Answer :
True. The statement regarding Dillon's mental age being 7 years old is true, based on the provided information stating he functions at the level of a 7-year-old despite being 11 chronologically. Mental age reflects a person's intellectual performance relative to the average abilities at different ages. The correct option is 1.
When evaluating a child's intelligence quotient (IQ), mental age plays a pivotal role. Mental age is a representation of an individual's cognitive abilities expressed in terms of the average abilities of people at different ages.
In this case, if Dillon is described as functioning at the level of a 7-year-old, despite being 11 years old chronologically, then Dillon's mental age would indeed be considered to be 7 years old.
A simple way to understand this is through the formula to calculate IQ: IQ = mental age ÷ chronological age × 100. Thus, an 11-year-old child with a mental age of 7 would have an IQ score calculated as follows: 7 ÷ 11 × 100, which does not equate to an IQ of 100, typically considered the average IQ.
Instead, it would indicate a lower IQ score, reflecting that the child's cognitive abilities are below what is expected for their chronological age.
Concluding, the statement that Dillon's mental age is 7 years old is true, as long as the assessment is based on standard tests and methodologies that compare his cognitive abilities with the average cognitive abilities of a 7-year-old.
This is particularly important because intelligence changes with age and is relative to what is expected at any given age. The correct option is 1.
