9699 · 6.1
Intelligence and educational attainment flashcards
Revision flashcards for Cambridge 9699 Intelligence and educational attainment (syllabus 6.1). Flip, recall, then mark a real past-paper question.
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IQ test criticisms?
Cultural bias; measure middle-class skills; ignore motivation/context.
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Rosenthal & Jacobson?
Pygmalion effect — teacher expectations raise/lower pupil performance.
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Streaming (Becker)?
Teachers ideal pupil = middle class — lower streams get inferior teaching.
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Self-fulfilling prophecy?
Label applied → pupil internalises → behaviour matches label.
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Herrnstein & Murray?
Bell Curve — IQ hereditary, explains class/ethnic gaps (highly contested).
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Interactionist view?
Ability socially constructed through labels and opportunities.
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What is the 'hereditarian' view of intelligence?
The view that intelligence is primarily an innate, fixed characteristic inherited genetically. Proponents like Herrnstein and Murray argue it is a major determinant of educational and life success.
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Define 'cultural bias' in relation to IQ tests.
The way in which questions and tasks in IQ tests are based on the knowledge, language, and experiences of a specific culture (usually the dominant, middle-class one), thus disadvantaging those from other cultural or class backgrounds.
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What was the central argument of 'The Bell Curve' (Herrnstein & Murray, 1994)?
It argued that intelligence (IQ) is largely inherited, that society is becoming increasingly stratified by cognitive ability, and that differences in IQ help explain variations in social outcomes like poverty and educational failure between social groups.
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How does Bourdieu's concept of 'cultural capital' challenge the idea of innate intelligence?
Bourdieu argues that the education system values and rewards the cultural attributes of the middle class (e.g., language, knowledge, attitudes). This 'cultural capital' is often mistaken for natural intelligence, giving middle-class children an unfair advantage in attainment.
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What is the 'Flynn Effect' and why is it significant?
The 'Flynn Effect' is the substantial and long-sustained increase in average IQ scores observed throughout the 20th century. It is significant because it strongly suggests that environmental factors (like nutrition and education) rather than genetics are a major cause of intelligence levels, as the gene pool cannot have changed so rapidly.