Iq Do Not Measure Natural Intelligentia (larc)

by mystikool 50 Replies latest jw friends

  • larc
    larc

    Mystikool,

    Alfred Binet's test was never meant to attempt to tap inate intellegince. As Waiting pointed out, it was designed to be a diagnostic tool to help children. It is still used today, primarily by school psychologists for the same purpose.

    Such tests would be better termed academic aptitude and achievement tests. Most of such tests are usually designed to measure general, overall mental ability. While there are unique factors measured by particular tests, most measure what is called Spearman's G factor. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) measure three factors, verbal, quantitative, and spatial. Some tests measure specific factors with more reliabilty. For example, spatial ability is well measured by the Minnesota Paper Form Board, the Embedded Figures Test, and Witkin's Rod and Frame Test. By the way, I have administered all of the tests mentioned above.

    PS,

    I want to aplogize for cussing at you. I was in a bad mood over a research puzzle, and your misuse of terms hit a hot button of mine - I shouldn't have done it.

    Now, regarding the origins of intelligence. It is both genetic and environmental. Genetics sets the upper limit, and environment determines whether you will reach it or not.

    How important is IQ, as measured by tests? A meta-analytic study in Psychological Bulletin in 1998, found it to be the best predictor of job success.

  • larc
    larc

    A few more thoughts on IQ tests.

    The Binet, the WAIS, and the WISC are indiviually administered and take about an hour. The Binet was developed around 1905. When WWI broke out, the US governement commissioned a group of pscyhologists to develop a group administered test. The purpose of this test was to determine those among new inductees who had the mental ability to learn complex tasks and assignments quickly. Actually, they developed two tests, the Army Alpha and the Army Beta. The Beta was designed to test people who could not read, to determine if they had the potential to learn to read and to learn complex information. The Beta was the origin of what later came to be called culture free tests, one example is the Raven's Progressive Matrixes. After the war, Wonderlic used the format of the Army Alpha to develop a test to be used in personnel selection. Appropriately enough, it was called the Wonderlic Personnel Test. It is still in use today.

    edited to change WWII to WWI

    An added note after editing.

    Wonderlic prepared his test for his Master's thesis. This project made him a rich man. I know this because I met his nephew, also named Wonderlic.

  • TMS
    TMS

    Just noticed this thread, so I am unaware of what may have prompted it. But, I do agree that the so-called Intelligence Quotient is so limited in scope so as to be almost useless in measuring any real capacity for learning or aptitude.

    Over the decades, the tests a have been redefined because of the way the questions were worded - and the subjects asked about. Obviously, a non-white from a foreign country, not speaking English, little school education wouldn't fare well on a test prior to the 60's/70's. And they didn't - bias was found, and tried to be corrected.
    Thank you, waiting, for that insight. But still. . . the whole concept, as well as its implimentation is flawed.

    The aboriginal tribesman can "smell" rain in a cloud twenty kilometers away or distinguish between dozens of poisonous or non-poisonous roots and some who are poisonous fresh, but innocuous after drying. How quickly his offspring pick up these skills may well determine their capacity to learn.

    And what about the wide variance in aptitude? Would it surprise you to know that Wehrner Von Brahn had trouble keeping his shoes tied?

    TMS

  • larc
    larc

    TMS,

    Many people share your view of IQ tests. People in general treat them with suspicion, and among the intelligencia, they are a popular item of critcism.

    Now, before you put them in a place of no value, you might want to interview the following people:

    The school psychologist who is trying to figure out why a particular student is not doing well in school

    The forensic psychologist who is trying to determine if a person is mentally competent to stand trial

    The school counselor who is trying to convince a JW student to take a scholarship and go to college

    The employer who is trying to build a capable work force, so that he can have a successful business

    IQ tests are a tool. Like any tool, whether it is a screw driver, a yard stick, or an IQ test, they should be used properly, and used for their intended purpose.

  • plmkrzy
    plmkrzy

    There are finally break throughs in that dept. now understanding the affects of dislexia and even how to Measure dislexia in the brain.

