NCERT Solutions Class 12 Psychology Chapter 1 Variations in Psychological Attributes
NCERT Solutions Class 12 Psychology Chapter 1 Variations in Psychological Attributes: National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Class 12 Psychology Chapter 1 Solutions – Variations in Psychological Attributes.
Board |
NCERT |
Class |
12 |
Subject |
Psychology |
Chapter |
1 |
Chapter Name |
Variations in Psychological Attributes |
Topic |
Exercise Solutions |
1.) How do psychologists characterise and define intelligence?
Intelligence is the ability to learn from one’s experiences, acquire knowledge, and use resources effectively in adapting to new situations and solving problems. Attributes such as, quick wit, mental alertness, ability to grasp relationships and form associations, reasoning, and problem-solving are supposed to be present in an intelligent individual.
Intelligence is a general ability that is complex and multidimensional in nature. Intelligence as a concept has been understood in different ways by different psychologists and has, therefore, a different variety of definitions.
According to Oxford Dictionary, “Intelligence is the power of perceiving, learning, Understanding, and knowing.”
Alfred Binet described Intelligence as “the ability to judge well, understand well and reason well.”
David Wechsler provided a comprehensive definition,
“Intelligence is the aggregate or global capacity of an individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment.”
In Gardner and Sternberg’s view, Intelligence is a lifelong process of adequate adaptation, selection, and shaping.
2.) To what extent is our intelligence the result of heredity (nature) and environment(nurture)? Discuss.
The influence of hereditary or genes (nature) and environment (nurture) on intelligence has long been discussed.
The studies on Twins and adopted children support the evidence for hereditary influence. One can get a broad picture of how much influence heredity has on intelligence by comparing the IQ of identical and fraternal twins raised together (in comparable surroundings) and raised apart (in different contexts), as well as individuals of other degrees of relatedness.
Correlation scores:
Identical Twins (reared together) – 0.86
Identical Twins (reared apart) – 0.72
Fraternal Twins – 0.60
Brothers and Sisters (reared together) – 0.53
Brothers and Sisters (reared apart) –0.22
Studies have also shown that adopted children’s IQ is more similar to that of their biological parents than to that of their adoptive parents.
The correlation between identical twins is 0.86, indicating that some components of intelligence are likely to be influenced by the environment. These twins should have a correlation of 1.00 if hereditary alone were to account.Additionally, it has been discovered that particularly poor raising environments are related to low IQ, but enriched environments with higher learning possibilities are connected with higher IQ.
Therefore, it is clear that intelligence is the result of a sophisticated balance between hereditary and environmental elements. The boundaries of our potential are determined by our genetic make-up, however our actual potential is determined by our environment.
3.) Explain briefly the multiple intelligences identified by Gardner.
Howard Gardner provided propounded “the theory of Multiple Intelligence” challenging the unitary notion of the previous theories. He believed in the existenceof distinct multiple intelligences which are independent of each other.Gardner added an eighth category of intelligence to his initial list of seven. These are-
1.) Linguistic intelligence: The ability to use language. Listening, talking, reading, writing, understanding, and other language skills are all related to linguistic intelligence. This kind of intelligence is better displayed by writers poets or literates than by others.
2.) Logical-mathematical intelligence: Ability to think logically and to solve mathematical problems.This form of intelligence is primarily focused on manipulating symbols in numerical issues and abstract reasoning. It is exhibited by scientists, mathematicians.
3.) Spatial intelligence: Ability to understand how objects are oriented into space. This intelligence type aids in spatial navigation and the creation and transformation of mental images. The spatial intelligence of doctors, engineers, pilots, navigators, artists, and sculptors is found to be more highly developed.
4.) Musical intelligence: Those who possess this skill exhibit the awareness of pitch and tone needed for singing, playing musical instruments, writing, and composing music, among other musical activities.
5.) Bodily-kinaesthetic Intelligence: Ability to control one’s body motion. It involves motor skills and dexterity for purposeful,coordinated movements such as those required for athletics, surgery, dancing, etc.
