Deck 9: A: Intelligence and Psychological Testing

Question 1

Ishmael and Aliyah were enrolled in different sections of the same course. When Aliyah was taking her midterm exam, there was a lecture being held in the next room. This distracted her and made it difficult for her to concentrate on her exam. When Ishmael wrote his midterm exam, the room next door was empty, and he had no distractions. Which of the following is true about the administration of this midterm exam?

A)It would have poor construct validity.
B)It did not have adequate test norms.
C)It was not standardized across sections.
D)It did not have high test-retest reliability.

Answer 1

It was not standardized across sections.

Question 2

Francis has applied for admission to a computer science program, and one of the requirements for admission is the completion of a test that measures sequencing skills and abstract reasoning skills. What type of testing is being used in this case?

A)projective test
B)normative test
C)aptitude test
D)achievement test

Answer 2

aptitude test

Question 3

What does a psychological test measure?

A)a sample of a person's behaviour
B)a person's absolute level of performance
C)a person's typical behaviour
D)the constancies of a person's behaviour

Answer 3

a sample of a person's behaviour

Question 4

Which type of standardized test would be used to predict how well you will do in college?

A)intelligence test
B)personality test
C)aptitude test
D)predictive test

Question 5

Interested in learning how to fly airplanes, Roger has just taken a test designed to predict how well he is likely to do in a pilot training program. What type of test has he likely taken?

A)aptitude test
B)test of general mental ability
C)intelligence test
D)achievement test

Question 6

What does an achievement test measure?

A)a person's mastery and knowledge of a subject
B)general mental ability
C)basic characteristics of one's personality
D)talent for specific kinds of learning

Question 7

What type of test would you need to administer if you wanted to gauge a person's mastery and knowledge in a specific area, such as mathematics?

A)aptitude test, such as the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT)
B)achievement test
C)intelligence test, such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
D)self-report inventory

Question 8

When Francesca took the ACT Assessment this year, she was allowed to use a graphing calculator on the mathematics portion of the exam. Her older sister is surprised, because when she took the test six years ago, calculators were not allowed for any portion of the exam. Which of the following is true about the results of the test?

A)Francesca's score is probably less reliable than her sister's score.
B)Francesca probably earned a higher score on the exam than her sister did.
C)It would difficult to meaningfully compare Francesca's score with her sister's score.
D)The current form of the ACT Assessment has poor construct validity.

Question 9

What must be developed in order for a psychological test to tell you how you score relative to other people?

A)scales
B)norms
C)levels
D)scores

Question 10

What type of test is a spelling test?

A)intelligence test
B)analytical test
C)achievement test
D)aptitude test

Question 11

Leo wants to become a fighter pilot, and he is asked to complete a test that is designed to determine if he has the interests and the values typically found in fighter pilots. What type of test would be used in this example?

A)aptitude
B)non-standardized
C)achievement
D)personality

Question 12

Madison has just completed a two-year internship with a law firm. She takes a test that is designed to assess her current knowledge of general legal principles. What type of test is being used, in this case?

A)projective test
B)achievement test
C)intelligence test
D)aptitude test

Question 13

Walter has taken a test that attempts to assess his interests and attitudes. What type of test has Walter most likely taken?

A)aptitude test
B)correlational test
C)achievement test
D)personality test

Question 14

Which of the following does NOT characterize psychological tests?

A)Psychological tests allow one to predict behaviour with great accuracy.
B)Psychological tests are samples of behaviour.
C)Psychological tests measure individual differences.
D)Psychological tests are standardized measures of behaviour.

Question 15

In trying to make a decision about a career that would fit your abilities and interests, you would probably want to take a test that would measure your potential or talent for specific kinds of activities. Which type of test should you choose?

A)test of general mental ability
B)achievement test
C)aptitude test
D)intelligence test

Question 16

What would you use to determine where a particular score on a test falls in relationship to a comparison group?

A)test outcome data
B)test reliability
C)test standardization information
D)test norms

Question 17

At the end of her calculus course, Madelena takes a test to determine how well she has mastered the material. What type of test would that be?

