April 16th, 2009

April 16, Genetics CREATEDATE 5/1/09 12:43 PM April 16, 2009 Fears and phobias: Individual differences Learning Component ? (different exposure) ( prob. Specific animal Differential sensitivity to learning ? given the same exposure some may be more readily predisposed to develop a phobia from the same learning situations Emotionality, neuroticism ( prob. height phobia Intelligence, genes, and society: The bell curve (book) Intelligence and class structure in American Life ?Intelligence now pulls the train.? Heritocracy ( meritocracy Heritocracy - Ones social status depends on the family in to which you were born Meritocracy ? social status depends on merit and individual?s accomplishments and IQ Arguments: 1. Greater access to higher education 2. Greater efficiency in selective college students for cognitive ability. The beta weights shifted for college = merit + parietal status 3. Occupational status Assumptions and Evidence: 1. Intelligence, as measured by IQ tests, is meaningful and stable. 2. Intelligence runs in families; assortative mating for intelligence ? not necessary that genetics are involved, just intelligence runs in families for whatever reason 3. Intelligence has a direct causal role in eventual social status 4. Society has become increasingly efficient in selecting for intelligence in education and occupations. Social status stratified on the basis of intelligence. Predictions: Cognitive elite, and will become isolated, and will do well Herrnstein: a. Genes contribute to individual differences in intelligence b. Individual differences in intelligence contribute to social status c. therefore, genes for IQ contribute to social status 1. What is intelligence? Reliability ? repeatability of measurement Validity ? does the test measure what it reports to measure Before the age of 2, intelligence tests are one of the most reliable studies in psychology Content validity ? read items on IQ test, ask yourself how would I describe people that get these items right, describe people that would get these wrong, and does intelligence play a role in any of these Construct validity ? network of relationships that IQ is supposed to be related with and then test them ? Correlates of IQ tests: Henri Binet ? IQ tests, in the book..