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Intelligence Quotient

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Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development

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Synonyms

Deviation IQ; Full scale IQ; IQ; Ratio IQ

Definition

A score representing overall level of performance on psychological tests of intelligence or cognitive ability.

Description

Intelligence quotients (more commonly referred to as IQ scores) provide quantitative information on an individual’s overall performance on measures of cognitive ability. Early intelligence tests quantified cognitive ability in the form of “mental quotient” scores, which were calculated by dividing an individual’s “mental age” (MA), or the age group in which the typical individual demonstrated the same level of ability as the test-taker, by that individual’s chronological age (CA). In 1916, test developer and intelligence researcher Lewis Terman adapted this calculation method by multiplying the MA/CA ratio by 100 to yield an integer rather than a decimal; he referred to the resulting scores as an “intelligence quotient.” In Terman’s schema, typical performance for one’s age was represented by...

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References

  1. Anastasi, A., & Urbina, S. (1997). Psychological testing (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

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  2. Floyd, R. G., Clark, M. H., & Shadish, W. R. (2008). The exchangeability of IQs: Implications for professional psychology. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39(4), 414–423.

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  3. Groth-Marnat, G. (2003). Handbook of psychological assessment (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

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  4. Suen, H. K., & French, J. L. (2003). A history of the development of psychological and educational testing. In C. R. Reynolds, R. W. Kamphaus, & C. N. Hendry (Eds.), Handbook of psychological and educational assessment of children: Intelligence, aptitude, and achievement (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Graduate Psychology, Immaculata University, 1145 King Road, Immaculata, PA, 19345, USA

    Marie C. McGrath

Authors
  1. Marie C. McGrath
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, 230 South 500 East, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102, USA

    Sam Goldstein Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychology MS 2C6, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Jack A. Naglieri Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology) (Professor of Psychology)

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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McGrath, M.C. (2011). Intelligence Quotient. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1519

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1519

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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