Kwajo Frimpong
Kristel Behrend
AP Seminar
14 December, 2015
Invalid Intelligence Tests
People have many different standards of intelligence and it is has a high value in our society. Intelligence is something that manymost people would describe as one’syour ability to perform equations and solve problems or even know how to pick up on someone’s feelings. There are many ways that people measure intelligence. One popular way of measuring intelligence is intelligence tests which have been highly regarded by many for decades. Most people today would say that intelligence testing accurately displays someone’s intelligence. However, intelligence testing may not truly be a good measure of intelligence. Intelligence is categorized in many different
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There are a couple of well known intelligence tests that have set the standard for what we think are the correct ways to measure intelligence. There are the Stanford-Bbinet, Weschler scales, Scholastic Assessment, and Intelligence Quotient tests. The Stanford-Binet test was created around early 1900 when Alfred Binet had to make a way to split students who profited from regular classroom direction and others that needed special teaching in different schools. With the help of one of his students, Binet created and administered the test to 50 normal children from age 3 to 11. From the results of this test, Binet figured out the norm for mental age. This test basically showed who needed more help and who was on track in their age group. It helped students who had learning disabilities get the help they needed. The second type of test that is used to measure our intelligence is the Weschler Scales. The Weschler Scales were created by David Weschler in the early 1900’s. “ The first scale was developed in 1939. Today, it is known as the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale - III (WAIS-III)” (General Psychology 1) Weschler also made an intelligence test for younger kids and children ages 6-16 called the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children. He also had an intelligence test for toddlers and preschoolers which was …show more content…
“ A scientist by the name of Robert Sternberg said that test consumers wants have stunted the growth of better measures of intelligence ” (Yekovich 3). When tests were developed, they were originally used to select people for job positions. We evolved into more of a placement test system which does not really change what intelligence tests have been like for a long time. Also, the IQ tests that we take are not even valid. “A Canadian study published in the journal Neuron examined over 100,000 people from across the world and found that the IQ test is fundamentally flawed. The researchers suggest that these types of questions grossly oversimplify the capabilities of the human brain” (Sohn). This is true because there are so many different parts and categories of our intellect that cannot be measured by the IQ tests that we have
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines intelligence as the capacity to apprehend facts and propositions, to reason about them, and the ability to understand them and their relations to each other. A. M. Turing had this definition in mind when he made his predictions and designed his test, commonly known as the Turing test. His test is, in principle, simple. A group of judges converse with different entities, some computers and some human, without knowledge of which is which. The job of the judges is to discern which entity is a computer. Judges may ask them any question they like, "Are you a computer?" excepted, and the participants may answer with anything they like, and in turn, ask questions of the judges. The concept of the test is not difficult, but creating an entity capable of passing the test with current technology is virtually impossible.
Before answering the questions let find out what intelligence test is. It is a test consisting of a series of tasks requiring people to use various verbal and non verbal skills to measure the individual’s intellectual ability. Now that we know what an intelligence test is we can now answer the question better. Three important short comings of intelligence test that have nothing to do with intelligence are: having low motivation or high anxiety which can greatly influence the performance on the test, also IQ test may contain cultural biases in their language and or tasks that may place people of one background above people of another back ground, and members of minority groups may have little experience with this kind of test or may be uncomfortable with examiners of a different ethnic back ground than them (Comer, 2013, pp.107).
The field of psychology has continuously endeavored to find an appropriate method in evaluating intelligence. The Stanford-Binet intelligence test is one of pioneering tests created to measure facets of intelligence, and it is still being utilized today (Anastasi & Urbina, 1997). Weschler created several intelligence tests focusing on age range in relation to intelligence (Anastasi & Urbina, 1997). While these tests are staples in the psychological testing community, there are many criticisms of intelligence testing. One such criticism is the absence of race and culture as influential factors of intelligence (Carroll, 2010).
Similar to Sternberg, Binet came to the conclusion that intelligence is the sum of mental processes (Flangan, Harrison, 2005). He developed the first intelligence test in order to categorize how much children benefitted from school education. The Binet-Simon scale, keeping in mind that Binet believed in intelligence consisting of different components, thus included language component, auditory processing, learning and memory, as well as judgement and problem solving (Kamin, 1974). The results were supposed to identify the student’s mental age. Lewis Terman introduced the Binet-Simon test to America and adapted it to sort army recruits in World War I (Comer et al., 2013). The Stanford-Binet test, developed by Terman in 1916, aimed to be an improved version that was able to measure mental age more appropriately (Kamin, 1974). He was convinced that intelligence is the ability to form concepts and to think abstract (Comer et al., 2013). The Stanford-Binet test has been described by Maud Minton to be superior to other intelligence tests of that time because it was very precise, it had detailed guidelines, it measured the IQ which became the standard marking system (Flangan, Harrison,
Standardized tests are the opposite of a test of intelligence. The goal of this test is not to find out how well you think through problems, the goal is to find out what you are able to memorize. Standardized tests are rather killing our creativity and our desire to ask questions, which are the roots
...gists have debated the explanation of intelligence for hundreds of years, with its discovery promising to unlock the secret to understanding why we do what we do. A social construct known as race, showing discrepancies of intelligence, further complicates the mystery. After thorough analysis of the available data, it is evident that IQ scores do not indicate a fundamental intellectual ability as such as phenomenon does not exist. Intelligence is a multifaceted concept, and IQ tests only assess one dimension of learning. I have demonstrated that racial differences are an ever-present element of our society, and must be considered when creating intelligence measurement tools due to the vast variation in perceptions of intelligence. Despite race being a social construct, group differences in IQ are the result of both genetic determinants, and environmental influences.
