Intelligence and Intelligence Testing

Let’s start our discussion off with this question: What is intelligence to you? If you have trouble thinking of qualities, think of a person that you know (famous, familial, etc.) that you consider to be intelligent. What are the qualities that this person posses that make this person intelligent to you?

Here is the Formal Definition of Intelligence The global capacity to think rationally, act purposefully, and deal effectively with the environment.

Intelligence Testing The assessment of human abilities dates back nearly 4000 years when China used written tests to rate applicants for civil service.  Two-thousand years later, during the Hans Dynasty, civil service type exams were used in the areas of law, military, agriculture, and geography.  In the early 1800s British diplomats observed the Chinese assessments and modified them for use in Britain and eventually the United States for use in civil service placement.

Alfred Binet The first workable intelligence test was developed by French psychologist Alfred Binet in 1905. 

Alfred Binet (con’t) The French government made it mandatory that all school-aged children attend school. Binet was commissioned by the French government to identify the school-aged children that needed special help. First intelligence test attempted to measure general mental abilities and was not a reflection of innate, fixed intelligence. 

The test was then adopted in the U.S. by psychologist Lewis Terman Terman worked at Stanford University and the test became known as: The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (1916) It is with this test that the results were expressed in a single number known as the Intelligence Quotient or (IQ).

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) IQ is calculated by dividing one’s Mental Age (MA): Average mental abilities expressed by people of a given age group. By one’s Chronological Age (CA): one’s actual age in years. Multiplied by 100 (to remove the decimal).

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) Before plugging in numbers to the equations, let’s first take a look at the ranges: Average intelligence is from 85-115, where MA=CA Above average intelligence is above 115, where MA > CA Below average intelligence is under 85, where MA < CA 70 and lower is classified as mental retardation.

Now let’s calculate different individuals’ IQ: Imagine one child who has a CA of 10 has a MA of 11. What would be his IQ? Equation: MA x 100 = IQ CA 11 x 100 = IQ 10 110 = IQ *This means the child would have an average IQ

Let’s take another example: A girl is 7 years old with a mental age of 5. What is her IQ?

Answer: 70 MA x 100 = IQ CA 5 x 100 = IQ 7 71 = IQ *This means the child would be considered delayed or slow with a below average intelligence.

Last example: Todd is considered a bright boy in school. He is 8 years old with the mental abilities of an 11 year old. What is his IQ?

Answer: 138 MA x 100 = IQ CA 11 x 100 = IQ 8 138 = IQ *This means the child would have an above average IQ.

The Down Side of Intelligence Tests: IQ was believed to be a fixed attribute of the person and could not be improved. Essentially, it was what you came into the world, as if the # was “stamped” on a person’s forehead, permanent, and never to be removed or improved.

We can see how this resulted in a lot of discrimination with newly arrived immigrants and people of color already living in the United States. People not familiar or highly exposed to the white-dominant culture tended to score lower. Also, what dominant white society valued and tested for were not always aligned with values other people hold from other backgrounds. The lack of proficiency in English, resources, and education served as further impediments to people doing well on intelligence tests.

David Wechsler David Wechler, a psychologist who worked at a hospital in New York with many immigrants saw how detrimental these tests were and inaccurate in accessing the immigrants’ intelligence. He was extremely dissatisfied with Stanford-Binet and the other intelligence tests of the time.

As a result, he created the: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III), which is the most recent edition (1997) The test has 11 sub-tests with different abilities: overall verbal and performance score. He realized that intelligence involves a variety of mental abilities. And, including a performance component helped deal with cultural differences and other factors. This is the most common intelligence test for adults.

Additionally, he formed two tests for children Wechsler returned to Binet’s original intention and goal of intelligence tests. Additionally, he formed two tests for children Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III) for ages 6-16 Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) for ages 3-7.5

Psychologist Howard Gardner of Harvard University proposes his: Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner believes that each person has innate strengths that our school system needs to support and teach to so that the students are best able to absorb the material. He argues that modern day education is teacher-centered, and that we need to change our model to student-centered. You will watch a video clip of him next to get a more full understanding of his theory.

Here is a list of Howard Gardner’s 8 Multiple Intelligences

Which of Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences do you feel you posses? How do you express these intelligences? In which ways have you actively attempted or others encouraged you to strengthen these intelligences? Which of these do you believe needs to be worked on the most and why? What would your life look like with these areas strengthened?

Another psychologist Robert Sternberg proposes 3 types of intelligences: Analytic intelligence—mental processes used in learning how to solve problems. Creative intelligence—the ability to deal with novel situations by drawing on existing skills and knowledge. Practical intelligence—the ability to adapt to the environment (street smarts).

Which of these three intelligences do you feel comes most innately to you? Which ones have you or need to work on strengthening?

Next, let’s move on to the 3 Qualities that make up all Good Tests 1) Standardization—tests administered to large groups of people under uniform conditions to establish norms. For example: instructions, answer forms, amount of time to complete test, etc., must be same for everyone.

2) Reliability The ability to produce consistent results when administered on repeated occasions under similar conditions. For example: Have two versions of the same test and see if it yields similar scores. Can ask: “Is it reliable?”

3) Validity The ability to measure what the test is intended to measure. - For example: Compare tests scores to actual performance. -Do high scores on LSAT predict that the person will be a successful lawyer. -Can ask: “Is it valid?”

When talking about Intelligence, we need to address the Nature versus Nurture argument as well Are differences between people due to environmental or genetic differences? In other words: “Is a person’s intelligence due more to genes or to environment?” Answer: both genes and intelligence are crucial for any trait

Heredity and Environment Heritability The degree to which variation in trait stems from genetic, rather than environmental, differences among individuals Environment The degree to which variation is due to environmental rather than genetic differences

Within and Between Group Differences Each cornfield planted from same package of genetically diverse seeds. One field is quite fertile, the other is not. Within each field, the differences are due to genetics. Between each field, the differences are due to environment (fertility).

Research shows that there are: More variation in IQ scores within a particular group than between groups.

Other Influences on IQ Scores Cross-cultural studies show that the average IQ of groups subject to social discrimination are often lower than the socially dominant group even if there is no racial difference. Tests reflect the culture in which they are developed; cultural factors also influence test-taking behavior (culture bias).

Do you believe that a test can ever be culturally-fair? If so, how would that look? If you were on a committee to create intelligence tests, what elements would you include in your test?

Wrap-Up Intelligence is not something we can see or hear, or taste.  We can see the results of intelligence...sometimes.  Many argue that quantifying intelligence correctly is impossible and all that modern IQ tests do is test our knowledge and abilities.  While it is true that a person can learn to improve his or her score, this can only occur if correct responses are taught to the person, which is highly unethical. 

Wrap-Up (con’t) We have also found that our individual IQ score remains quite consistent as we get older.  Some argue, however, that modern IQ tests are prejudiced against certain ethnicities and cultures and tend to result in higher scores for others.  Where this leaves us, however, is uncertain.  As of today, these IQ tests are the best we have in our attempt to quantify the construct known as intelligence.