6.) Interpersonal intelligence: Sensitivity to others and the ability to act productively by understanding the motivation of others. It is needed for social interactions. Professionals such as psychologists, teachers, and salespeople exhibit this intelligence.
7.) Intrapersonal intelligence: Understanding of one’s emotions and how they guide actions. Individuals with high intrapersonal intelligence possess knowledge and understanding of their own cognitive strengths, emotions, and mental functioning.
8.) Naturalistic intelligence: Ability to recognise the patterns found in nature such as the flora and fauna and being aware of our relationship with nature. Farmers, hunters, and botanists have a higher level of naturalistic intelligence.
4.) How does the triarchic theory help us to understand intelligence?
In 1985, Robert J. Sternberg put forth the Triarchic theory of intelligence, an information processing-based theory of intelligence.
For Sternberg, intelligence is the capacity to mould, adapt, and choose one’s surroundings in order to achieve one’s goals as well as those of one’s society and culture.
This theory aims to comprehend the mental procedures involved in addressing problems.
He asserts that there are three categories of intelligence:
(i)Componential intelligence (Analytical): This dimension describes the mental operations at the core of intelligent behaviour.
Three purposes are served by this dimension:
(a)Knowledge acquisition components:Information learning, encoding, combining, and comparison processes are referred to as knowledge acquisition components.
(b) Meta components: “Meta” denotes a higher level. These executive processes regulate, observe, and assess cognitive processing.
(c)Performance Components: These components carry out plans made by meta components to carry out a task.
For instance, students who are studying might prepare the lesson by chapters, create schedules, classify the reading material, and integrate the information to ensure that they understand it completely.
(ii)Experiential intelligence (Creative): This dimension describes how intelligence affects experiences as well as how experiences affect intelligence.
Experiential intelligence is the capacity to creatively and skilfully respond to novel situations by drawing on one’s past experiences.Scientists and creative types tend to have high levels of this intellect.
If a person is confined to a room, for instance, he devises a clever technique to escape using a rope, ladder, etc. He had seen a movie a few years prior, which had given him some insight into how to escape this circumstance.
(iii)Contextual intelligence (Practical): This component describes the capacity to respond to daily environmental needs.It is a person’s capacity to use his or her abilities to manage day-to-day life.It could be referred to as “business sense” or “street smarts.”People with high levels of this skill are successful in life because it deals with how people manage their environmental demands and adapt to various circumstances using the resources at hand.
5.) “Any intellectual activity involves the independent functioning of three neurological systems”. Explain with reference to the PASS model.
Developed by J.P. Das, Kirby, and Naglieri, the Planning, Attention-arousal, Simultaneous, and Successive (PASS) model blends the cognitive, psychometric, and neuropsychological approaches to intelligence. Based on the work of Luria, the execution of intellectual activity is the function of three interdependent functional units of the brain (neurological systems), which are-
i.) Arousal and attention: To initiate activity a person needs to beadequately aroused which forces us to focus our attention (selective attention) to utilize cognitive processes.Consider the situation where you are on a train. After a little interval, you hear crying coming from a certain area of the compartment. Your attention is selectively drawn in the direction of the sound as the weeping sound awakens you. Even though there are a variety of other sounds on the train, just the weeping sound captures your attention. This implies that attention is selectively directed to the stimulus that suitably arouses.
ii.) Simultaneous and successive processing: The second unit determines the receival, analysis, and storage of information. This is reflected via surveyability which involves the integration of stimuli into a defined serial order, where each component is related to the next. For instance, if you hear crying coming from a particular area of the train compartment, you might piece together a few pieces of information to determine that the crying passenger has been the victim of pickpocketing. This information offers a variety of data that are related to one another simultaneously, structured in a chain of data that is then analysed, and finally evaluated.
iii.) Planning:Programming, regulation, and behaviour verification are all provided by this procedure. It also addresses issues like impulse control, self-discipline, and a variety of linguistic abilities including natural dialogue. Additionally, the most intricate facets of human behaviour, such as personality and consciousness, are supported by this functioning unit.
