IQ's Corner

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Myths and misconceptions about intelligence: A study of 35 myths - ScienceDirect

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886921003895
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886921003895?via%3Dihub

Abstract This study is concerned with the extent to which people believe in, and endorse, various myths about intelligence and intelligence testing. It examined the prevalence of myths about intelligence as set out in a recent book (Warne, 2020). Participants (N = 275) completed a questionnaire in which they rated the extent to which they thought various statements/facts about intelligence were essentially true or false. In all, eighteen of these myths were rated as true (definitely or partly), two as definitely false and six probably false by the majority of the participants. There were no significant demographic or personality correlates of the total correct score (determined by rating the myth as false). The discussion considers why, in this important area of psychology, myths, misconceptions and ignorance seem so difficult to dispel. Limitations of this, and similar, studies are noted, and implications are discussed.

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Kevin S. McGrew, PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director
Institute for Applied Psychometrics (IAP)
www.themindhub.com
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Monday, July 26, 2021

A new beginning of intelligence research. Designing the playground - ScienceDirect

A new beginning of intelligence research. Designing the playground - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016028962100043X?via%3Dihub

Protzko, J., & Colom, R. (2021). A new beginning of intelligence research. Designing the playground. Intelligence, 87, 101559.

Abstract
Here we present several points for designing a probable playground concerning a new beginning of intelligence research within the XXI Century: the nature, definition, and measurement of the construct of interest, its development across the lifespan, its enhancement by varied means, and its place within the already identified human psychological traits. Predictions can go wrong when those who make them 1) assume that trends will be linear, 2) use script-writing assuming that they know what the responses to any trend will be, and 3) conflate primary facts with their interpretation. With these pitfalls in mind, we predict: 1) a proliferation of alternate models of the positive manifold; 2) The derailment of the field in the next decade or two with a new trendy research angle; 3) The gradual abandonment of classic IQ tests for intelligence research in favor of alternative measurements. We see a bright future for intelligence research, but dark spots cannot be discarded.

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Kevin S. McGrew, PhD
Educational & School Psychologist
Director
Institute for Applied Psychometrics (IAP)
https://www.themindhub.com
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Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Variability and Stability in Cognitive Abilities Are Largely Genetic Later in Life | Semantic Scholar

Variability and Stability in Cognitive Abilities Are Largely Genetic Later in Life | Semantic Scholar
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Variability-and-Stability-in-Cognitive-Abilities-in-lomin/1e03a69d741d1b1f1bf2229b066cce818fe41961?utm_source=alert_email&utm_content=FeedPaper&utm_campaign=AlertEmails_DAILY&utm_term=FeedPaper&email_index=0-0-0&utm_medium=2363016

The powerful quantitative genetic design of identical and fraternal twins reared apart (112 pairs) and matched twins reared together (111 pairs) was employed to assess the extent of genetic influence on individual differences in cognitive abilities during the last half of the life span. General cognitive ability yielded a heritability estimate of about .80 in two assessments 3 years apart as part of the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging. This is one of the highest heritabilities reported for a behavioral trait. Across the two ages, average heritabilities are about .60 for verbal tests, .50 for spatial and speedof-processing tests, and .40 for memory tests. For general cognitive ability, the phenotypic stability across the 3 years is .92 and stable genetic factors account for nearly 90% this stability. These findings suggest that general cognitive ability is a reasonable target for research that aims to identify specific genes for complex traits.

Sunday, July 18, 2021

The Big Five Personality Traits and Academic Performance: A Meta-Analysis. | Semantic Scholar

The Big Five Personality Traits and Academic Performance: A Meta-Analysis. | Semantic Scholar
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Big-Five-Personality-Traits-and-Academic-A-Mammadov/a3402eeb709a39e23f8dcee1dad5663e08afab33?utm_source=alert_email&utm_content=FeedPaper&utm_campaign=AlertEmails_DAILY&utm_term=FeedPaper&email_index=0-2-2&utm_medium=2352302

This meta-analysis reports the most comprehensive assessment to date of the strength of the relationships between the Big Five personality traits and academic performance by synthesizing 267 independent samples (N = 413,074) in 228 unique studies. It also examined the incremental validity of personality traits above and beyond cognitive ability in predicting academic performance. Operational validities of the most popular six personality measures were compared and reported. The combined effect of cognitive ability and personality traits explained 27.8% of the variance in academic performance. Cognitive ability was the most important predictor with a relative importance of 64%. Conscientiousness emerged as a strong and robust predictor of performance, even when controlling for cognitive ability, and accounted for 28% of the explained variance in academic performance. A significant moderating effect of education level was observed. The relationship of academic performance with openness, extraversion, and agreeableness demonstrated significantly larger effect sizes at the elementary/middle school level compared to the subsequent levels. Openness, despite its weak overall relative importance, was found to be an important determinant of student performance in the early years of school

The Role of Cognitive Self-Report Measure Type in Predicting Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review. | Semantic Scholar

The Role of Cognitive Self-Report Measure Type in Predicting Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review. | Semantic Scholar
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Role-of-Cognitive-Self-Report-Measure-Type-in-A-Wion-Hill/4b4bf38d963ef145b6126074c8860f1915afcbe5?utm_source=alert_email&utm_content=FeedPaper&utm_campaign=AlertEmails_DAILY&utm_term=FeedPaper&email_index=0-1-1&utm_medium=2352302

Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology

Many types of items are used to measure self-reported cognition, resulting in heterogeneity across studies. Certain cognitive self-report measure types may be more predictive of future decline. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to compare whether specific types of cognitive self-report measures better predict risk for cognitive decline over time when measures are directly compared within the same study. The PRISMA criteria guided the review. Eligibility criteria included: longitudinal studies, outcome of cognitive decline, at least 2 different cognitive self-report measures, and no cognitive impairment at baseline. Nineteen studies were included in the final review. A narrative synthesis of results was completed, resulting in 3 thematic groups of comparisons across self-reported measure types. Self-reported memory decline with worry and peer perceptions of memory were associated with the highest risk for cognitive decline. Future longitudinal investigations of self-reported cognitive problems should focus on using measures that may be most sensitive to predicting cognitive decline

Friday, July 09, 2021

Network and hierarchical g-CHC analysis of WJ IV

Kevin McGrew

⁦‪@iqmobile‬⁩

Network & hierarchical #g-#CHC #WJIV analysis contradicts bifactor g-centric researchers who analyze #IQ tests. Shows need to use multiple methods to investigate structure of IQ tests. COI-I have $ COI in the WJ IV as a coauthor #schoolpsychologists tinyurl.com/459dvk2a

7/8/21, 12:13 PM

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Kevin McGrew, PhD

Educational Psychologist

Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics

IAP

www.themindhub.com

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J. Intell. | Free Full-Text | Do Non-Decision Times Mediate the Association between Age and Intelligence across Different Content and Process Domains?

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/8/3/33

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

EmoSocio: An open access sociometry-enriched Emotional Intelligence model | Semantic Scholar

Significant efforts have been allocated over the last thirty years towards the definition and measurement of the Emotional Intelligence (EI) construct. Several EI theories and models have been produced to support psychological assessment processes. However, barriers are identified for their wide adoption and exploitation by social scientists. The absence of a common structured format to represent concepts in EI models has resulted in lack of clarity and consistency, while hindering comparison, validation and extensive evaluation processes. Provision of open access to such models and measurement instruments has not been promoted so far, however, considered crucial for their wide adoption. Furthermore, the inclusion of indexes from the sociometry domain can facilitate participatory modeling by multidisciplinary scientists during the development of social and emotional training programs. To address these challenges, we propose EmoSocio, an open access Emotional Intelligence Model, built upon a detailed comparison and synthesis of the main constructs represented in widely accepted EI models and enriched with sociometric indexes at an individual and group level. Upon detailing the methodological approach followed for the development of the EmoSocio model, we present the EI and social constructs of the model, followed by an assessment of the EI part in terms of reliability and validity. EmoSocio is also represented in a semantically-enriched format in the form of an ontology. Our ambition is to provide an open access EI model that can be used by multidisciplinary scientists to evaluate psychological assessment processes and develop interventions, aiming to strengthen interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies.

EmoSocio: An open access sociometry-enriched Emotional Intelligence model | Semantic Scholar
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/EmoSocio%3A-An-open-access-sociometry-enriched-model-Fotopoulou-Zafeiropoulos/b28fd20f5060f61952287c343bb6a5771bbf601c?utm_source=alert_email&utm_content=FeedPaper&utm_campaign=AlertEmails_DAILY&utm_term=FeedPaper&email_index=0-5-5&utm_medium=2273866

Friday, June 18, 2021

Full article: Considering the boundaries of intellectual disability: Using philosophy of science to make sense of borderline cases

Considering the boundaries of intellectual disability: Using philosophy of science to make sense of borderline cases
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09515089.2021.1914832

ABSTRACT

Who should be diagnosed with intellectual disability and who should not? For borderline cases, the answer to this question may be as difficult to decide on as determining the borderline between being bald or not. While going bald may be upsetting to some, it is also an inevitable and relatively undramatic course of nature. In contrast, getting a diagnosis of intellectual disability is likely to have more far- reaching consequences. This makes the question of where the cutoff point for intellectual disability lies more imperative. Philosophy of science may help psychologists to understand the nature of this dilemma in a more profound manner. This article builds on the sorites paradox to explore the vagueness that surrounds the concept of intellectual disability and the consequences of this vagueness for the diagnostic process. While epistemicists argue that vagueness is a consequence of our limited knowledge of the world that we live in, semantic theorists claim that there is nothing that we do not know, but that our language allows for indecisiveness. What these different lines of understanding mean for psychologists who are diagnosing intellectual disability, is described in this article. Furthermore, the article discusses practical implications of these philosophical underpinnings.

J. Intell. | Free Full-Text | How Multidimensional Is Emotional Intelligence? Bifactor Modeling of Global and Broad Emotional Abilities of the Geneva Emotional Competence Test

File under Gei in CHC taxonomy

J. Intell. | Free Full-Text | How Multidimensional Is Emotional Intelligence? Bifactor Modeling of Global and Broad Emotional Abilities of the Geneva Emotional Competence Test
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/9/1/14

Abstract
Drawing upon multidimensional theories of intelligence, the current paper evaluates if the Geneva Emotional Competence Test (GECo) fits within a higher-order intelligence space and if emotional intelligence (EI) branches predict distinct criteria related to adjustment and motivation. Using a combination of classical and S-1 bifactor models, we find that (a) a first-order oblique and bifactor model provide excellent and comparably fitting representation of an EI structure with self-regulatory skills operating independent of general ability, (b) residualized EI abilities uniquely predict criteria over general cognitive ability as referenced by fluid intelligence, and (c) emotion recognition and regulation incrementally predict grade point average (GPA) and affective engagement in opposing directions, after controlling for fluid general ability and the Big Five personality traits. Results are qualified by psychometric analyses suggesting only emotion regulation has enough determinacy and reliable variance beyond a general ability factor to be treated as a manifest score in analyses and interpretation. Findings call for renewed, albeit tempered, research on EI as a multidimensional intelligence and highlight the need for refined assessment of emotional perception, understanding, and management to allow focused analyses of different EI abilities. View Full-Text
Keywords: emotional intelligence; Geneva Emotional Competence Test (GECo); Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory; multidimensionality; S-1 Bifactor Modeling

Saturday, June 05, 2021

Overlapping and dissociable brain activations for fluid intelligence and executive functions

https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-021-00870-4

Abstract

Cognitive enhancement interventions aimed at boosting human fluid intelligence (gf) have targeted executive functions (EFs), such as updating, inhibition, and switching, in the context of transfer-inducing cognitive training. However, even though the link between EFs and gf has been demonstrated at the psychometric level, their neurofunctional overlap has not been quantitatively investigated. Identifying whether and how EFs and gf might share neural activation patterns could provide important insights into the overall hierarchical organization of human higher-order cognition, as well as suggest specific targets for interventions aimed at maximizing cognitive transfer. We present the results of a quantitative meta-analysis of the available fMRI and PET literature on EFs and gf in humans, showing the similarity between gf and (i) the overall global EF network, as well as (ii) specific maps for updating, switching, and inhibition. Results highlight a higher degree of similarity between gf and updating (80% overlap) compared with gf and inhibition (34%), and gf and switching (17%). Moreover, three brain regions activated for both gf and each of the three EFs also were identified, located in the left middle frontal gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, and anterior cingulate cortex. Finally, resting-state functional connectivity analysis on two independent fMRI datasets showed the preferential behavioural correlation and anatomical overlap between updating and gf. These findings confirm a close link between gf and EFs, with implications for brain stimulation and cognitive training interventions.

