. If it isn't, give at least two different explanations as to why Carlos might have gotten the score that he did.

Question 53

The textbook recommends three of the following strategies for adapting instruction for students who are gifted. Which one does it not recommend?

A) Ask students to be patient while their classmates master instructional objectives.
B) Form study groups of students who have similar strengths.
C) Encourage students to aim high in their aspirations.
D) Find outside resources through which students can pursue specialized interests.

Question 54

Which one of the following teachers is using a strategy that reflects the concept of distributed intelligence?

A) Mr. Arvis asks students to exchange and grade one another's homework assignments.
B) Mr. Baker gives easy writing assignments at the beginning of the year and raises his expectations as the school year progresses.
C) Mr. Chinn encourages his students to use their calculators when solving algebraic word problems.
D) Mr. Devlin encourages his students to relate what they are learning in social studies to their own personal experiences.

Question 55

Within the context of Vygotsky's perspective of cognitive development, why do students who are gifted often not benefit from regular classroom instruction?

A) Because they're too preoccupied by their own self-talk
B) Because they're too busy thinking about things they learned from their outside reading to want to learn material presented in the classroom
C) Because they are typically more distractible than their nongifted peers
D) Because they aren't working within their zone of proximal development

Question 56

Which one of the following is a legitimate reason for not relying solely on intelligence tests when identifying students who are gifted?

A) Because high achievement is a more important criterion than high intelligence when identifying giftedness, achievement test results are more relevant.
B) Because intelligence tests measure innate intelligence, children whose giftedness is due to an enriched environment may be overlooked.
C) Because intelligence test results are so difficult to interpret, many nongifted children are apt to be identified as gifted.
D) Because traditional tests are based on mainstream Western culture, children from ethnic minority groups may be overlooked.