CHAPTER 10
Cognitive Abilities

1. Define cognitive ability. (see introductory section)
   
   
2. Define intelligence. Discuss the reasons that intelligence is so difficult to define. (see Testing for Intelligence)
   
   
3. Discuss the history of intelligence test, or IQ test, construction. Explain the scoring methods used in the Binet and Stanford-Binet intelligence tests. (see A Brief History of Intelligence Tests)
   
   
4. Discuss the use and abuse of intelligence testing in the United States in the early 1900s. (see A Brief History of Intelligence Tests)
   
   
5. Describe Wechsler's intelligence test. Explain why it is different from tests that were used previously. Define verbal and performance scales. (see Intelligence Tests Today)
   
   
6. Describe the process of IQ test scoring used today to yield an intelligence quotient, or IQ score. (see Intelligence Tests Today)
   
   
7. Describe the differences between an aptitude test and an achievement test. (see Aptitude and Achievement Tests)
   
   
8. Define test. Describe the advantages of tests over other evaluation methods. (see Measuring the Quality of Tests)
   
   
9. Define norms. Describe their usefulness. (see Measuring the Quality of Tests)
   
   
10. Define reliability. Describe the process of assessing reliability using test-retest, alternate-forms, and split-half correlations. Give an example of each. (see Reliability)
    
    
11. Define validity as well as content, construct, criterion, and predictive validity. (see Validity)
    
    
12. Describe the results of checks on IQ test reliability. Describe studies of the validity of IQ tests. (see Reliability; see also Validity)
    
    
13. Discuss the evidence for and against the argument that IQ tests are culturally biased. Define culture-fair tests. (see How Fair Are IQ Tests?)
    
    
14. Discuss the possible interpretations of evidence from correlational twin studies on the role of heredity and the environment in the development of intelligence. (see IQ Scores as a Measure of Innate Ability)
    
    
15. Explain why a group intelligence score tells you nothing about the individuals in the group. Discuss the variables that affect group intelligence scores. (see Group Differences in IQ Scores)
    
    
16. Describe the conditions that can raise IQ scores. Explain why a teacher's expectancies can affect students' classroom performance and improvement. (see Conditions That Can Raise IQ Scores; see also IQ Scores in the Classroom)
    
    
17. Describe how emotional arousal affects the measurement of mental abilities. Define test anxiety and stereotype threat. (see Linkages: Emotionality and the Measurement of Cognitive Abilities)
    
    
18. Describe the psychometric approach to studying intelligence. Define g, s, group factors, primary mental abilities, fluid intelligence, and crystallized intelligence. Give an example of each. (see The Psychometric Approach)
    
    
19. Describe the information-processing approach to studying intelligence. Describe the role of attention in intelligent behavior. (see The Information-Processing Approach)
    
    
20. Describe the triarchic theory of intelligence. Define analytic intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence. (see The Triarchic Theory of Intelligence)
    
    
21. Explain Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. List the eight types of intelligences he proposed. (see Multiple Intelligences)
    
    
22. Explain the differences between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies as tools for examining age-related changes in intelligence. Describe the cross-sequential with resampling design and the confounds for which it corrects. (see Focus on Research Methods: Tracking Cognitive Abilities over the Lifespan)
    
    
23. Describe the types of changes in intelligence that occur with aging. (see Focus on Research Methods: Tracking Cognitive Abilities over the Lifespan)
    
    
24. Discuss the relationship between creativity and intelligence. Define divergent and convergent thinking. (see Creativity)
    
    
25. Describe the correlation between giftedness and success in our society. Define mental retardation, familial retardation, and metacognition. (see Unusual Cognitive Ability)
    
    
26. Define learning disability. Describe the types of learning disabilities and their possible causes. (see Learning Disabilities)