Gould, S.J. (1982)
A nation of morons. New Scientist (6 May 1982), 349 - 52
This is a review of one aspect of the history of intelligence testing, still a highly controversial area of modern psychology.
Write your own definition of the word ‘intelligence’.
Can you learn to be intelligent?
IQ (intelligence quotient) tests were originally designed to identify children who were in need of extra academic help, therefore making the assumption that IQ could be improved. This notion was unfortunately lost as tests were translated into English and attracted interest from USA. Here, the fiercest supporters of the tests were often scientists who believed that all individual differences (intelligence, aggression, criminal behaviour etc) were genetic and that society should aim to selectively breed a superior race of people. This is referred to as EUGENICS.
At the beginning of the First World War, Robert Yerkes was an American psychologist trying to establish psychology as a science. He believed that ‘mental testing’ was one way to do this. He persuaded the US Army to test all recruits - giving him access to 1.75 million people.
He used three types of test. In the table below, give details of the people each test was designed for and a brief description of the test:
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Type of test |
Designed for? |
Description |
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ARMY ALPHA |
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ARMY BETA |
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Spoken test |
What did Yerkes mean by ‘native intellectual ability’?
Look at the examples of the test questions from the article. Was Yerkes testing ‘native intellectual ability’? Give reasons for your answer.
What practical problems arose during the testing?
What THREE ‘facts’ did Yerkes publish?
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1 |
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2 |
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3 |
Outline TWO criticisms that can be made of these ‘facts’.
Describe how these ‘facts’ were used by politicians.
What other effects do you think these ‘facts’ might have had?