61.1 – Discuss the history of intelligence testing. Psychologists define intelligence testing as a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes & comparing them with others (using numerical scores) Marked by controversy & misuse Began in France during the 20th century (Sir Francis Galton) Some students needed more help than others… How do we identify those students?

61.1 – Discuss the history of intelligence testing. Alfred Binet Alfred Binet developed questions that would predict children’s future progress in the Paris school system. He hoped the test would be used to improve children’s education, but also worried that the test would be used to label children and limit their opportunities. Expressed a child’s score in terms of mental age Mental Age The chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance Example A child who does as well as the average 8 year old, is said to have a mental age of 8

61.1 – Discuss the history of intelligence testing. The Intelligence Quotient William Stern (German psychologist) Developed the notion of IQ IQ = (MA/CA) x 100 Example A child whose mental & chronological ages are the same has an IQ of 100 An 8 year old who answers questions as a typical 10 year old has an IQ of 125

61.1 – Discuss the history of intelligence testing. Lewis Terman (Stanford University) and IQ In the US, Lewis Terman adopted Binet’s test for American school children and named the test the Stanford-Binet Test. Then William Stern introduced the following formula to derive a person’s Intelligence Quotient (IQ). (SBIS = Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale) Expanded & revised the Binet-Simon Scale Remained fairly loyal to Binet’s original conceptions; however, Terman incorporated a new scoring scheme based on Stern’s “intelligence quotient”

61.2 – Distinguish between aptitude and achievement tests. Achievement vs. Aptitude Tests Achievement Tests: designed to measure a person’s knowledge of a particular area. Examples: Unit Tests, AP Exams Aptitude Tests: designed to measure a person’s performance potential. Examples: SAT, ACT, MCAT, LSAT Is there a correlation between achievement and aptitude tests? Is there a correlation between intelligence scores and aptitude tests?

61.2 – Distinguish between aptitude and achievement tests. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale David Wechsler (American psychologist at Bellevue Hospital) Developed the WAIS in 1939 TWO MAJOR INNOVATIONS Less dependent on verbal ability Discarded IQ in favor of a new scoring system based on the normal distribution Eventually developed an extension for children Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) WAIS measures overall intelligence and 11 other aspects related to intelligence

61.2 – Distinguish between aptitude and achievement tests. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Measures overall intelligence and 11 aspects related to intelligence Designed to assess clinical & educational problems Separate scores for: Verbal comprehension Perceptual organization Working memory Processing speed

61.2 – Distinguish between aptitude and achievement tests.

61.3 – Explain the meaning of standardization, and describe the normal curve. Principles of Test Construction: 1) Standardization: defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pre-tested group. The group member’s scores typically are distributed in a bell- shaped pattern that forms the normal curve. 2) Normal Curve (Bell Curve): a symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.

61.3 – Explain the meaning of standardization, and describe the normal curve. Principles of Test Construction: 1) Standardization: defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pre-tested group. The group member’s scores typically are distributed in a bell- shaped pattern that forms the normal curve. Standardization allows for the development of test scores & percentile scores Test Norms The standards against which all others who take the test will be compared; where one individual ranks in relation to others Typically follow a normal curve (in intelligence testing) Percentile Scores Indicate the percentage of people who score at or below the score one has obtained

61.3 – Explain the meaning of standardization, and describe the normal curve. Principles of Test Construction: 2) Normal Curve (Bell Curve): a symmetrical bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.

61.3 – Explain the meaning of standardization, and describe the normal curve. Flynn Effect:

61.4 – Explain the meaning of reliability and validity Principles of Test Construction: 3) Reliability: the extent to which a test yields consistent results (scores correlate), as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test (split-half reliability), an alternate form of the test or on retesting (test-retest reliability). 4) Validity: the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to. a) Content Validity: the information included on the test measures what it was designed to measure. b) Predictive Validity: the ability of a test to predict how well a person will do in the future; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior (also called criterion-related validity) c) Construct Validity: how well the test is designed (constructed) to measure the specified theory.   For a psychological test to be acceptable it must be standardized, reliable, and valid.

61.4 – Explain the meaning of reliability and validity Principles of Test Construction: