None of the Above: Behind the None of the Above: Behind the Myth of Scholastic Aptitude Myth of Scholastic Aptitude

Ch. 9: The Cult of Mental Ch. 9: The Cult of Mental Measurement Measurement

ObjectivesObjectives

Think critically about the history and rationale of the first Think critically about the history and rationale of the first IQ tests, and Scholastic Aptitude Test.IQ tests, and Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Become familiar with the background of the individuals Become familiar with the background of the individuals

who developed IQ testing and the SAT. who developed IQ testing and the SAT.

Think critically about the meritocratic rationale infused in Think critically about the meritocratic rationale infused in the testing movement. the testing movement.

Become familiar with forms of test bias.Become familiar with forms of test bias.

History of Intelligence TestingHistory of Intelligence Testing

1.1. Head CircumferenceHead Circumference (Francis Galton (Francis Galton 1880) – first attempts to measure 1880) – first attempts to measure intelligence intelligence

2.2. Binet-SimonBinet-Simon (Alfred Binet 1909) – first (Alfred Binet 1909) – first “intelligence test”“intelligence test”

comissioned by French gov to separate comissioned by French gov to separate children into vocational vs academic children into vocational vs academic schoolingschooling

did not design test to measure did not design test to measure ‘intelligence’‘intelligence’

created concept of mental age (MA)created concept of mental age (MA)

The History of IQ testingThe History of IQ testingThe History of IQ testingThe History of IQ testing

First IQ tests developed by Alfred BinetFirst IQ tests developed by Alfred Binet Alfred Binet and Theodore SimonAlfred Binet and Theodore Simon 30 items of increasing difficulty - 190530 items of increasing difficulty - 1905 Revision 1908 – age specific versionsRevision 1908 – age specific versions

These were developed to identify children who These were developed to identify children who needed ‘special’ education - needed ‘special’ education -

Binet believed that IQ could be increased by Binet believed that IQ could be increased by educationeducation

Henry Herbert Goddard (1866-1957)Henry Herbert Goddard (1866-1957)

Major ContributionsMajor Contributions Translated the Binet-Simon intelligence scale into Translated the Binet-Simon intelligence scale into

English (1908) English (1908) Distributed 22,000 copies of the translated Binet Distributed 22,000 copies of the translated Binet

scale and 88,000 answer blanks across the United scale and 88,000 answer blanks across the United States (1908-1915) States (1908-1915)

Established the first laboratory for the Established the first laboratory for the psychological study of mentally retarded persons psychological study of mentally retarded persons (1910) (1910)

Helped to draft the first American law mandating Helped to draft the first American law mandating special education (1911) special education (1911)

Strongly argued the hereditarian positionStrongly argued the hereditarian position

Intelligence Testing

• Alfred Binet• Introduction of Mental Age

– 1916 L.M. Terman & Stanford Colleaguesrevise Binet’s test for use in the United States• Introduction of the term IQ– Mental Age / Chronological Age = IQ

Intelligence Testing

Intelligence Testing World War I - Robert Yerkes – Need for large-scale group administered ability tests by the army – Army commissions Yerkes, then head of the American Psychological Association, to develop two structured tests of human abilities

Army Alpha - required reading ability Army Beta - did not require reading ability

Testing “frenzy” hits between World War I and the 1930s.

Robert Yerkes (1876 – 1956) Question from the Army Beta testWhat’s missing from each picture?

Administration of the Army Alpha and Beta tests, the first “group tests,” to be followed in due course by the SAT, LSAT, GRE, etc.

Carl BrighamCarl BrighamCarl BrighamCarl Brigham Carl Brigham (Yerkes colleague)Carl Brigham (Yerkes colleague)

Explained the differences in terms of racial superiorityExplained the differences in terms of racial superiority

““we notice the Einsteins of the world BECAUSE they are we notice the Einsteins of the world BECAUSE they are exceptional for their Jewish race”exceptional for their Jewish race”

Brigham quite literally created the culture of standardized testing. He invented the 200-800 scale, the delta difficulty rating system, the practice of testing ne\v questions by burying them in actual tests, the equating of tests from one year to another, and the internally justified item-analysis method still used by ET'S. The theoretical foundations of the SAT

Questions:

What types of bias does Owen note, in The Cult of Mental Measurement?

How did WWI & WWII affect the testing movement?

What are some of the problems with the test questions Owen details in this chapter?

What role did The Cult of Mental Measurement envision for IQ tests and the SAT?

The SATThe SAT

The point of the SAT was to extend the Alpha standard to what Brigham and the Board viewed as mainstream American culture. The SAT was to be the cornerstone of a new American social order - the aristocracy of aptitude, the meritocracy

The SATThe SAT

(U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the (U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey)Census, Current Population Survey)

Mean verbal SAT score for children in Mean verbal SAT score for children in households with incomes below $10,000: 427 households with incomes below $10,000: 427

Mean verbal SAT score for children in Mean verbal SAT score for children in households with incomes above $100,000: 559 households with incomes above $100,000: 559

IntelligenceIntelligence IntelligenceIntelligence

There is still no clear operational There is still no clear operational definition of intelligencedefinition of intelligence

Both race and IQ are political rather Both race and IQ are political rather than biological factsthan biological facts

(Socially constructed)(Socially constructed)

Heredity & IntelligenceHeredity & Intelligence