© Ncert Not To Be Republished: After Reading This Chapter, You Would Be Able To
© Ncert Not To Be Republished: After Reading This Chapter, You Would Be Able To
© Ncert Not To Be Republished: After Reading This Chapter, You Would Be Able To
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
no
tt
CONTENTS
Introduction
Individual Differences in Human Functioning
Assessment of Psychological Attributes
Intelligence
Theories of Intelligence
Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Planning, Attention-arousal, and Simultaneoussuccessive Model of Intelligence
Individual Differences in Intelligence
Variations of Intelligence
Some Misuses of Intelligence Tests (Box 1.1)
Culture and Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence
Characteristics of Emotionally Intelligent
Persons (Box 1.2)
Special Abilities
Aptitude : Nature and Measurement
Creativity
Key Terms
Summary
Review Questions
Project Ideas
Weblinks
Pedagogical Hints
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
Introduction
If you observe your friends, classmates or relatives, you will find how they
differ from each other in the manner they perceive, learn, and think, as
also in their performance on various tasks. Such individual differences can
be noticed in every walk of life. That people differ from one another is obvious.
In Class XI, you have learnt about psychological principles that are applied
to understand human behaviour. We also need to know how people differ,
what brings about these differences, and how such differences can be
assessed. You will recall how one of the main concerns of modern psychology
has been the study of individual differences from the time of Galton. This
chapter will introduce you to some of the fundamentals of individual
differences.
One of the most popular psychological attributes which has been of
interest to psychologists is Intelligence. People differ from each other in
their ability to understand complex ideas, adapt to environment, learn from
experience, engage in various forms of reasoning, and to overcome obstacles.
In this chapter, you will study the nature of intelligence, changing definitions
of intelligence, cultural differences in intelligence, range and variations in
the intellectual competencies of people, and the nature of special abilities
or aptitudes.
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
FUNCTIONING
IN
HUMAN
no
tt
Psychology
OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL
no
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
ASSESSMENT
ATTRIBUTES
ed
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
Assessment Methods
no
tt
Psychology
1.
INTELLIGENCE
2.
Activity
1.1
no
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
3.
4.
5.
6.
THEORIES
OF
INTELLIGENCE
ed
no
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
Psychology
no
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
Activity
1.2
no
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
Psychology
ed
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
no
tt
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
IN
INTELLIGENCE
Assessment of Intelligence
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
no
tt
Psychology
MA
CA
100
Intelligent Numbers
(Computing IQ)
Find out the IQ of a 14-year-old
child with a mental age of 16.
Find out the mental age of a 12year-old child with an IQ of 90.
Descriptive Label
16.1
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
Activity
1.3
90 109
Average
50.0
80 89
Low average
16.1
70 79
Borderline
6.7
Below 70
Intellectually disabled
2.2
no
tt
11
Variations of Intelligence
Intellectual Deficiency
no
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
12
Psychology
Intellectual Giftedness
ed
no
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
13
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
You might have learnt by now that intelligence tests serve many useful purposes such as
selection, counselling, guidance, self-analysis, and diagnosis. Unless used by a trained
investigator, they may be misused either intentionally or unintentionally. Some of the illeffects of intelligence testing by naive testers are:
Poor performance on a test may attach a stigma to children and thereby adversely
affect their performance and self-respect.
The tests may invite discriminating practices from parents, teachers and elders in the
society.
Administering a test biased in favour of the middle class and higher class populations
may underestimate the IQ of children coming from disadvantaged sections of the society.
Intelligence tests do not capture creative potentialities and practical side of intelligence,
and they also do not relate much to success in life. Intelligence can be a potential factor
for achievement in various spheres of life.
It is suggested that one should guard against erroneous practices associated with
intelligence tests and take the help of trained psychologists to analyse an individuals
strengths and weaknesses.
no
tt
Box
1.1
14
Psychology
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
Performance
ed
no
tt
CULTURE
AND
INTELLIGENCE
15
ed
no
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
Psychology
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
Entrepreneurial
competence
(commitment, persistence, patience,
hard work, vigilance, and goal-directed
behaviours).
SPECIAL ABILITIES
tt
Box
1.2
no
17
CREATIVITY
ed
no
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
Psychology
ed
no
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
19
ed
tt
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
Key Terms
no
Aptitude, Aptitude tests, Case study, Cognitive assessment system, Componential intelligence,
Contextual intelligence, Creativity, Emotional intelligence, Culture-fair test, Experiential intelligence,
g-factor, Individual differences, Intellectual giftedness, Intellectual disability, Intelligence, Intelligence
tests, Intelligence quotient (IQ), Interest, Interview, Mental age (MA), Observational method, Planning,
Psychological test, Simultaneous processing, Situationism, Successive processing, Values.
20
Psychology
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
ed
Review Questions
no
tt
21
1. Observe and interview 5 persons in your neighbourhood in order to see how they differ
from each other in terms of certain psychological attributes. Cover all the five domains.
Prepare a psychological profile of each person and compare.
2. Select 5 vocations and gather information about the nature of work done by people in
these vocations. Also analyse these vocations in terms of the types of psychological
attributes required for successful performance. Write a report.
Weblinks
o N
be C
E
re R
pu T
bl
is
h
http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/anastasi.shtml
http://www.chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/intell.html
http://www.humandimensions.org/emotion.htm
http://www.emotionaliq.com/Gdefault.htm
http://edweb.gsn.org/edref.mi.intro.html
http://www.talentsmart.com
http://www.kent.ac.uk/career/psychotests.com
ed
Project
Ideas
no
tt
Pedagogical Hints
22
Psychology