Monday, May 24, 2021

J. Intell. | Free Full-Text | Intelligence and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

J. Intell. | Free Full-Text | Intelligence and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/7/4/24

Saturday, May 22, 2021

A Review of Key Likert Scale Development Advances: 1995–2019

A Review of Key Likert Scale Development Advances: 1995–2019
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8129175/

Friday, May 21, 2021

Eiko Fried - Measurement, modeling, and ontology of mental illness

My new favorite bkogger

https://eiko-fried.com/

Systematic review on the precursors of initial mathematical performance | Semantic Scholar

Systematic review on the precursors of initial mathematical performance

Camila Peres Nogues, B. Dorneles
Published 2021

Abstract This study carried out a systematic review to identify which cognitive skills of general and specific domain are most frequently indicated as predictors of mathematical achievement of primary school students. For that, 62 studies were included from the EMBASE, American Psychological Association, PubMED/MEDLINE, and Educational Resources Information Center/ERIC databases. Results indicated that working memory and early numerical skills are the cognitive abilities most often reported as predictors of later mathematical achievement, regardless of the school grade and the type of mathematical performance considered. The findings gather evidence that contributes to the understanding of which cognitive skills are fundamental for long-term mathematics learning and that such skills can be inserted in school education as a resource to prevent later mathematical difficulties

Systematic review on the precursors of initial mathematical performance | Semantic Scholar
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Systematic-review-on-the-precursors-of-initial-Nogues-Dorneles/b0e8c5f334c345d1812059e66d896b11eeaef65e?utm_source=alert_email&utm_content=FeedPaper&utm_campaign=AlertEmails_DAILY&utm_term=FeedPaper&email_index=0-0-0&utm_medium=2155650

Friday, May 07, 2021

J. Intell. | Free Full-Text | Intelligence and Cognitive Development: Three Sides of the Same Coin

J. Intell. | Free Full-Text | Intelligence and Cognitive Development: Three Sides of the Same Coin
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/5/2/14

Abstract
Research on intelligence, mainly based on correlational and factor-analytical work, research on cognitive development, and research in cognitive psychology are not to be opposed as has traditionally been the case, but are pursuing the same goal, that is, understand how the human being adapts to his/her own, complex environment. Each tradition of research has been focusing on one source of variation, namely situational differences for cognitive psychology, individual differences for psychometrics, and age differences for developmental psychology, while usually neglecting the two other sources of variation. The present paper compares those trends of research with respect to the constructs of fluid intelligence, working memory, processing speed, inhibition, and executive schemes. Two studies are very briefly presented to support the suggestion that tasks issued from these three traditions are very similar, if not identical, and that theoretical issues are also similar. We conclude in arguing that a unified vision is possible, provided one is (a) interested in the underlying processes and not only in the experimental variations of conditions; (b) willing to adopt a multidimensional view according to which few general mechanisms are at work, such as working memory or processing capacity, inhibition, and executive schemes; and (c) granting a fundamental role to individual differences.View Full-Text
Keywords: intelligence; cognitive development; individual differences; working memory; processing capacity; attentional control; inhibition

Thursday, May 06, 2021

The relation between science achievement and general cognitive abilities in large-scale assessments - ScienceDirect

The relation between science achievement and general cognitive abilities in large-scale assessments - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289621000131?via%3Dihub