A)intelligence test
B)test of her math potential
C)achievement test
D)aptitude test

Question 18

What type of test is likely being used if an elementary school child is given a test designed to determine whether or not she should be placed in a class of "gifted" children?

A)vocabulary test
B)achievement test
C)personality test
D)intelligence test

Question 19

What type of tests are the exams given at the end of a course to determine how much you have learned in the course?

A)abilities tests
B)intelligence tests
C)achievement tests
D)tests of general mental ability

Question 20

Two people taking the same test in two different places will receive the same instructions, the same questions, and the same time limits. What term is used to describe this type of test?

A)regulated
B)synchronized
C)standardized
D)validated

Question 21

Which of the following is an accurate interpretation if your score falls at the 75th percentile on a standardized test?

A)75 percent of the people who took the test scored at or below your score.
B)75 percent of the people who took the test scored higher than you.
C)Your answers to pairs of similar items on the test were the same 75 percent of the time.
D)You correctly answered 75 percent of the items on the test.

Question 22

What would we say about a test if it accurately measures what it was designed to measure?

A)It is normative.
B)It is consistent.
C)It is empirical.
D)It is valid.

Question 23

What is an individual's percentile score?

A)percentage of people who score below the mean on a standardized test
B)percentage of people who score between the mean and his or her score
C)percentage of people who score above his or her score
D)percentage of people who score at or below his or her score

Question 24

Dr. Webkamigad has developed a new logical reasoning test. She administers the test to a group of incoming freshman. The next year, she tests the same students, who are now sophomores, and finds that the overall correlation between the two sets of scores is -0.25. What should Dr. Webkamigad conclude about her new test, based on this information?

A)It has low construct reliability.
B)It has high test-retest validity.
C)It has high criterion-related validity.
D)It has low test-retest reliability.

Question 25

Sawyer scored at the 40th percentile on the mathematical component of a standardized test. What does this mean?

A)He obtained a raw score of 40.
B)He incorrectly answered 40 percent of the questions on the exam.
C)He scored lower than 60 percent of the sample used to establish the test norms.
D)He scored higher than 60 percent of the sample used to establish the test norms.

Question 26

Brenna took a test designed to measure her creativity. She tells you that her final score on the test was 70. She knows you are taking a psychology class, so she asks you what this score means. What should you tell Brenna?

A)A score of 70 is probably a high score since most tests have a maximum score of 80.
B)She will need to take the test again before her score can be accurately interpreted.
C)You can't interpret her score without knowing the norms for the test.
D)A score of 70 is probably a low score since most tests are normed to have an average score of 100.

Question 27

Dr. Carmody has designed a new critical thinking assessment test. He administers the test to a group of students in October. In April, he tests the same students and finds that the overall correlation between the two sets of scores is +0.91. What could Dr. Carmody conclude about his new test, based on this information?

A)It has been well standardized.
B)It will have high criterion-related validity.
C)It appears to have high test-retest reliability.
D)It likely has low construct validity.

Question 28

What are we evaluating about a test if we use test-retest procedures?

A)criterion validity
B)reliability
C)content validity
D)accuracy

Question 29

Which of the following represents the strongest test-retest reliability for a test?

A)-0.75
B)0.00
C)+0.70
D)+0.90

Question 30

Lanette is arguing with her professor that questions on her last test were not covered during lectures or in the textbook. Which of the following does Lanette believe is the problem with the test?

A)low test-retest reliability
B)low content validity
C)low criterion-related validity
D)low criterion-related reliability

Question 31

Dustin recently completed the Artistic Reasoning Test (ART) for the third time in four months. The first time he took the test, his score was near the middle of the scale. The second time, he scored near the top of the scale; but for the most recent test, he scored near the bottom of the scale. What do Dustin's scores indicate about the test?

A)It has not been properly standardized.
B)It is measuring something other than artistic reasoning skills.
C)It has poor construct validity.
D)It has low reliability.

Question 32

What do we call a test that yields nearly identical scores when it is retaken after a two-month interval?

