Deck 6: Intellectual Functioning

Question 1

The Flynn effect refers to a phenomenon whereby _________.

A)a recent standardization sample attains higher scores than an earlier one
B)a recent standardization sample gets lower scores than an earlier one
C)recent and earlier standardization samples get the same scores

Answer 1

A

Question 2

When we say there is a negative cohort trend,we mean that individuals in the present-day young adult cohort have less ability than did individuals in the older cohort had when they were young.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

According to Baltes and his colleagues,the mechanics of intelligence ________,whereas the pragmatics of intelligence _______.

A)are related to culture; are dependent upon brain functioning
B)are genetically and biologically controlled; are related to knowledge gained through experience
C)are similar to crystallized intelligence; are similar to fluid intelligence
D)depend on factual and procedural knowledge; depend on physiology

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to Sternberg,the definition of intelligence is the same regardless of culture and age.

Question 5

Psychometric intelligence tests were not used for adults until 1980.

Question 6

In general,cross-sectional studies of age and WAIS scores find _____ age-related decline compared to longitudinal studies of age and WAIS scores.

A)a greater amount of
B)an equal amount of
C)a smaller amount of

Question 7

The IQ obtained from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) ________.

A)is an accurate index of biological intelligence
B)is a highly accurate predictor of all types of everyday intelligence
C)reflects a person's standing on an array of abilities relative to others in the same age group
D)is the same as the scaled scores on the subtests

Question 8

The classic aging pattern refers to the fact that ___________.

A)verbal tests of intellectual ability tend to hold up better with age than performance tests do
B)performance tests of intellectual ability tend to hold up better with age than verbal tests do
C)both verbal and performance tests of intellectual ability show equal large declines with age
D)neither verbal nor performance tests of intellectual ability show any decline with age

Question 9

The __________ has been likened to the hardware of the mind,whereas _____ is likened to the software of the mind.

A)"g" factor; "s" factors
B)crystallized intelligence; fluid intelligence
C)mechanics of intelligence; pragmatics of intelligence
D)experiential intelligence; contextual intelligence

Question 10

According to Woodruff-Pak,the Phase I perspective of those who studied aging and intelligence focused on ___________.

A)studying which abilities decline and which ones are maintained with age
B)the method used to study aging and intellectual abilities
C)determining when the peak of intellectual functioning was reached and when it began to decline
D)whether intellectual abilities would improve with training and practice

Question 11

Which of the following subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) shows the greatest age-related decline in number of points earned?

A)Information
B)Comprehension
C)Digit symbol
D)Vocabulary

Question 12

Fluid intelligence is related to ________,whereas crystallized intelligence is related to _______.

A)the integrity of the central nervous system; education and experience
B)education and experience; innate ability and underlying brain processes
C)social and cultural influences; "raw" intelligence
D)the ability to use what one already knows; the ability to process novel information

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT one of Sternberg's three components of intelligence?

A)Contextual
B)Experiential
C)Information processing
D)"g" factor

Question 14

In 2010,a group of 20-year-old individuals take a test of spatial ability.We already have the scores earned by a group of 20-year-old individuals who took the same spatial abilities test 30 years earlier in the year 1980.If the 20-year-olds who took the test in 2010- earn higher scores than the 20-year-olds who took the test in 1980,we can say that there is ______________.

A)a swan-song phenomenon for spatial ability
B)a positive cohort trend for spatial ability
C)no valid way to measure spatial ability
D)no cross-sectional age finding

Question 15

The psychometric approach to intelligence_______________.

A)emphasizes quantitative measurement
B)uses tests that have been standardized on to a large representative sample of individuals
C)was originally devised in the context of academic performance
D)All of the above

Question 16

Generally speaking,fluid intelligence is thought to _______; crystallized intelligence is thought to __________.

A)increase or be maintained with age; decline with age
B)increase or be maintained with age; increase or be maintained with age
C)decline with age; decline with age
D)decline with age; increase or be maintained with age

Question 17

A man of 20 and a man of 70 obtain the same number of points on the WAIS performance subtests (digit symbol,block design,and so on).In this case,the Performance IQ of the 70-year-old will be ________ the Performance IQ of the 20-year-old.

A)higher than
B)the same as
C)lower than

Question 18

In Baltes' dual-process model of intellectual functioning,there are two kinds of intellectual processes: Mechanics and Pragmatics.Which is the most accurate statement about these two processes?

A)Both Mechanics and Pragmatics decline with age
B)Both Mechanics and Pragmatics improve with age
C)Pragmatics decline but Mechanics improve with age
D)Pragmatics improve but Mechanics decline with age

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a factor on Thurstone's Primary Mental Abilities (PMA) test?

A)Verbal meaning
B)Word fluency
C)Spatial orientation
D)Calculus

Question 20

Which of the following subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) shows the least age-related decline as far as number of points earned?

A)Information
B)Digit symbol
C)Block design
D)Picture arrangement

Question 21

Some psychologists have questioned whether the abilities measured by psychometric tests have much relevance,or meaning,as far as measuring the kinds of abilities that are needed to function intelligently in everyday life.These individuals think that psychometric tests may lack _________.

A)reliability
B)ecological validity
C)statistical significance
D)histological importance

Question 22

Define fluid intelligence (Gf) and crystallized intelligence (Gc) and describe how they differ.

Question 23

With encapsulation,__________________.

