Individual difference in Intelligence:
Nature vs Nurture:
1. Nature signifies the genetic factors/heredity which plays a crucial role in shaping
the personality and intelligence of an individual
2. Nurture signifies the environmental factors which like nature shape up the
intelligence and personality of an individual
3. Genetic factors play an important role in determining what kind of environment
people select for themselves
4. With respect to the role of the environment, children from disadvantaged homes
adopted into families who have higher socio-economic status exhibit a larger
increase in their intelligence scores as rich nutrition, quality schooling, provision
of relevant facilities help in increasing their IQ
5. It is a popular perception of psychologists that intelligence is the product of
nature and nurture
Assessment of Intelligence
Assessment of intelligence means proper understanding and evaluation of the
intelligence of a person. In 1905, Alfred Binet & Theodore Simon, made the first
successful attempt to formally measure intelligence. In 1908, when the scale
was revised, they gave the concept pf Mental Age (MA), which is a measure of a
person’s intellectual development relative to people of your age. Chronological
age (CA) is the biological age from birth. The intelligence of a person is assessed
with the help of Intelligence Quotient(IQ) which was first proposed by William
Stern in 1912.
•IQ is defined as mental age divided by chronological age, & multiplied by 100
IQ= MA/CA*100
If mental age is higher than chronological age then the person has high
intelligence and vice-versa.
Variations of Intelligence
Intellectual Deficiency- Significantly sub average general intellectual functioning
existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behaviour and manifested during the
developmental period- American Association On Mental Deficiency(AAMD). There are
further four types.
Mild Retardation(IQ 55-69) is Marked by slow development as compared to peers,
requires mild care, and can hold families, jobs, etc
Moderate Retardation(IQ 40-54).People with moderate retardation require moderate
supervision and face difficulty in language and motor skills
People with Severe Retardation(IQ 25-39) and Profound Retardation(IQ Below 25)
require constant care and supervision throughout their life and they can’t live
independently in their life
Intellectual Giftedness _ It was first thoroughly examined by Lewis Terman in 1925 by
conducting a case study on 1500 children with IQ above 130 to examine the role of
intelligence in all areas of life. Giftedness means the exceptional ability of an individual
to perform well in a wide variety of areas and it is often confused with Talent. Talent and
Giftedness are separate as talent means remarkable ability in a specific field like sports,
academics, etc. Giftedness broadly includes 3 main characteristics-
1. High Creativity
2. High Ability
3. High Commitment
● Signs of giftedness during childhood are:
1. Exceptional Concentration
2. Preference for Novelty
3. Large Attention Span
4. Good Memory
● Important features of Giftedness:
1. Exceptional Rational Thinking and Problem Solving.
2. High Motivation.
3. High Self-esteem.
4. Independent and Non-Conformist thinking.
Types of Intelligence Tests
1. On the basis of Administration Procedure
● Individual tests are administered on a single individual and the test administrator is
required to adjust with feelings, the mood of the subject
● Group tests are administered on a group of individuals and it is not necessary for the
test administrator to adjust to the mood of the subjects
2. On the basis of the nature of items used
● Verbal Test – The subject is required to give responses either oral or written.
● Non-Verbal Test- Requires use of pictures as test items. For example, Raven’s
Progressive Matrices(RPM)
● Performance Test- Requires movement of objects/materials. For example, block activity
[Link] the basis of Culture
● Culture fair tests are culturally appropriate and are suitable to test the intelligence of all
types of cultures
● Culture Biased Tests are not culturally appropriate and it is not suitable to test the
intelligence of all types of cultures
Culture and Intelligence:
● Culture is a collective system of ideas, opinions, attitudes which is observed among a
wide number of people
● An important aspect of intelligence is that it helps people in adapting to their
environment and thus, makes them dynamic
● As per the Russian Psychologist Vygotsky, culture provides a social context in which
people learn, live, and grow
● In technologically advanced societies children are fostered with skills of Generalisation,
abstraction and this can be included under technological intelligence in which attention
is mainly given to cognitive processes like attention, memory, observation, etc
● In the Indian context, intelligence is evaluated on holistic grounds and attention is given
to both cognitive and non-cognitive processes and their integration as well
● Intelligence in the Indian Context is defined in a broad way and is called ‘ Buddhi'
● 4 facets of integral intelligence are as follows-
● Cognitive competence includes a cognitive ability and skills like decision-making,
analysis, etc
● Social competence includes social skills like communication skills, empathy,
cooperation.
● Emotional Competence focuses on self-regulation and having a regular check on one’s
emotions and thoughts.
● Entrepreneurial Competence includes qualities like commitment, dedication,
determination, perseverance, etc
Emotional Intelligence
● This concept of emotional intelligence was first introduced by Salovey and Mayer.
Emotional intelligence is a set of skills that underlie accurate appraisal, expression, and
regulation of emotions. It is expressed in terms of EQ(Emotional Quotient).
● Emotional intelligence is a set of skills that underlie accurate appraisal, expression, &
regulation of emotions.
● In simple terms, emotional intelligence refers to the ability to process emotional
information accurately & efficiently.
Aptitude
● Aptitude is defined as an individual’s potential and capability to learn and acquire skills
and aptitude tests give us a clear picture of what a person is capable of doing. The
aptitude of an individual is measured with the help of aptitude tests which are of two
types:
● Independent (Specialized) aptitude tests include Typing Aptitude test, numerical aptitude
test, etc
● Multiple (Generalized) aptitude tests include differential aptitude tests battery, general
aptitude test battery which measures intelligence in separate yet homogeneous areas
● Relationship Between Creativity and Intelligence
Creativity refers to the ability of a person to think and ponder upon novel and innovative
solutions to the given problem and divergent thinking which refers to thinking in a broad
and open-minded manner is a crucial part of creativity. For example- a writer or a
filmmaker must have some intelligence to understand the field and what kind of content
is required in the modern era and creativity along with that helps them to come up with
something unique and out-of-the-box.
In a nutshell, we can say that creativity focuses on being open-minded whereas
intelligence mainly involves coming up with the correct solution to the issue.
Some of the famous psychologists who have developed creativity tests are
Guilford, Torrance, [Link] fields like filmmaking do require both intelligence
and creativity for better problem solving and decision-making.