A)standardized
B)valid
C)reliable
D)significant

Question 33

Which of the following is the score that is derived from test norms and indicates the proportion of people who scored below your obtained score?

A)percentile
B)average
C)prototypical
D)variation

Question 34

What would your score be if 30 percent of a reference group scored higher than you on a test?

A)at the 70th percentile
B)at the 30th percentile
C)at the 29th percentile
D)indeterminate from the available information

Question 35

Which of the following statements regarding acceptable levels of test reliability is accurate?

A)Reliability estimates must be equal to or higher than .50.
B)Reliability estimates must be equal to or higher than .70.
C)Reliability estimates must be .50 or higher for a personality test, and .70 or higher for a test of mental ability.
D)There are no absolute guidelines about acceptable levels of reliability.

Question 36

Ting scored at the 95th percentile on the logical reasoning component of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). What does this mean?

A)She scored lower than 95 percent of the sample used to establish the test norms.
B)She obtained a raw score of 95.
C)She correctly answered 95 percent of the questions on the exam.
D)She scored higher than 95 percent of the sample used to establish the test norms.

Question 37

What does the reliability of a psychological test refer to?

A)predictability
B)accuracy of inference
C)representativeness
D)consistency

Question 38

Dr. Iverson has had 25 students who have repeated her advanced Economics class over the past five years. Each time, the students' grades for the second attempt in her course were nearly identical to the grades received on the first attempt. What could Dr. Iverson conclude about her testing procedures?

A)They provide reliable measures of student ability.
B)They provide valid measures of student ability.
C)They are well standardized.
D)They successfully measures abstract reasoning skills.

Question 39

Dr. Binti is concerned about whether or not the final exam in his physics class accurately measures a student's accumulated knowledge about core concepts from the course. What is Dr. Binti's main concern?

A)validity
B)confounding factors
C)standardization
D)reliability

Question 40

What is the term for the degree to which the items on a test are representative of the domain it is supposed to cover?

A)test reliability
B)content validity
C)criterion validity
D)test convergence

Question 41

When tested on the Stanford-Binet, Ada is found to have a mental age of eight. What does this mean?

A)She is intellectually impaired.
B)Her performance was as good as that of an average 8-year-old.
C)Her IQ is 80.
D)Her score is 8 standard deviation units above the average score.

Question 42

What aspect of a test are we referring to when we say that a test measures some abstract personal quality, such as creativity or intelligence?

A)construct validity
B)content validity
C)criterion-related validity
D)face validity

Question 43

If you wanted to be able to predict how successful you would be at being an engineer, you would take a test that measured your potential for this profession. Which of the following would you be most concerned with?

A)construct validity
B)criterion-related validity
C)internal validity
D)hypothetical validity

Question 44

Professor Ridley is known for giving fair exams that include only test items for which the student should have been prepared. Which of the following can Professor Ridley's exams be said to be high in?

A)predictive validity
B)content validity
C)standardized validity
D)criterion-related validity

Question 45

Which of the following researchers developed the first intelligence tests designed to predict the school performance of children?

A)Alfred Binet
B)David Wechsler
C)Jean Piaget
D)Lewis Terman

Question 46

Conrad's economic professor tells the class that the next exam will cover Chapters 5 though 7 of their text. The day of the exam, the professor accidentally photocopies the exam from the previous semester, which includes a number of questions from Chapters 8 and 9. Which of the following will be a problem for the exam?

A)low reliability
B)improper standardization
C)inappropriate construct validity
D)poor content validity

Question 47

What could you conclude about a test-designed to measure extraversion-which correlates negatively with measures of social discomfort, correlates positively with measures of sociability, and has low correlations with measures of intelligence?

A)It has high reliability.
B)It has low test norms.
C)It has low criterion-related validity.
D)It has high construct validity.

Question 48

How is criterion-related validity established for a test?

A)logic and theory testing
B)correlating scores on the test with another trait associated with the test
C)examining correlation coefficients for repeated administrations of the test
D)having experts in the field assess the items on the test

Question 49

In Galton's book Hereditary Genius, he described his theory of intelligence. Which of the following did he feel played the largest role in the expression of intelligence?

