CH-1 (VARIATIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES)
1. Individualism and Situationism
2. Assessment
3. Attributes
4. Assessment Methods
Different tests and interviews are conducted as a medium of the assessment method. Several
methods other methods for psychological assessment are mentioned in variations in
psychological attributes notes:
1. Psychological Test is an objective and a standardized way of measuring and evaluating a
person’s psychological attributes like intelligence, values, and these tests are conducted
for various purposes like career assessment, Placement of Students, etc.
2. An interview is a purposeful activity conducted to derive information from a person on a
particular subject on one basis
3. Observation is a powerful and effective method of psychological inquiry for
understanding phenomena occurring in real-time
4. A case study is an in-depth study of a particular case/subject. It can be of significant help
in developing a clear understanding of the feelings, emotions, beliefs, mindset of a
person
5. Self-Report is a method in which an individual provides information about
himself/herself, beliefs, opinions, etc.
5. Intelligence
i. Alfred Binet defined intelligence as the ability to judge well, understand well, and reason
well. Wechsler denied intelligence as the global and aggregate capacity of an individual
to think rationally, act purposefully, and deal effectively with his/her environment.
ii. Wechsler:
iii. Gardner and Sternberg:
6. Theories of Intelligence
A. Psychometric Approach
B. Information Processing Approach
7. Individual Difference in Intelligence
Nature signifies the genetic factors/heredity which plays a crucial role in shaping the
personality and intelligence of an individual
Nurture signifies the environmental factors which like nature shape up the intelligence and
personality of an individual
Genetic factors play a significant role in determining what kind of environment people
select for themselves
With respect to the role of the environment, children from disadvantaged homes adopted
into families who have higher socio-economic status exhibit a larger increase in their
intelligence scores as rich nutrition, quality schooling, provision of relevant facilities help in
increasing their IQ
It is a popular perception of psychologists that intelligence is the product of nature and
nurture
8. Assessment of Intelligence
9. Variations of Intelligence
A. Intellectual Deficiency- Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning existing
concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the
developmental period- American Association on Mental Deficiency (AAMD). There are
further four types. Let us explore this variation in psychological notes:
Mild Retardation (IQ 55-69) is Marked by slow development as compared to peers,
requires mild care, and can hold families, jobs, etc.
Moderate Retardation (IQ 40-54). People with moderate retardation require
moderate supervision and face difficulty in language and motor skills
People with Severe Retardation (IQ 25-39) and Profound Retardation (IQ Below 25)
require constant care and supervision throughout their life, and they cannot live
independently in their life
B. Intellectual Giftedness – In variations in psychological attributes notes next is
intellectual giftedness. It was first thoroughly examined by Lewis Therman in 1925 by
conducting a case study on 1500 children with IQ above 130 to examine the role of
intelligence in all areas of life. Giftedness means the exceptional ability of an individual
to perform well in a wide variety of areas and it is often confused with Talent. Talent
and Giftedness are separate as talent means remarkable ability in a specific field like
sports, academics, etc.
Giftedness broadly includes three main characteristics-
High Creativity
High Ability
High Commitment
Signs of giftedness during childhood are:
Exceptional Concentration
Preference for Novelty
Large Attention Span
Good Memory
Key features of Giftedness:
Exceptional Rational Thinking and Problem Solving.
High Motivation.
High Self-esteem.
Independent and Non-Conformist thinking.
10. Types of Intelligence Tests
A. Based on Administration Procedure
Individual tests are administered on a single individual and the test administrator is
required to adjust with feelings, the mood of the subject
Group tests are administered on a group of individuals, and it is not necessary for the
test administrator to adjust to the mood of the subjects
B. Based on the nature of items used
Verbal Test – The subject is required to give responses either oral or written.
Non-Verbal Test- Requires use of pictures as test items. For example, Raven’s
Progressive Matrices (RPM)
Performance Test- Requires movement of objects/materials. For example, block activity
C. Based on Culture
Culture fair tests are culturally appropriate and are suitable to test the intelligence of all
types of cultures
Culture Biased Tests are not culturally appropriate, and it is not suitable to evaluate the
intelligence of all types of cultures
11. Culture and Intelligence
Culture is a collective system of ideas, opinions, attitudes which is observed among a wide
number of people
12. Emotional Intelligence
13. Aptitude: Nature and Measurement
Aptitude is defined as an individual’s potential and capability to learn and acquire skills and
aptitude tests give us a clear picture of what a person can do. The aptitude of an individual is
measured with the help of aptitude tests which are of two types:
Independent (Specialized) aptitude tests include Typing Aptitude test, numerical
aptitude test, etc.
Multiple (Generalized) aptitude tests include differential aptitude tests battery, general
aptitude test battery which measures intelligence in separate yet homogeneous areas
14. Creativity and Intelligence
Creativity refers to the ability of a person to think and ponder upon novel and innovative
solutions to the given problem and divergent thinking which refers to thinking in a broad and
open-minded manner is a crucial part of creativity. For example- if a student who is intelligent
and academically bright does not mean that he/she will possess creative ability like an artist or
writer and vice-versa is true as well that if a person has the creative ability like that of an artist
or writer that does not mean that he/she will be academically bright.
Creative fields like filmmaking do require both intelligence and creativity for better problem
solving and decision-making. For example- a writer or a filmmaker must have some intelligence
to understand the field and what kind of content is required in the modern era and creativity
along with that helps them to produce something unique and out-of-the-box.
Briefly, we can say that creativity focuses on being open-minded whereas intelligence involves
producing the correct solution to the issue. Some of the famous psychologists who have
developed creativity tests are Guilford, Torrance, etc.
