Intelligence Testing

1800-----1825-----1850-----1875-----1900-----1925-----1950-----1975-----2000

 

--------------Galton-------------------

 

-------------Cattell-------------

 

    --------------Goddard---------------

 

  ------------Yerkes--------------

 

            ---Hollingworth---

 

   -------------Terman-------------

 

         -----------Spearman-----------

 

-----------Binet------------

 

Sir Francis Galton 1822-1911

Measurement à maps, weather, people

Illustriousness is inherited

Eugenics: enhancement through selective breeding

The beginnings of the nature-nurture debate

The beginnings of twin studies

Word association: unconscious motivation

Anthropometry: measurements of humans, compared, and also test-retest

Introduced correlation and regression toward the mean to psychology

 

James McKeen Cattell 1860-1944

Very influenced by Galton

Brought intelligence testing to the US

Correlational testing proved his results wrong

 

Alfred Binet 1857-1911

Researched and observed his two young daughters

Psychologists should study cognitive abilities directly

Hired to develop a test to distinguish retarded children from normal children

Intelligence isn’t a single ability, but many

Developed tests to place children’s intellectual ability

This scale was used to determine IQ (mental age/chronological age)

Some children just need special attention to succeed

 

Charles Spearman 1863-1945

Intelligence is comprised of specific abilities as well as a general intelligence (g) which is inherited

When IQ testing came to the US it was thought to be measuring g

 

Henry Herbert Goddard 1866-1957

Translated the Binet-Simon scale into English

Determined that feeble mindedness is hereditary based on his study of the kallikah family

Recommended the sterilization of ‘undesirables’

Was responsible for thousands of deportations based on testing done at Ellis Island

 

Lewis Madison Terman 1877-1956

Modified the Binet-Simon scales to work in the US

Official inventor of IQ as a measure if intelligence

Intelligence is inherited

Low IQ is the cause of criminal and antisocial behavior

Followed 1500 gifted students and showed that they became gifted adults, putting to rest the misconception that their promise rotted

 

Letta Stetter Hollingworth 1886-1939

Women are less prominent than men because of society, not lack of intelligence

Attempted to undo preconceptions of mentally impaired people as well as women

Worked to enhance the educational experience of gifted children

 

Robert M Yerkes 1876-1956

Converted the S-B to a point scale not an age scale enabling group testing

Introduced testing into the army to support recruitment for WWII

The countries problems are caused by low IQ and ‘dumb immigrants”