6.) Are there cultural differences in the conceptualisation of intelligence?
It is becoming increasingly clear that socio-cultural environments influence intellectual processes and abilities. Since a person’s ability to successfully fit into their own socio-cultural environment is regarded as a sign of intelligence, it stands to reason that different behaviours may signify intelligence in various cultures. When it comes to particular behaviours that are deemed good or valuable, we typically find various patterns in different cultures. For instance, in certain cultures, knowledge of farming is valued higher than the knowledge required to practise law. As a result, a good farmer is thought to be smarter than a lawyer. Consequently, culture is seen as a cultural genre (product). Cultures also have different ideas on what makes someone intelligent.
According to the cultural perspective, intelligence is defined by one’s ability to adapt to their particular ecocultural niche, as opposed to how intelligence is conceptualised or manifested in other cultures. As a result, while intelligence in the Indian context is seen in terms of relationships or context sensitivity, the West places more emphasis on a context-free understanding of intelligence.
For instance, the West defines intelligence in terms of things like generalisation (or going beyond the information provided), performance speed, minimal steps required to complete a task, mental rather than physical manipulations, whether they involve the use of hands or not, and the originality or creativity of a task. Because silence is viewed as a lack of knowledge, all forms of expression—verbal or otherwise—are highly regarded. The Western perspective is based on socialisation practises that are defined by urbanisation, advanced technology, and formal education. The Western-developed intelligence tests work to stop the topographies that Mundy and Castle referred to as “technical intelligence.”
Indian conception of intelligence is pragmatic because it covers both the socio-emotional and cognitive dimensions of intelligence, in contrast to the IQ understanding of intelligence. Intelligence is referred to as ‘integral intelligence’ in the Indian view. Indian philosophers believed that bright people have the following four types of competencies:
a) Cognitive competence, which includes abilities like contextual sensitivity, comprehensiveness,discriminability, problem-solving,effective communication, and awareness of the big picture.
b)Social competence, such as being able to effectively communicate with others and uphold social norms, serve seniors, obey orders, and support the less fortunate.
c) Entrepreneurial competence, such as diligence, commitment, watchfulness, goal-directed behaviour, self-reliance, etc.
d) Emotional competence: This term refers to emotional intelligence, which includes having enough control over emotions, being honest and polite, realistic in approach, self-appraising and decent conduct, avoiding bad feelings and strengthening pleasant effects.
In case you are missed :- NCERT Solution for Self and Personality
7.) What is IQ? How do psychologists classify people on the bases of their IQ scores?
Binet made the first attempt to assess intellect. He made use of the term “mental age” (MA), which describes a person’s level of mental development in relation to their surroundings.
He made a comparison between chronological age (CA) or biological age, and mental age (MA). While a deficient child has an MA below his CA, a brilliant child has one above.
William Stern proposed in 1911 that it is desirable to transform the degree of mental growth (MA) into a “ratio” or quotient by turning the MA and CA numbers into proportionate ratio values in order to better grasp intellectual talents in quantitative form. This hypothesis suggests that the idea of IQ might be developed around 1912.
A child’s IQ is determined by multiplying the ratio of their mental age and their chronological age by 100, a constant ratio that is thought to represent a child’s average or normal degree of intellectual development.
IQ = MA/CA * 100
The person’s IQ will be 100 if their mental age matches their chronological age (normal or average). If the mental age is greater than the chronological age, the IQ will be greater than 100, which is above average, and if it is lower than the chronological age, the IQ will be less than 100, which is below average compared to other children of that age in the general population.
IQ-based classification of individuals:
IQ Range |
Classification category |
Above 130 |
Very Superior |
120 – 130 |
Superior |
110 – 119 |
High average |
90 – 109 |
Average |
80 – 89 |
Low average |
70 – 79 |
Borderline |
Below 70 |
Intellectually disabled |
8.) How can you differentiate between verbal and performance tests of intelligence?