A)knowledge within a specific domain of expertise becomes easier to use
B)knowledge outside specific domains of expertise is used more efficiently
C)old knowledge is constantly being replaced by new information
D)people are unable to learn anything new

Question 24

According to the dedifferentiation hypothesis,in late older adulthood crystallized abilities are not preserved better than fluid abilities,as they were earlier.

Question 25

Which of the following WAIS subtests is age-sensitive?

A)Comprehension
B)Vocabulary
C)Information
D)Block design

Question 26

Describe what Baltes and his colleagues mean by the mechanics of intelligence and the pragmatics of intelligence.What is the developmental course,or trajectory,of each?

Question 27

Salthouse demonstrated that older faculty members at a university get better scores than younger faculty members do on all types of psychometric ability tests.

Question 28

Which factor(s) is (are) related to maintenance of intellectual functioning in older adulthood?

A)A flexible personality
B)Satisfaction with one's accomplishments in mid-life and early older adulthood
C)Membership in an intact family
D)All of the above

Question 29

Which of the following WAIS subtests is age-insensitive?

A)Vocabulary
B)Block design
C)Digit symbol
D)Picture completion

Question 30

A researcher measures the amount of time older adults spend each week engaging in mentally challenging activities and also obtains the scores they earn on a psychometric test of intelligence.The researcher finds that the more time older adults spend engaging in mentally challenging activities,the higher their scores on the psychometric test.On the basis of this finding,which of the following conclusions would the researcher be most justified in drawing?

A)Engaging in mentally challenging activities causes psychometric test scores to increase.
B)Spending too little time engaging in mentally challenging activities causes psychometric test scores to decline.
C)Amount of time spent engaging in mentally challenging activities and scores on a psychometric intelligence test are positively related (positively correlated).
D)Amount of time spent engaging in mentally challenging activities and scores on a psychometric intelligence test are negatively related (negatively correlated).

Question 31

Willis and her colleagues devised an Everyday Problems Test (EPT) that consisted of written tasks in seven Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) categories.Then they related older adults' scores on the EPT test and their scores on psychometric tests of intelligence.They found that older adults' EPT scores were ____________.

A)most strongly related to their scores on psychometric tests of crystallized ability
B)most strongly related to their scores on scores on psychometric tests of fluid ability
C)equally strongly related to their scores on psychometric tests of crystallized and fluid ability
D)unrelated to their scores on psychometric tests of crystallized or fluid ability

Question 32

Researchers who believe in testing the limits of intellectual ability are likely to think that ______________.

A)a person's score the first time he/she takes a psychometric test is a good measure of his or her intellectual functioning
B)a person would have to be tested on several occasions to get a true picture of intellectual functioning
C)practice and training do not benefit intellectual test scores
D)people get the same scores no matter how many times they take a test

Question 33

Berg and Sternberg asked people to describe an exceptionally intelligent individual of 30,50,or 70 years of age.Which factor did people think would describe the exceptionally intelligent 30-year-old but not the exceptionally intelligent 50-year-old or 70-year-old?

A)Verbal competence
B)Everyday competence
C)Ability to deal with novelty
D)Word fluency

Question 34

Naming another person to manage a person's financial transactions is called _________.

A)legal guardianship
B)legal bonding
C)legal conservatorship
D)legal partnership

Question 35

Explain how actual scores in a test such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) are related to the IQ a test taker receives on this test.

Question 36

Participating in complex leisure activities _____________.

A)leads to fatigue
B)is associated with a higher level of intellectual functioning
C)has no relationship with level of intellectual functioning
D)is guaranteed to prevent cognitive decline in older adulthood

Question 37

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are never seen in the brains of healthy older adults.

Question 38

In general,there is _______ variation among older adults than there is among young adults on tests of intellectual ability.

A)greater
B)the same amount of
C)less

Question 39

Naming another person to make decisions concerning living arrangements,health care,and provision of all other basic needs is called _________.

A)legal guardianship
B)legal bonding
C)legal conservatorship
D)legal partnership

Question 40

Which of the following is most accurate about Denney's concept of optimally exercised and unexercised abilities?

A)At all ages,optimally exercised abilities are superior to unexercised abilities.
B)Both kinds of abilities reach a peak in late adolescence or young adulthood.
C)Optimally exercised abilities retain their superiority over unexercised abilities even in older adulthood.
D)All of the above

Question 41

Why is there usually less age-related decline reported for psychometric intelligence test scores in longitudinal studies than there is in psychometric intelligence test scores in cross-sectional studies?

Question 42

What do the disuse hypothesis and the engagement hypothesis have to say about the course of cognitive decline over the adult life span?

Question 43

What is meant by the classic aging pattern that is found on psychometric tests such as the WAIS?

Question 44

Some researchers contend that psychometric intelligence tests lack ecological validity for older adults.What do they mean by this?

Question 45

Name three factors associated with reduced risk of age-related decline in intellectual abilities.

Question 46

What is meant by capacity assessment and when might it be needed?

Question 47

Researchers have studied the relationship between older adults' psychometric test scores and their ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).In general,what have they found?

Question 48

Describe what is expected to happen over time to optimally exercised and unexercised abilities.

Question 49

How are the concept of testing the limits and the life-span developmental proposition of plasticity related?

Question 50

Berg and Sternberg interviewed people to determine their definitions of "intelligent" behavior.Three factors stood out as important: (1) interest in and ability to deal with novelty,(2) everyday competence,and (3) verbal competence.Which factor(s) did people consider important for the "exceptionally intelligent" 30-year-old and which factor(s) did people consider important for the "exceptionally intelligent" 70-year-old?