It may come as surprise to learn that IQ tests probably don't measure intelligence at all, at least not the kind of intelligence that a person needs to survive outside of the educational system. They may arguably be a good indicator of academic success, and were in fact designed to measure just that, but lack inquiry into other areas of intelligence that may be vital to the wellbeing and emotional health of humans.
History of
Alfred Binet, with the assistance of Theophile Simon,developed the Simon-Binet IQ test in 1904. He was commissioned by the French government to devise a method of differentiating normal students from those who lacked the skills and ability to function in mainstream education. The purpose of this test was to weed out those who were inferior in intelligence and to segregate them into separate schools, where they could receive more time and attention from the teacher. More importantly, it would provide justification to remove these students and their resulting disruption from their normal peers.
The Facts
H. H. Goddard translated Binet's work into English. As the Director of Research at the Vineland Training School in New Jersey, he advocated for the use of IQ scores to screen applicants for his school. In 1916, the Stanford-Binet revision of the Binet IQ Scale, revised by Lewis M. Terman, became the American Version of Simon-Binet's test and rapidly became the standard IQ test in the United States.
Function
The Stanford-Binet was used in the early 1900's to assess immigrants who were entering the US and resulted in the deportation of countless numbers of immigrants in 1913 and 1914. At one point, this test indicated that 87% of Russian immigrants were morons, without regard to the fact this test was administered in English and featured questions that reflected a knowledge of American culture.
Evolution
The Stanford-Binet IQ Scale soon gained popularity in the educational arena and was administered to countless school children across the nation. Other IQ tests are available and in use, but the Standford-Binet IQ Scale continues to be the standard for many educational and psychological testing facilities. The Stanford-Binet test has undergone many revisions, and is now thought to represent unbiased and non-discriminatory questions; yet, it continues to be misused today. Schools and psychological service organizations continue to use the IQ score derived from the test as a definitive score that provides an intelligence quotient that is often used for eligibility for Special Education Services, Social Security Disability Benefits and other social services designed to meet the needs of those who are termed mentally retarded. Without the aid of supplemental assessment tools the results are questionable as an indicator of absolute intelligence.
Benefits
An IQ test used in conjunction with other measurement tools may be a good indicator of academic performance and can be used successfully to obtain a reasonably accurate assessment of functioning. For educational purposes, areas of strengths and weaknesses can be identified and targeted for intervention or enhancement. When used in conjunction with other functional skill assessments, the scores can assist in substantiating a diagnosis of mental retardation necessary to qualify for social services.
Risk Factors
Viewing the results of an IQ test as an indicator of intellectual ability carries with it certain risks. Not only may the results be inaccurate due to a variety of circumstances such as not understanding the directions, failure to attend to task or failure to engage the subject in the task, it does not measure other vital skills and abilities beyond those identified as valuable to the classroom or institutional setting. When IQ scores obtained from the administration of a single test are used to label and segregate children into special education programs or to qualify for gifted programs without the aid of other supporting documentation, the results may be misleading and unnecessarily label children. These labels may affect the child's education and may influence teacher's estimation of the child's ability, resulting in either failure to challenge the child academically or neglecting to address basic academic skills.
Misconceptions
Many people view IQ as a static measurement of a person's innate ability. This simply is not the case. With proper intervention and life experience, IQ scores can change over time. Scores obtained in young children tend to be less reliable than those from older test takers and may change considerably as the child matures. A child may score low on the IQ scale, yet be brilliantly talented in the arts or other areas that the test does not assess. Placing too high a value on an IQ score may be detrimental, particularly if the score obtained was in the lower range. Many highly successful people leading healthy and happy lives scored low on IQ tests in the elementary years.
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