Abstract Although large-scale assessments (LSA) of school achievement claim to measure domain-specific achievement, they have been criticized for primarily measuring domain-general abilities. Numerous studies provide evidence that LSA of mathematical achievement as well as verbal achievement cover both general cognitive abilities (GCA) and domain-specific achievement dimensions. We extend previous research by analyzing a standards-oriented and literacy-oriented LSA in the domain of science to determine the relation of these two assessment types with domain-general abilities. While literacy-oriented assessments focus on the knowledge and skills students need to meet the demands of modern societies, standards-oriented assessments focus on national educational standards and curricula. A sample of 1722 students worked on three assessments: (a) the PISA scientific literacy assessment; (b) a standards-oriented assessment based on the German National Educational Standards in biology, chemistry, and physics developed by the Institute for Educational Quality Improvement (IQB); and (c) a GCA test. Comparisons of competing structural models showed that models differentiating between domain-specific achievement and GCA best represented the structure of the assessments. Furthermore, standards-oriented and literacy-oriented LSAs in science shared common variance with GCA but also comprised specific variance. In addition to a factor representing students' GCA, we identified a science literacy-oriented and two standards-oriented factors. Relations with school grades in various STEM and non-STEM subjects were mixed and only partly provided evidence for the specificity of science LSAs. Our findings are important for understanding and interpreting results of LSAs in the contexts of GCA and science. We discuss our outcomes with respect to educational monitoring practices.

Keeping Creativity under Control: Contributions of Attention Control and Fluid Intelligence to Divergent Thinking: Creativity Research Journal: Vol 0, No 0

More on the importance of attentional control (AC)....which is AC under Gwm in CHC taxonomy

Keeping Creativity under Control: Contributions of Attention Control and Fluid Intelligence to Divergent Thinking: Creativity Research Journal: Vol 0, No 0
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10400419.2020.1855906

Increasing research efforts are focused on explaining the cognitive bases of creativity. However, it remains unclear when and how cognitive factors such as intelligence and executive function uniquely contribute to performance on creative thinking tasks. Although a relationship between fluid intelligence (Gf) and creative cognition has been well-documented, the underlying mechanism of this relation is unknown. Here, we test one possible mechanism of the Gf–creativity association – attention control (AC) – given AC's strong association with Gf and its theoretical relevance to creative cognition. We also examine the role of mind wandering (i.e., task-unrelated thought), a failure of AC that is potentially beneficial to creativity. Using latent variable and bifactor models, we investigated the unique contributions of AC to divergent thinking – above the influence of Gf – evaluating the specific and general contributions of AC, Gf, and mind wandering to divergent thinking. We found that a general executive factor (i.e., of the common variance to AC, mind wandering, and Gf indicators) significantly predicted divergent thinking originality (β =.40, p <.001) above and beyond specific Gf and mind wandering factors. Importantly, in the bifactor model, mind wandering was a nonsignificant, negative predictor of divergent thinking performance, and the residual effects of Gf were no longer significant, indicating that the relationship between Gf and divergent thinking is explained by shared variance with a common executive attention factor. This study provides novel evidence suggesting that the relationship between Gf and divergent thinking may be largely driven by the topdown control of attention.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Developmental change in the influence of domain-general abilities and domain-specific knowledge on math

https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/edu0000159

Citation

Geary, D. C., Nicholas, A., Li, Y., & Sun, J. (2017). Developmental change in the influence of domain-general abilities and domain-specific knowledge on mathematics achievement: An eight-year longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(5), 680–693. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000159

Abstract

The contributions of domain-general abilities and domain-specific knowledge to subsequent mathematics achievement were longitudinally assessed (n = 167) through 8th grade. First grade intelligence and working memory and prior grade reading achievement indexed domain-general effects, and domain-specific effects were indexed by prior grade mathematics achievement and mathematical cognition measures of prior grade number knowledge, addition skills, and fraction knowledge. Use of functional data analysis enabled grade-by-grade estimation of overall domain-general and domain-specific effects on subsequent mathematics achievement, the relative importance of individual domain-general and domain-specific variables on this achievement, and linear and nonlinear across-grade estimates of these effects. The overall importance of domain-general abilities for subsequent achievement was stable across grades, with working memory emerging as the most important domain-general ability in later grades. The importance of prior mathematical competencies on subsequent mathematics achievement increased across grades, with number knowledge and arithmetic skills critical in all grades and fraction knowledge in later grades. Overall, domain-general abilities were more important than domain-specific knowledge for mathematics learning in early grades but general abilities and domain-specific knowledge were equally important in later grades. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Gv-IM: Has the time finally come for Gv visual imagery tests?

In our 2018 CHC chapter Joel Schneider and I made our long standing affection for visual imagery (Gv-IM per CHC taxonomy) very clear. See text excerpt below. (double click on images to enlarge)

Today I ran across a potential free PDF book (via Research Gate) that may make IM tests viable. There is hope.