Unit 11 Testing and Individual Differences (5-7%)

XI. Testing and Individual Differences (5–7%)

An understanding of intelligence and assessment of individual differences is highlighted in this portion of the course. Students must understand issues related to test construction and fair use.

AP students in psychology should be able to do the following:

Define intelligence and list characteristics of how psychologists measure intelligence: — abstract versus verbal measures; — speed of processing.
Discuss how culture influences the definition of intelligence.
Compare and contrast historic and contemporary theories of intelligence (e.g., Charles Spearman, Howard Gardner, Robert Sternberg).
Explain how psychologists design tests, including standardization strategies and other techniques to establish reliability and validity.
Interpret the meaning of scores in terms of the normal curve.
Describe relevant labels related to intelligence testing (e.g., gifted, cognitively disabled).
Debate the appropriate testing practices, particularly in relation to culture-fair test uses.
Identify key contributors in intelligence research and testing (e.g., Alfred Binet, Francis Galton, Howard Gardner, Charles Spearman, Robert Sternberg, Louis Terman, David Wechsler).

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