A)genetic inheritance of intelligence
B)advantages associated with being born to the upper class
C)speed of reaction time
D)family traditions related to education

Question 50

For which of the following would it be the most difficult to demonstrate validity?

A)history test
B)test of creativity
C)mechanical aptitude test
D)secretarial aptitude test

Question 51

Silas took the College Aptitude Test (CAT) when he was in Grade 11, and he attained a very high score on the test. When Silas was in college, he was suspended his first year, and when he was readmitted, he ended up dropping out because he was doing poorly in all his classes. When Silas went for career counselling, he retook the CAT, and again he earned a very high score. Based on Silas's experience, what might you suggest about the CAT?

A)It has high reliability, but low validity.
B)It has low reliability, and low validity.
C)It has content validity, but low construct validity.
D)It has been poorly standardized.

Question 52

Dr. Singh designs a test he believes will predict an individual's ability to perform in managerial positions. When Dr. Singh administers his test to 100 managers at Aldor Corporation, he finds that some of the best managers do well on the test, but others do quite poorly. What should Dr. Singh conclude about his test?

A)It lacks criterion-related validity.
B)It is unreliable.
C)It lacks content validity.
D)It is not well standardized.

Question 53

Which of the following would a mechanical aptitude test be high in if the scores were strongly correlated with performance in an auto mechanics training class?

A)face validity
B)criterion-related validity
C)reliability
D)construct validity

Question 54

At the beginning of the semester, all the students enrolled in a fitness class are required to take a test designed to assess their current fitness level. The test assesses each student's fat-to-muscle ratio, asks a number of questions about lifestyle and personal habits, measures aerobic function and stress response. Which of the following appears to be true about the preliminary fitness test?

A)It has been well standardized.
B)It is likely to have high reliability.
C)It is likely to have high construct validity.
D)It is likely to have low criterion-related validity.

Question 55

Which of the following phrases was coined by Galton in his analysis of heredity and the role of the environment on intelligence?

A)survival of the fittest
B)common sense
C)nature versus nurture
D)assortative mating

Question 56

You are listening to a televised debate about cloning. One of the scientists says that cloning would allow us to improve the quality of the human race by creating exact duplicates of highly intelligent people. People who were not considered suitable candidates for cloning would be able to adopt these "high quality" children, rather than having their own. Which of the following theorists would have been most likely to support this program?

A)Francis Galton
B)Lewis Terman
C)Robert Sternberg
D)Alfred Binet

Question 57

What would be described by a correlation between a group's scores on an industrial aptitude test and actual performance on the industrial job?

A)content validity of the test
B)criterion-related validity of the test
C)criterion-related validity of the job
D)construct validity of the test

Question 58

When Charmaine was ten years old, she completed the original Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. She answered all the questions that a typical six-year-old would answer, but none of the questions a typical seven-year-old would answer. What is Charmaine's mental age based on this information?

A)6 years
B)7 years
C)10 years
D)6-10 years

Question 59

How does the Binet-Simon scale of intelligence express a child's score?

A)percentile score
B)mental age
C)intelligence quotient
D)potential score

Question 60

What would Galton have said if you were to ask him why there were so many eminent minds within his family (including himself, and cousin Charles Darwin)?

A)Intelligence is correlated with level of education, so education causes intelligence.
B)People notice the eminent minds and ignore all the dimmer ones, leading to a confirmation bias.
C)Great intelligence is passed from generation to generation, genetically.
D)The advantages of the upper class allowed for development of a strong intellect.

Question 61

Tamara is completing the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and one section of the test evaluates her arithmetic reasoning skills using story problems. For which scale will Tamara's score on this section of the test be used?

A)performance
B)verbal
C)practical
D)logical-mathematical

Question 62

Which of the following hypotheses is illustrated by Lucy's difficulty after the test administrator's comments?