Verbal or Language Tests: These tests involve verbal, written, or combined forms of instruction when addressing the audience. Language—verbal or written—is necessary from the test subjects in order for them to respond. The verbal content of the test is extensive and could cover several items such as-
o Memory tests: These comprise recall and recognition-type items and are intended to test the subject’s short- and long-term memory.
o Vocabulary tests: The respondent is needed to explain the definitions of any terms or phrases in these.
o Comprehension Tests: These gauge the subject’s capacity to perceive, comprehend, and respond to a certain circumstance.
Association tests, Reasoning tests, and, Information tests are also good examples of verbal intelligence tests.
Non-verbal and Performance tests: Apart from when delivering instructions, language use is not required for the tasks included in these assessments. Such tests frequently take the form of performance tests.
I.) The test material takes the shape of tangible items.
2.) The tester instructs the subject orally, or uses pantomime and signs to communicate what is expected of them.
3.) Rather than focusing on what the subject says or writes, the subject’s responses are evaluated in terms of how he acts or reacts.
4.) Typically, these are solitary examinations. “These cannot be employed as group exams, primarily because it is necessary to oversee the individual testee at work and provide him with necessary instructions,” notes Pillai.
9.) All persons do not have the same intellectual capacity. How do individuals vary in their intellectual ability? Explain.
A “gifted” individual is one who is highly brilliant or bright, as well as having “one gift” or numerous gifts. There is no established definition of giftedness in terms of IQ level. Some people believe an IQ of 120 or above to be adequate proof of exceptionality, while others believe IQs of 140 or higher. The most recent studies, however, are less concerned with an IQ cut-off than they are with some key traits of extraordinarily gifted people. Superior aptitude in any worthwhile field of human endeavour, including the moral, physical, emotional, social, intellectual, or aesthetic life of humanity, is considered to be a gift.
- High creativity, high intelligence, and high motivation- the interaction between these three determines ‘giftedness’.
- Those who are gifted, perform at a higher level than average members of their group.
- Giftedness is not just determined by how well a person performs on an intelligence test; rather, it is a result of a mix of general aptitude, a particular talent, a positive self-image, and a drive to succeed.
- Giftednessspeaks of the capacity for processing. It refers to the nature and arrangement of abilities rather than just the quantity of people who exhibit cognitive abilities. Cognitive characteristics and personality and innovational traits, such as social, communicative, and ethical dimensions, each have a partial impact on this.
- It encompasses more than just academic pursuits; it also includes leadership, management, emotional regulation, interpersonal connections, sports, and other pursuits.
Mental retardation is a term used to describe intellectual disability. These individuals can typically be recognised by two distinctive character traits-
On a relevant intelligence test, they score below 70 on the IQ scale.
They have very few adaptive abilities needed to do routine everyday chores.
Early development milestones like walking and talking, academic achievement at school, and life skills like handling money and telling the time are all used to assess how well an individual has adapted. As they age, career achievements and societal duties are used to assess adaptation.
Regarding the various degrees of intellectual deficiency,
Levels of mental retardation | IQ Range |
Mild | 55 to approximately 70 |
Moderate | 40 to 54 |
Severe | 20–25 to approximately35–40 |
Profound | below 20–25 |
10.) Which of the two, IQ or EQ, do you think would be more related to success in life and why?
Understanding one’s emotional quotient (EQ) and emotional intelligence have significant educational and societal ramifications for both the welfare of the person and society. Around the world, this reality has now been acknowledged, given practical form, and ramifications. The renowned American psychologist Dr. Daniel Goleman deserves credit for raising awareness of emotional intelligence and educating people worldwide about its significance. The following elements have been emphasised by Goleman, while working with emotional intelligence-
- In contrast to I.Q., emotional intelligence can be the best indicator of life success. People with emotional intelligence are more likely to be successful in all of their endeavours in life.Emotional intelligence is sometimes even more potent than the intelligence quotient. I.Q. accounts for only 20% of life achievement; the remaining 80% is determined by other factors. We can assume that some of those other elements include socioeconomic class, emotional intelligence, and luck.Even academic performance can be predicted more by social and emotional traits (such as interest and self-assurance), adhering to rules, asking teachers for help, and expressing needs while getting along with other students than by intellectual aptitudes.
