12 Days of Psychology Class: Day 2 - IQ Activity

Happy Holidays, everyone! Here is my 2nd "12 Days of Christmas...er...Psychology Class" post. We got a dusting of snow last night - but I'm waiting for the real thing and still holding out hope for a white Christmas.

At the NCSS New Orleans conference this past November, I attended a REALLY FABULOUS workshop session by Laura Brandt and David Elbaum of Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL on incorportaing Law/Psychology. I was leafing through the "The Intersection of Law and Psychology" booklet that they shared with those who attended. In the packet, there was an article I read on the flight home entitled "Death by IQ: US Inmates Condemned by Flawless Tests" published by New Scientist.  As I was reading the article - I realized (basically) the WHOLE unit was in here! With very limited time (especially second semester) I need activities and articles that cover A LOT of ground.

Students were engaged, asking questions, and very interested in the topic when applied to the death penatly.

Sheet to accompany PPT slides

PPT slides 

Thanks to Laura and David for the great presentation and the great idea!



-- Posted by Amy Ramponi

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The History of the Advanced Placement Program

While not directly related to our Midnight Postings current topic of intelligence, I think many students and teachers may find any of the following links interesting, especially those involved in an AP Psychology program.

All three articles are published by the College Board, but each has a different "flavor" to it depending on which audience the author is writing to.

The History of the AP Program
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/program/history/8019.html

A brief history of the Advanced Placement Program
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/ap/ap_history_english.pdf

The History of the AP Program
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/21502.html

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Time Magazine Intelligence Articles

The Time Magazine website includes a number of articles specific to intelligence and emotional intelligence. The articles are coordinated with Glencoe's Understanding Psychology text, but can be used with any text within any level psychology course. Either click on the article's title below or go to http://www.time.com/time/classroom/psych/unit5.html for the complete listing.

New brain research suggests that emotions, not IQ, may be the true measure of human intelligence Our test-obsessed society has Bient and Terman to thank--or to blame A hot concept aims to identify your child's hidden talents. Is it valid? We look at what's solid--and what's shaky Why an end to affirmative action might doom a rite of passage that every high-schooler fears A new exam identifies kids with potential that might be missed by a test like the SAT

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Creating the Future

Creating the Future Perspectives on Educational Change, compiled and edited by Dee Dickinson, is an e-book found on the New Horizons for Learning website. Three articles in the book deal with intelligence.

• David Perkins - Mindware and the Metacurriculum
  
  
• Howard Gardner - Intelligence in Seven Steps
  
  
• Robert J. Sternberg - Triarchic Abilities Test

To find the articles, either click on the above author's name, or go to the book's table of contents at http://www.newhorizons.org/future/Creating_the_Future/crfut_frontend.html

Even though the New Horizons for Learning has "retired", many of the articles on the site are still pertinent to educators at all levels and subjects. The homepage is located at http://www.newhorizons.org/index.html

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The History of Military Testing

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is currently used by all of the armed services in the United States as a means to screen recruits. The official ASVAB website includes a brief history of Military Testing. That history includes a link to sample questions from the Army Alpha and Beta tests used in the early 1900's.

The History of Military Testing can be found at http://www.official-asvab.com/history_res.htm and the homepage for the ASVAB testing can be found at http://www.official-asvab.com/index.htm. You might want to look through the section devoted to researchers which includes information on the ASVAB structure, validity and norming.

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Chapter six of Jane Halonen and Steven Davis' e-book, The Many Faces of Psychological Research in the 21st Century is entitled "Dr. Jekyll Meets Mr. Hyde: Two Faces of Research on Intelligence and Cognition" and written by Robert Sternberg. The chapter provides a great overview of the theories of and research in intelligence.

Chapter 6 can be found at http://teachpsych.org/resources/e-books/faces/script/Ch06.htm with The Many Faces of Psychological Research in the 21st Century at http://teachpsych.org/resources/e-books/faces/script/index.htm

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Interviews with Robert Sternberg

For the second time this week we are drawing from the Human Intelligence Website at the University of Indiana (http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/). Included within the biography of Robert Sternberg are a number of short video clips of him being interviewed on various aspects of intelligence and his life.

