Intelligence & Testing Practice Questions

This video covers 10 practice multiple choice questions on intelligence and testing and includes theories of intelligence, key figures in the study of intelligence, types of validity and reliability, and more. I hope this can help you to review your knowledge and understanding, let me know if you have any suggestions for future practice and review videos! Get a free … Read More

Can You Improve Your IQ?

In this video I consider interventions aimed at improving cognitive performance including brain stimulation, off-label drug use, nootropics, and brain training games and apps. While unfortunately there isn’t much evidence that any of these can improve fluid intelligence (as measured by assessments like the Raven Progressive Matrices) that can transfer to other tasks, this doesn’t mean that we can’t make … Read More

Stereotype Threat & Identity Contingencies

In this video I consider that while broad environmental factors like nutrition and education can’t fully account for racial gaps in IQ, more subtle effects on individuals may help to explain some of these differences. Claude Steele and Joshua Aronson propsed a theory of stereotype threat which suggests that anxiety relating to confirming negative stereotypes may hinder performance. This isn’t … Read More

Expectation, Mindset, and IQ

In this video I discuss Rosenthal and Jacobson’s “Pygmalion in the Classroom” study on teacher expectations and student improvement as well as school tracking, the stability of IQ scores, Carol Dweck’s research on fixed and growth mindsets, and distinctions between fluid and crystallized intelligence when considering the possibility of improvement. Rosenthal & Jacobson “Pygmalion in the Classroom” original paper: https://www.uni-muenster.de/imperia/m… … Read More

The Flynn Effect and Environmental Factors on IQ

In this video I describe the Flynn Effect, which refers to the dramatic rise in average IQ over the past several decades. Environmental factors like improved nutrition and access to education may partially explain this improvement and people who were previously held back may now be better able to reach their fullest IQ potential. This doesn’t fully explain the effect … Read More

Racial Differences in IQ

In this video I consider racial differences in average IQ scores. This controversy reached a peak with the publication of “The Bell Curve” by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray in 1994. This led to publication of several papers on race and IQ stating that IQ is considered valid, reliable, and heritable, and that while group differences exist, the causes of … Read More

Sex Differences in IQ

In this video I consider sex differences in IQ scores. While average male and female IQ scores are comparable, there are differences in performance on certain types of tasks including verbal fluency, spatial ability, math problem-solving, use of complex prose, and others. There is also a difference in the distribution of IQ scores for males and females, with males showing … Read More

Group Differences in IQ

In this video I consider group differences in IQ scores and the history of how group differences by race and nationality have been interpreted. This includes discussion of the eugenics movement, social Darwinism, the Army Alpha and Army Beta tests created by Robert M. Yerkes, Henry Goddard, and Lewis Terman, and problems of bias and standardization in early tests. Finally … Read More

Specific Genes and IQ

In this video I describe some specific genetic disorders that are known to have negative consequences for intellectual development including Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, and Phenylketonuria. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to see future videos! Have questions or topics you’d like to see covered in a future video? Let me know by commenting or sending … Read More

What Causes IQ Differences?

In this video I address the question of what causes IQ differences between people. This relates to the nature/nurture debate in considering the strength of genes and environment and these interact to shape intelligence. Twin and adoption studies allow us to assess these relationships and estimate the heritability of IQ. While heritability of IQ is generally estimated to be around … Read More