- Emotional intelligence is more helpful in professional settings than one’s intellectual capability, including one’s intelligence quotient (IQ) and even professional abilities and competencies. Due to his incapacity to manage himself or get along with others, a professionally competent individual with inadequate emotional intelligence may suffer.
- Through its different elements or components, such as self-awareness, self-motivation, managing one’s emotions, recognising emotions in others (empathy), and relationship management, emotional intelligence greatly benefits a person in all areas of life. In his life, it is very important and significant to accomplish the final results in terms of better handling of interpersonal connections. Only with his emotional intelligence’s potential and correct growth is it possible.
11.) How is ‘Aptitude’ different from ‘interest’ and ‘intelligence’? How is aptitude measured?
Difference between Aptitude and Intelligence:
The ability to forecast a person’s success in a variety of scenarios involving mental function or activity is based on their intelligence, whereas the ability to predict a person’s success in a particular field of endeavour is based on their aptitudes. We, therefore, need to know more about his aptitudes or specific abilities than his intelligence or general ability in order to forecast his success in a particular job, training, course, or specialised instruction.
Difference between Aptitude and Interest:
A person must be both adept at and interested in a specific activity in order to excel at it. This does not imply that aptitude and interest are synonymous. Even if someone is interested in a certain pastime, profession, or training, they cannot be qualified for it. In these situations, the interest shown in a particular career or field of study is frequently not due to personal aptitude but rather to some other external factor, such as parental wishes, the likelihood of obtaining a specific appointment or job, a stipend or other financial assistance, or the prestige attached to the work.Likewise, someone with long, dexterous fingers who performs well on a mechanical aptitude exam might not be particularly interested in becoming a watchmaker.
Therefore, a counselling or selection programme must provide the measure of aptitude and interest the appropriate weight. Both are necessary for a person to succeed in a certain hobby, employment, or course of study.
Measurement of Aptitude
Tests of aptitude are used to gauge potential and make predictions. Numerous aptitude tests, including those for clerical, mechanical, musical, scholastic, engineering, and medical aptitudes, have been designed to predict success in particular professional fields. These tests often each have a lot of smaller tests within them. Additionally, a number of multiple aptitude batteries have been created. Some of the well-known and well-liked batteries are – the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT), the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) etc.
12.) How is creativity related to intelligence?
Intelligence and creativity are not always mutually exclusive. It has been shown via research and observation that creativity and intelligence do not correlate favourably. One is not a required or essential prerequisite for the other. While people who perform poorly on IQ testing occasionally produce incredibly innovative work, those who score highly on intelligence tests may show little to no evidence of creativity.
If we take a comprehensive look at the studies done on this subject, we can say that while intelligence and the creative side of a person’s personality can both work independently, a certain minimum degree of intelligence is a required prerequisite for successful creative expression. If this weren’t the case, someone with poor mental capacity, such as a moron or an idiot, could also be creative, but these scenarios virtually ever arise in real life. In contrast, a higher I.Q. does not always indicate creativity, even if creative people typically tend to be reasonably intelligent. In other words, according to Kitano and Kirby (1986), “an individual can be very creative but not necessarily intellectually talented, or extraordinarily intelligent but uncreative.” hence, no obvious connection is present between the two.
Even though creativity entails more divergent thinking than convergent thinking, which is used to demonstrate intelligence, and even though intelligence and creativity can both work independently of one another, it is still impossible to completely separate the two. This is due to the fact that thinking is never totally divergent or purely convergent; rather, it always has components of both, with both the creative and intellectual processes taking place at the same time. Therefore, it follows that in order to be deemed creative, a person must possess an intelligence that is at least above average.
In case you are missed :- NCERT Solution for Meeting Life Challenges
For more updates follow our net explanations homepage