The definition of intelligence is simple; it is an individual\'s capacity to lea

Question

The definition of intelligence is simple; it is an individual's capacity to learn, reason, and solve problems. What is complex is how we measure that capacity and use that measurement. One of the original uses of intelligence testing in the early 1900s was to separate or segregate those individuals who were deemed of low intelligence. 1. Provide a brief history of intelligence theories and testing and how it is currently utilized. 2. Choose one of the intelligence tests described in your course readings and research the Internet for more information on the test. Report your findings. 3. Based on what you found and your readings, provide your views on intelligence testing (remember to support your views with cited sources)

Explanation / Answer

1.The abbreviation ” IQ ” comes from the term intelligence quotient, first coined by the German psychologist William Stern in the early 1900s. This term was later used in 1905 by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon, who published the first modern intelligence test, the Binet-Simon intelligence scale. Because it was easy to administer, the Binet-Simon scale was adopted for use in many other countries. These practices eventually made their way to the United States, where psychologist Lewis Terman of Stanford University adapted them for American use. He created and published the first IQ test in the United States, the Stanford-Binet IQ test. He proposed that an individual’s intelligence level be measured as a quotient (hence the term “intelligence quotient”) of their estimated mental age divided by their chronological age. A child’s “mental age” was the age of the group which had a mean score that matched the child’s score. So if a five year-old child achieved at the same level as an average eight year-old, he or she would have a mental age of eight. The original formula for the quotient was Mental Age/Chronological Age x 100. Thus, a five year-old child who achieved at the same level as his five year-old peers would score a 100. The score of 100 became the average score, and is still used today. At the outset of World War I, U.S. Army officials were faced with the task of screening an enormous number of recruits. In 1917, as chair of the Committee on the Psychological Examination of Recruits, psychologist Robert Yerkes developed two tests known as the Army Alpha and Beta tests. The Army Alpha was designed as a written test, while the Army Beta was made up of pictures for recruits who were unable to read or didn't speak English. The tests were administered to over 2 million soldiers in an effort to help the Army determine which men were well-suited to specific positions and leadership roles. At the end of WWI, the tests remained in use in a wide variety of situations outside of the military with individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities. In 1939, David Wechsler published the first intelligence test explicitly designed for an adult population, known as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, or WAIS. After the WAIS was published, Wechsler extended his scale for younger people, creating the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, or WISC. The Wechsler scales contained separate subscores for verbal IQ and performance IQ, and were thus less dependent on overall verbal ability than early versions of the Stanford-Binet scale. The Wechsler scales were the first intelligence scales to base scores on a standardized bell curve. Modern IQ tests now measure a very specific mathematical score based on a bell curve, with a majority of people scoring the average and correspondingly smaller amounts of people at points higher or lower than the average. Approximately 95% of the population scores between 70 and 130 points. In order to develop an IQ test that separated environmental from genetic factors, Raymond B. Cattell created the Culture-Fair Intelligence Test. Cattell argued that general intelligence g exists and that it consists of two parts: fluid intelligence (the capacity to think logically and solve problems in novel situations) and crystallized intelligence (the ability to use skills, knowledge, and experience). Another supposedly culture-fair test is Raven’s Progressive Matrices, developed by John C. Raven in 1936. This test is a nonverbal group test typically used in educational settings, designed to measure the reasoning ability associated with g. During the early years of research, the average score on IQ tests rose throughout the world. This increase is now called the “Flynn effect,” named after Jim Flynn, who did much of the work to document and promote awareness of this phenomenon and its implications. Because of the Flynn effect, IQ tests are recalibrated every few years to keep the average score at 100; as a result, someone who scored a 100 in the year 1950 would receive a lower score on today’s test. Today, there are numerous IQ tests that are used for different purposes, but most are used to help diagnose learning disabilities. Intelligence tests in use today are for the most part individually administered (i.e., a psychologist administers the test to an individual in a closed setting with no other individuals present). For a long time, group intelligence tests were used throughout the public schools and in the military. Group tests of intelligence are used more sparingly today because of their many abuses in the past and the limited amount of information they offer about the individual. Individual intelligence tests are far more expensive to use but offer considerably more and better information. The most widely used individually administered intelligence scales today are the Wechsler scales, the Kaufman scales, and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Fourth Edition). Intelligence testing, which can be very useful in clinical and vocational settings, is also a controversial activity, especially with regard to the diagnosis of mild mental retardation among minority cultures in the United States. Used with care and compassion, as a tool toward understanding, such tests can prove invaluable. Due to time limit,remaining questions can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation

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