Yerke/Gould

• What was the background of the study?

  -First intelligence tests developed in France early 1900s -> used to identify children that were of low mental age and needed to be placed into special schools -> Later adopted by schools in the USA

  
  

  -Adapted by Yerkes to administer the groups of US army recruits prior to WW1

  
  

  -Yerkes believed that intelligence was influenced by genetics and couldn't be changed (Hereditarianism)
• What are Eugenics?


  Belief that the human race can be impacted through selective breeding
• Who was Yerkes sample and what was the sampling method used?

  -1.75 million US army recruits

  
  

  -Opportunity -> Whoever was in the army at the time -> convenient
• What was the Army Alpha Test?

  -Written exam for literate recruits

  -Consisted of 8 parts

  -Less than an hour long

  -Could be given in large groups

  -Included filling in next number sequences, unscrambling sentences, analogies and multiple choice.

  -Example question: Crisco is a: Planet, medicine, disinfectant, toothpaste, food product
• What was the Army Beta Test?

  • For illiterate people or those who failed the Army Alpha test
  • 7 parts
  • Less than an hour
  • Could be given in large groups
  • Included: maze running, cube counting and pictorial completion
• What was the Individla Exam?

  -For those who failed Alpha and Beta

  -Spoken exam
• What were Yerkes Quantitative findings?

  • Average mental age of white American adults was 13
  • Immigrants from Europe, darker people of Southern Europe and Slavs of Eastern Europe were less intelligent that fair people of the west and northern Europe -> Russia and Italy 11.34, Poland 10.74
  • Black Americans were at the bottom, average age of 10.41
• How were Yerkes findings interpreted at the time (in the military)?

  • Anyone with a grade of below C had lower average intelligence and weren't suitable for ranks above private
  • Men given a D grade are 'rarely suited for tasks requiring special skill
• What problems did Gould identify with the design of Yerkes test?

  -Were (test) culturally biased and were measuring 'Native Intellectual ability' -> included whole sections that were similar to American ways etc. Alpha tests multiple choice questions

  
  

  -Exams required pencil work (Beta), had to know how to write, know numbers and how to write them even though those taking it were illiterate
• What problems did Gould find with the way Yerkes tests were administered?

  • Men most likely to be illiterate in English were black men -> had less schooling than others due to segregation, poor conditions of black schools etc.

  
  

  • Exams were frantic -> Recruits 'utterly confused' or 'scared shitless' -> recruits may've 'been in a frame of mind to record anything about their innate abilities'

  
  

  • Conditions tests were carried out in were extremely chaotic -> difficult for recruits to complete and focus
• What problems did Gould find with the way Yerkes study was interpreted/explained?

  -Systematic bias in the way tests were designed and administered -> Black and European recruits did worse

  
  

  -was measuring schooling + familiarity with US culture rather than native intellectual ability
• What happened as a result of Yerkes findings?

  -Reinforced segregation laws -> suggested some racial groups were more superior than others

  
  

  -Used as 'evidence' to introduce law 'The Immigration Restriction Act 1924' -> limited number of people who could enter the US from Europe
• What were the long-term negative effects of the results from the study?

  -6 million people from southern, central and eastern Europe (areas that scored low on the tests) tried to enter America in 1924-1939 but were denied

  
  

  -Jewish people tried to leave Europe but weren't able to due to immigration restrictions (they were found to be low in intelligence)
• What ethics did Yerke break?

  -Debrief + Right to Withdraw + Consent -> Recruits weren't told about the exam or purpose, so most likely didn't get the choice to withdraw either

  
  

  -Confidentiality -> Had to put their name, age and education

  
  

  -Protection from Harm -> The immigration Restriction Act 1924 + Recruits may've experienced heightened anxiety due to not knowing or understanding what to do and the chaotic conditions the tests were taken in
• What ethics did Yerke's study uphold?

  -Deception -> Didn't know aim so couldn't / weren't lied to

  
  

  -Confidentiality -> Don't know who was in what group, e.g. names of them in European group
• Was the study ethnocentric?

  No - Wide range of ethnic backgrounds

  
  

  -Yes - Favoured those who lived in America for the longest as lots of the questions were based on the culture e.g. Crisco (Cultural Bias)
• Was Yerkes procedure standardised and replicable? (Internal reliability)

  -People were asked the same questions in the test -> was consistent

  
  

  -Procedure protocols weren't followed -> had to administer tests in limited time and usually in disorganised, chaotic settings in the majority of camps -> not consistent
• Did Yerkes results show a consistent effect? Was the sample large enough to show this?

  -Yes, since there was a sample of 1.75m -> However only looked at men, not women

  
  

  -Mainly looked at groups knowledge of American culture -> so represents their average knowledge on the topic
• Were Yerkes tests and accurate measure of 'native intellectual ability? (Internal validity)

  -No -> Measured their level/ amount of schooling (can't be controlled, how long they lived in the USA for -> asking if they were familiar with Crisco etc, wouldn't know or understand if you didn't live there before or for awhile, or how much money and leisure time they had (be familiar with record players, lawn tennis etc)
• Was the sample diverse enough to be representative? (External validity -> Pop validity)

  -Women weren't being tested -> only men

  
  

  -Only recruits in the army, not civilians