Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

BECOMING 
AN INFORMED CONSUMER
of Psychology
Scoring Better on Standardized Tests
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R E C A P / E V A L U A T E / R E T H I N K
R E C A P 
What are the different defi nitions and conceptions of 
intelligence?
• Because intelligence can take many forms, defi ning it is 
challenging. One commonly accepted view is that intelli-
gence is the capacity to understand the world, think 
rationally, and use resources effectively when faced with 
challenges. (p. 279)
• The earliest psychologists assumed that there is a general 
factor for mental ability called g . However, later psychol-
ogists disputed the view that intelligence is uni-
dimensional. (p. 280)
• Some researchers suggest that intelligence can be broken 
down into fl uid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. 
Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences proposes that 
there are eight spheres of intelligence. (p. 280)
• Information-processing approaches examine the 
processes underlying intelligent behavior rather than 
focusing on the structure of intelligence. (p. 281)
• Practical intelligence is intelligence related to overall 
success in living; emotional intelligence is the set of skills 
that underlie the accurate assessment, evaluation, 
expression, and regulation of emotions. (p. 284)
What are the major approaches to measuring intelligence, and 
what do intelligence tests measure?
• Intelligence tests have traditionally compared a person’s 
mental age and chronological age to yield an IQ, or intel-
ligence quotient, score. (p. 287)
• Specifi c tests of intelligence include the Stanford-Binet 
test, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–IV (WAIS-IV), 
and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–IV 
(WISC-IV). (p. 289)
• Tests are expected to be both reliable and valid. Reliability 
refers to the consistency with which a test measures what 
it is trying to measure. A test has validity when it actually 
measures what it is supposed to measure. (p. 291)
• Norms are standards of test performance that permit the 
comparison of one person’s score on a test to the scores 
of others who have taken the same test. (p. 291)