Introduction and History According to Drummond, Shepris, and Jones, intelligence is a “complex construct that involves both genetic and social learning components” (2016). A never-ending battle has erupted concerning the definition of intelligence and how to measure it. What can be agreed upon, however, is the fact that some individuals are brighter than others; some researchers say David Wechsler is the expert creator of appropriate intelligence testing.
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, or WISC-IV, is widely used and applied by many teachers in the United States and other parts of the world for assessing general intelligence and determining learning disabilities such as Attention Deficient Disorder or Bipolar Disorder. Created by David Wechsler in 1949,
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Intelligence composite scores vary, ranging from 40 to 160 (Colliflower, 2013). Calculating and interpreting scores on the WISC-IV is arduous, as one must be highly trained and educated in the field. This first step in evaluating an individual’s test score is to determine his or her FSIQ, or full scale IQ, score, which is their general intelligence level. The term intelligence quotient, or IQ, is also used to describe the score on the Wechsler test. However, the Wechsler test presents scores based on a normal distribution of data rather than the intelligence quotient. The normal distribution is a balanced bell-shaped curve that represents how qualities like IQ are distributed in a large population. “In this scoring system, the mean IQ score is set at 100, and the standard deviation is set at 15. The test is constructed so that about two-thirds of people tested (68 percent) will score within one standard deviation of the mean, or between 85 and 115” (Sparknotes). On the Wechsler test, the IQ score reflects where a person falls in the normal distribution of IQ
General intelligence tends to relate to various degrees with each other (Cohen 2012). An example of this is that if an individual is good in math, they may also be good in spelling. In this weeks reading we reviewed several different models of measurement of intelligence. In regard to these theories and general intelligence (g), the theories are various but have commonality and overlap. The Spearman's two-factor theory is if a test has high correlation with other test than the measurement of g is highly saturated (Cohen, 2012). The greater the importance of g on a test, the better the test is believed to predict intelligence
Terman, L. M. (1916). The measurement of intelligence: an explanation of and a complete guide for the use of the Stanford revision and extension of the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale. Massachusetts: The Riverside Press.
Naugle, Chelune, & Tucker (1992). Validity of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test. Psychological Assessment, 5(2), 182-186.
Average scores for the Wechsler and Stanford-Binet tests are ranges 90 to 110. A score below 70 indicates mental retardation. Those who have IQ score over 165 are considered geniuses.
Intelligence tests have been developed by scientists as a tool to categorize army recruits or analyze school children. But still discussing what intelligence is, academics have a difficult time defining what intelligence tests should measure. According to the American researcher Thorndike, intelligence is only that what intelligence tests claim it is (Comer, Gould, & Furnham, 2013). Thus, depending on what is being researched in the test and depending on the scientist’s definition of intelligence the meaning of the word intelligence may vary a lot. This essay will discuss what intelligence is in order to be able to understand the intelligence theories and aims of intelligence tests.
Many psychology theories have been developed in order to determine how to measure intelligence. Volume 63 of the Annual Review of Psychology details a few studies citing popular theories from the 1970s to 2000 (Deary, 2012), including the measurement of, “sensory discrimination and reaction time,” (Deary, 2012). After 2000, however, “interest has focused, in the broadly psychometric-experimental levels, on processing speed and working memory as potential explanatory variables for intelligence,” (Deary, 2012). In measuring intelligence, scientists are focu...
Wayne, PA: Author. Wechsler, D. (2008). The 'Standard'. Wechsler adult intelligence scale–fourth edition. San Antonio, TX: Pearson University Press, Inc.
Some individuals will test much higher in these specific groups as opposed to those that are not in the group, but not forgetting that cultural experiences play a role in test scores. Individuals tested might have scores immeasurable because of conventional tests that do not take into account one’s skills or capabilities. Intelligence tests are determined and valid for general and basic skill sets, but cannot determine overall how knowledgeable the individual truly is. Some intelligence tests are not effective in measuring an individual’s ability because several issues could arise and IQ tests ought to be shunned (Shiraev & Levy, 2010).
In this world, there are many different individuals who are not only different in demographics but also different neurologically. Due to an immense amount of people it is important to first understand each individual, in order, to better understand them and to help them when it comes to certain areas such as education, the work force, and etc…. For this reason psychologists have aimed to further understand individuals through the use of psychological assessments. This paper aims to examine a particular assessment tool, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (Fifth Edition), which measures both intelligence and cognitive abilities (Roid, 2003). This assessment is usually administered by psychologists and the scores are most often used to determine placement in academics and services allotted to children and adolescents (despite their compatibility for adults) (Wilson & Gilmore, 2012). Furthermore before the investigation dives into the particulars of the test, such as its strengths and weakness’, it is best to first learn more about the intelligence scales general characteristics.
Kamphaus, R. W., Winsor, A. P., Rowe, E. W., & Kim, S. (2005). A history of intelligence test
According to the website, I have an IQ of 113. I feel as though a site like www.iqtest.com could produce a “g” score because they make you pay too see an analysis of your results, which indicates to me that they put some effort into producing fairly accurate scores. General intelligence, also known as “g”, describes an individual’s specific mental ability, which is measured by tasks on an IQ test (Myers p. 405). The site breaks down your overall IQ results into different categories of intelligence and gives you an IQ score for how well you tested in a given area. For example, there is a category for “spatial intelligence” which is ones ability to predict what actions will happen based on varied conditions (Website). By looking at the broken down results you can compare areas you have strengths in, versus the areas you might struggle in. This is in accordance to what Charles Sherman found when he discovered that people who score high in one area tend to score high in similar categories (Myers p. 405). For a person to see what their “g” score would be they would simply have to look at which category they scored highest in and from that they would see in which area they have the highest intelligence in.
While the IQ test is generally used and widely accepted they have been criticized for several different reasons. One is that the test by its nature measures how well a person does answering questions on paper. However it is well-known that not all forms of intelligence involve memorizing words or solving equations. Recently there has been a movement in psychology regarding something called EQ or emotional quotient. What this is saying that there should also be a rating for people that are particularly able to deal with other people and social situations. While someone that is very good at dealing with people and real world situations is generally not regarded as being intelligent in a stereotypical manner there hasn’t been any definition of intelligence proposed which have ruled out this particular form of intelligence.
“Measureable environment does not shift the IQ by more than 3 to 5 points above or below the value it would have had under normal environmental conditions… The nature or hereditary component in intelligence causes greater variation than does environment. When nature an...
Visser, B. A., Ashton, M. C., & Vernon, P. A. (2006). g and the measurement of multiple intelligences: A response to Gardner. Intelligence, 34(5), 507-510.
The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale is a standardized test that assesses intelligence and cognitive abilities. Intelligence is "a concept intended to explain why some people perform better than others on cognitive tasks. Intelligence is defined as "the mental abilities needed to select, adapt to, and shape environments. It involves the ability to profit from experience, solve problems, reason, and successfully meet challenges and achievement goals. Intelligence tests began as a psychologist's solution to a problem faced by Paris schools at the beginning of the century.