Intelligence
Testing
(2-3-15)
The first successful attempt to measure human intelligence grew out of efforts to construct a "present state" measure of child's skills that would predict school success or failure:
the Binet-Simon scales
The child's performance in a wide variety of tasks similar to those observed in school were compared against children of a similar age.
The obtained "mental age" (MA)
was contrasted with the child's chronological age (CA)
The Simon and Binet scales were successful
in predicting which children would have difficulty with the standard curriculum
Later, Dr. Terman at Stanford University would suggest considering the ratio
of the MA and CA: MA/CA
yielding the Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
The most valid measures of IQ have two similarities:
1) many items (sampling in depth)
2) a wide range of skills assessed (sampling in breath)
Views of intelligence
a global characteristic, a general ability, a unitary characteristic
"g", "little g", global intelligence
Raymond Cattell
crystalized and fluid intelligence
Crystalized Intelligence: what the person (organism) has learned, cultural knowledge and skills
Fluid Intelligence: what allows the person to learn, "biological intelligence"
Catell-Horn model
neuropsychological and factor models: many strengths
Luria: sequential and simultaneous processing
the structure of cognitive functioning