A)reaction range
B)Flynn effect
C)cumulative deprivation hypothesis
D)stereotype vulnerability

Question 63

When Lance was eight years old, he completed the original Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. He answered all the questions that a typical ten-year-old would answer, but none of the questions a typical eleven-year-old would answer. What is Lance's mental age based on this information?

A)8 years
B)9 years
C)10 years
D)10/8 years

Question 64

Adam and Carla had equivalent scores on the verbal component of the Wechsler intelligence test, but Adam had a higher score on the performance scale. Which of the following could you infer about Carla's score?

A)Carla is likely younger than Adam.
B)Carla's performance scale would be normalized.
C)Carla's full-scale IQ score will be lower than Adam's.
D)Carla's verbal score is invalid.

Question 65

Diego is eight years old, but on intelligence tests he scores at the level typical for a ten-year-old. What is Diego's IQ using the intelligence quotient formula developed by William Stern?

A)10
B)80
C)100
D)125

Question 66

Shawna's IQ score was calculated using the formula developed by William Stern, and the result was 92. What does this indicate?

A)Shawna's mental age is greater than her chronological age.
B)The IQ score calculation was done incorrectly.
C)Shawna's mental age and chronological age are the same.
D)Shawna's chronological age is greater than her mental age.

Question 67

A test administrator, using the intelligence quotient formula developed by William Stern, determined that 12-year-old Kavita had an IQ score of 75. What is Kavita's mental age?

A)9
B)12
C)16
D)18

Question 68

Which of the following is most likely to be Lucy's IQ score?

A)10
B)50
C)75
D)100

Question 69

What is a child's IQ if the chronological age matches the mental age?

A)50
B)75
C)100
D)125

Question 70

Jerome is eight years old and has been determined to have a mental age of ten. What is Jerome's IQ?

A)80
B)100
C)110
D)125

Question 71

Austin is completing the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and one section of the test evaluates his ability to analyze patterns and copy designs using blocks. For which scale will Austin's score on this section of the test be used?

A)spatial
B)practical
C)verbal
D)performance

Question 72

On which scale of the intelligence test is the block design task?

A)elementary
B)spatial
C)performance
D)verbal

Question 73

When Lucy recognized that she needed to calm down, which type of intelligence does this reflect?

A)self-sufficient
B)emotional
C)fluid
D)eminence

Question 74

Fiona is 8 years old and has a mental age of 10, based on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Denise is 10 years old and has a mental age of 12, based on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Which of the following is true if you are using an intelligence quotient to compare the girls?

A)Fiona would be considered more intelligent than Denise.
B)Denise would be considered more intelligent than Fiona.
C)The scores could not be meaningfully compared because the girls are not the same age.
D)Both girls would be considered equally intelligent.

Question 75

Daphne is analyzing data from a new psychological test. She is looking at all the correlations for all the various questions to determine whether there are some traits that seem to go together. Which of the following procedures is similar to Daphne's technique?

A)analysis of variance
B)covariance
C)trend analysis
D)factor analysis

Question 76

Walter is 10 years old and has a mental age of 8, based on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Alfred is 12 years old and has a mental age of 10, based on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Which of the following is true if you are using the intelligence quotient to compare the two boys?

A)Both boys would be considered equally intelligent.
B)Walter would be considered more intelligent than Alfred.
C)Alfred would be considered more intelligent than Walter.
D)The scores cannot be meaningfully compared because the boys are not the same age.

Question 77

What is a 10-year old child's IQ if he has a mental age score of 8 on the Binet test?

A)75
B)80
C)100
D)125

Question 78

Which of the following would you choose if you needed an intelligence test that was specifically designed for adults?

A)Galton IQ test
B)Otis-Lennon School Ability Test
C)Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
D)Terman-Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale

Question 79

Which of Gardner's eight intelligences would Lucy likely score low in, based on her difficulty with the block task?

A)naturalist
B)manual
C)bodily-kinesthetic
D)logical-mathematical

Question 80

What are you calculating when you use the formula (Mental age/chronological age) x 100?

A)intelligence quotient
B)Binet quotient
C)maturity quotient
D)achievement quotient