Gould

• Intelligence seen as living and acting operations- not static but dynamic

  -biological definitions- intelligence related to adaption to environment
• intelligence is innate, general cognitive ability
• Theories of intelligence-

  • psychometric - Spearman's- Burt Vernon- fluid and crystalised intelligence - intelligence processing
  • Gardner- multiple intelligence
• Defining intelligence hard and testing it became aim
• nature- intelligence can be altered by a persons environment

  Nurture- only see who needs more help
• 1904- French Binet + Simon looked for children who wouldn't benefit from regular schooling- Simon Binet test

  -Stanford- adapting test for USA- Stanford Binet test
• Weschler- Weschler adult intelligence scale
• Individual tests- group testing prominent at WWI- army alpha and bets tests developed
• Yerkes- wanted to improve status- saw intelligence as inherited + cant be changed- got government involved

  • AIM- examine history of IQ testing + prove it was valid+ reliable
  • Start of WWI- army ideal sample for many people
• Gould- aimed to identify problematic nature of psychometric testing + intelligence in particular- how prejudice can distort objectivity of testing + problem of political and ethical implications of research
• No piece of empirical evidence which looks at measurement of human IQ since 19th century- study is a review article of Yerkes intelligence testing
• 1.75 million army recruits- white Americans- 'negroes'- European immigrants
• Army Alpha test- for literate recruits- 8 parts- required good basic english + 'native' intellectual ability- 'Washington is to Adams as first is to...'
• Army Beta test- for people who are illiterate or failed army alpha test- culturally specific pictures- maze tests- counting cubes- finding next in a series of symbols + translating numerals into symbols using a code- instructions in English + 3/7 answers had to be given in writing- some may never used a pencil before
• Spoken examination- if other two failed- rarely used- everyone given a grade A-E- administration caused problems- only some signed illiterate people to beta test so some scored worse than they should've
• Literacy lower than Yerkes expected- queues for beta test too long + standards for alpha test reduced - not same standards across all camps
• -black men- who failed alpha test not allowed to sit beta test

  -only 1/5 who failed beta test allowed to take individual examinations
• Data converted to common standard to look for racial+ national average- average mental age of white Americans 13- used by eugenics to show poor negroes + feeble minded lowering overall intelligence
• Darker southern European + eastern less intelligent than Western + Northern Europe
• Black average 10.4- lighter skin higher the score
• Had an impact on officer screenings + requests to use army psychological exams for special needs
• tests were accepted measures of innate intelligence- difference between racial and national groups- Carl Bingham- used data to write racist book- dispelled accuracy of findings
• Yerkes admitted results showed issue with English proficiency + scores- immigration restriction act- people who scored low on tests no longer allowed in states- consequences for jews in WW2
• Concluded: IQ tests culturally and historically biased
• Concluded: IQ tests do not measure intelligence, often unreliable and may not produce valid results
• Concluded: inappropriate, poorly administered IQ tests can lead to tragic consequences
• Concluded: nations can be graded by intelligence, America is a nation of morons