All the videos can be streamed into your classroom using Windows Media Player. The site includes a link where the player can be downloaded and a transcript for each interview.

The videos can be found in the U of Indiana Human Intelligence Website at http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/sternberg_interview.shtml

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Human Intelligence Website Biography Map

The Human Intelligence website at the University of Indiana includes an interactive map of major contributors to the field of intelligence. A detailed biography is included for each individual.

To go to the "History of Influences in the Development of Intelligence Theory" map, simply click on the graphic to the right or go to http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/map.shtml

For additional information go to the home page for the Human Intelligence site at http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/

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Howard Gardner's Website

Howard Gardner, theorist of multiple intelligences, has developed his own website devoted to his theory and work. The site can be found at http://www.howardgardner.com

I would suggest paying particular attention to:

• Gardner's own life story. The link (In His Own Words) is at the bottom of the biography section
  
• a number of scholarly articles on a multitude of topics in the articles section
• Dr. Gardner's FAQ Responses. Click on the link at the bottom of the FAQ page

For additional information go to Gardner's Harvard website at http://pzweb.harvard.edu/PIs/HG.htm

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History of IQ Testing

IQ Tests are primarily a product of the 20th Century . While most textbooks provide a brief history, starting with Binet, a few websites do the same.

The ACE Intelligence Website at http://www.aceintelligence.com/detailed_history_of_iq.php, gives a fairly detailed history of IQ testing following various individuals important in test development including a few prior to Binet.

The IQ Test Center at http://www.iqtest-center.com/history.php provides a brief history of testing similar to many textbooks.

Classics in the History of Psychology (http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/author.htm) have a number of the original articles on intelligence testing. They include:

Baldwin, James Mark, Cattell, James McKeen, & Jastrow, Joseph. (1898). Physical and mental tests. Psychological Review, 5, 172-179.

Binet, Alfred. (1916). New methods for the diagnosis of the intellectual level of subnormals. In E. S. Kite (Trans.), The development of intelligence in children. Vineland, NJ: Publications of the Training School at Vineland. (Originally published 1905 in L'Année Psychologique, 12, 191-244.)

Cattell, James McKeen. (1890). Mental tests and measurements. Mind, 15, 373-381.

Terman, Lewis M. (1916). The uses of intelligence tests. From The measurement of intelligence (chapter 1). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

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MENSA

Most high school students, especially those in Advanced Placement Psychology, are intrigued by MENSA, the organization for the top 2% of the world's IQs.

To begin our Midnight Postings in the Intelligence Unit, we are posting the websites for the American MENSA and MENSA International. Both sites contain a number of interesting items. The international site appears to contain more information about the group and what MENSA entails, while the American site appears a bit more fun for high school students.

MENSA International can be found at http://www.mensa.org The American version is at http://www.us.mensa.org

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Mensa Test

On their website, Mensa International, a society for the top 2% of the world's IQs, includes a "workout page" with a 30 question IQ style test. While the test is for "entertainment purposes only", your students will probably find it extremely challenging.

To take the test, go to http://www.mensa.org/index0.php?page=12 For more information on Mensa, click the Mensa icon above.

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Human Intelligence site

Human Intelligence is a terrific resource for the intelligence unit. I recently asked Dr. Jonathan Plucker, one of the founders of the site and a professor of both Educational Psychology and Cognitive Science at Indiana University, to introduce his site to THSP readers. Here's Dr. Plucker:

"We started the site roughly 12 years ago because little reliable, accessible information was available on the topic of human intelligence. We continually add to the site, primarily by revising the profiles as new information comes to light about each person's work and influence. Key features for teachers are the Hot Topics and the streaming video interviews with many of the contemporary scholars, some of whom have regrettably passed away since the interviews. We are open to -- and in fact encourage -- submissions by teachers and students of new Hot Topics, nominations of profiles to add to the site, and any other content users think will be of interest to others. We are especially interested in lesson plans and activities that teachers use to introduce and explore human intelligence, genius, etc."

This is a great site! Check it out and as Dr. Plucker says, feel free to contribute as well. And below I have copied the site's intelligence map -- click the link to go to an interactive version. (This map's just for you, Kent!)

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