There have been many studies of IQ measurement. Some believe in testing and then looking at biology or heritage of the child. These people also like to use statistics to try to put some sort of explanation on IQ levels. Then there are other groups that use cultural ecology. They study IQ by what effect the environment has on a child, and feel testing it is unfair to the child. The problem is that these two groups rarely come together to help each other. So there are big questions as to what IQ really is and how it should be measured.
Recent information collected showing an increase to our IQs have many asking the question, are we smarting than our ancestors? Unlike our predecessors, we live in a time that poses a greater range of cognitive problems than our ancestors encountered, and as a result we've developed new cognitive skills and the kinds of brains that can deal with these problems. So in a way we are getting smarter throughout history, though it is widely debated if this is due to our environment or genes. Since IQ tests have been standardised many times over the last one hundred years, scientists have participants take a test designed for a previous age and record the results. What (Flynn, 1994) unearthed was that new test takers score much higher than those of the older generation. Flynn and his colleagues guessed that the difference in scores was due to improving modern environments. To them IQ is part heritable and part environmental- provide a child with opportunities to learn and they're likely to have a higher IQ later in
Most researchers believe that we are born with a certain intelligence or potential intelligence. They also believe that the intelligence we are born with is difficult to change. Psychologists use short-answer tests to assess one’s intelligence (Gardner papers). It was believed that intelligence was a single inherited thing. Human beings start out initially as a blank slate and could be trained to learn anything, provided that it was presented in an appropriate way (Multiple Intelligences and Education). Currently an “increasing number of researchers believe the opposite. Gardner defined intelligence as: “the ability to create an effective product or offer a service that is valued in culture; a set ...
One of the most definitive things ever said regarding the nature of intelligence was that intelligence is whatever IQ tests measure. The IQ test has been in use throughout the 20th century and serves as an accepted measure of a person’s intelligence. It is used by institutions such as schools and the army to screen people’s level of intelligence and decisions are made based on that. The IQ test consists of a series of questions regarding certain skills such as vocabulary, mathematics, spatial relations. The scores that a person gets on these tests depend on the amount of questions that a person answers correctly. The actual score that a person gets is dependant on how others in that age group do on those particular questions.
Can intelligence be measured? Does an IQ test actually measure a person’s intelligence? Does a high score indicate a genius? Does a low score indicate stupidity or merely ignorance? These questions have been asked over and over again by psychiatrists and scientists alike, but to date there are no clear answers. These questions cannot be answered without first defining what is meant by the term intelligence. Once intelligence has been defined then it should be easy to answer these questions; however, multiple definitions of the word tend to lead to further confusion.
Intelligence by definition is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills” (Oxford Dictionary, 2014). However, many psychologists argue that there is no standard definition of ‘intelligence’, and there have been many different theories over time as psychologists try to find better ways to define this concept (Boundless 2013). While some believe in a single, general intelligence, others believe that intelligence involves multiple abilities and skills. Another largely debated concept is whether intelligence is genetically determined and fixed, or whether is it open to change, through learning and environmental influence. This is commonly known as the nature vs. nurture debate.
Intelligence tests began as a psychologist's solution to a problem faced by Paris schools at the beginning of the century. Alfred Binet, a French psychologist, developed a test to measure potential ability at school tasks rather than performance in school, and to produce the same scores regardless of the personalities or prejudices of those who gave or took the test. The scoring method originally used by Binet and his collaborator, Theodore Simon, was based on the concept of mental age or MA (the chronological age typical of a given level of performance). For the average child, mental age and chronological age are equal or a match. For example, a child who is 10 years of age has a mental age of 10. But some children who have less intelligence than average will not be able to pass all the items suitable to their age level and thus will show an MA that are lower than their CA. To measure mental age, Binet and Simon developed varied reasoning and problem-solving questions that might predict school achievement.
When a person utters the word “intelligence,” people tend to think of a genius like Albert Einstein developing some obscure equation that the great majority of the population will never understand. The problem with the definition of intelligence is that people relate intelligence to words like “genius” which require intelligence but do not have the same definition as intelligence. Often, people try to use related words to define intelligence, but these words are unable to define intelligence since many are only different levels of intelligence. While many definitions try to encompass the meaning of intelligence and various definitions describe a small part of intelligence, no definition completely explains intelligence, because intelligence is a concept that is understood only after realizing that intelligence is based on three basic concepts: logic, growth, and emotion. Although many people believe that humans are the only creatures capable of intelligence, other animals exhibit intelligence and are capable of further demonstrate the complex concept of intelligence.
According to the Webster Dictionary, intelligence is defined as a person who has the ability to not only acquire but, to also apply the knowledge and skills they have to everyday life. Graded exam do not test our intelligence however, it tests our ability to memorize and shows our work ethics and determination. Students do not usually apply anything they learn from school in real life unless they plan to work in that field. (Gardner, Howard Gardner of The Multiple Intelligence Theory) As the writer recalls from personal experien...