    There were or have been many arguments among the psycs in the world regarding dislexia being genitic or caused by other influences.
    There is now proof that genitics can and often do play a role in dislexia and this is going to have a major POSSITIVE affect regarding education.
    It will give educators more tools and knowledge when it comes to administering IQ tests in the schools, which they all do here anyway and unfortunately this has been proven to rob thousands and thousands of kids from getting a fair shake.

    Finally there is solid proof that the standard IQ tests used in school cannot determin the intellect of all children and somethings being done about. To many children have been blown off as being "dumb" when in fact in many cases not only were they NOT dumb but posessed a higher intellect then many of the students who scored high on the IQ tests.


    Life sucks...get a helmet
  • larc
    larc

    PlM,

    You make a very valid point. Tests given in school are group administered and require good reading skills. The dislexic child will fair poorly with such tests. Whenever a parent thinks that there is a discrepency between their child's test scores and their own assessment of their child's ability, they should get a test given individualy, i.,e., the Binet or the WISC. These two tests do not require reading on the part of the child. All questions are asked to the child and require a verbal answer, not a written one.

    It is sad that most parents don't know about what I am writing.

    By the way, I know two people who are dyslexic, and went on to get PhD's, and I have read of others.

  • TMS
    TMS

    Larc,

    You certainly have given more thought to these matters than I have. But I took the mental liberty(due to a bit of insomnia) of juxtaposing onto your scenario one of mine.

    TMS,
    Many people share your view of IQ tests. People in general treat them with suspicion, and among the intelligencia, they are a popular item of critcism.

    Now, before you put them in a place of no value, you might want to interview the following people:

    The school psychologist who is trying to figure out why a particular student is not doing well in school

    The forensic psychologist who is trying to determine if a person is mentally competent to stand trial

    The school counselor who is trying to convince a JW student to take a scholarship and go to college

    The employer who is trying to build a capable work force, so that he can have a successful business

    IQ tests are a tool. Like any tool, whether it is a screw driver, a yard stick, or an IQ test, they should be used properly, and used for their intended purpose.

    In my imagination, I transported an aboriginal youth and Theodore Bundy to your classroom and sat them in front of you in two parallel student desks facing your teacher's desk. You handed each of them a copy of your Intelligence Quotient Test and a No.2 pencil and turned the hour glass up side down.

    Eagerly awaiting the test results were several individuals, who sat in an adjoining room behind one way glass: a school psychologist, a psychologist, working for the court system, a school counselor and a job interviewer. All eagerly awaited the test results for their varied agendas.

    I'm going to take this scenario to bed with me and sleep on the results.

    Take care, my friend.

    TMS

  • larc
    larc

    TLM,

    In my post to plm, I noted that any time there is a discrepency between someone's tested IQ and everyday indicators of intelligence, then the person should be given an idividually administored test, which over comes the problems you are alluding to.

    Once a woman came for assessment. She had lived all her life with her parents and all the neighbors thought she was mentally retarded. When her parents died, she was sent to a state agency for assistance. They, in turn, refered her to a Clinical Psychologist for an assessment. Her score on the WAIS showed that she was below average in intelligence, but not retarded. (I was an intern at the time and was the one who gave the test.) This is an example of a postive outcome with the use of assessment. The woman's counselor could work out a more effective plan of assistance with the knowledge the test provided.

    On another occasion, I was called upon to give the WAIS to two managers from South America. The company called me in, because these managers both had a good resume, but they did not score well on the group administered tests. If the company had relied on these results, they might have concluded that these managers were not promotable to higher levels. The managers' scores on the WAIS were much higher than they were on the group tests. Again, this positive use of assessment, allowed the company to make a better decision about these managers' promotability.

    As I indicated before, a test is simply a tool that should be used for positive purposes. That is the intent. Of course, like any tool it can be misused, especially in the hands of poorly trained practicioners. In psychology, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

  • larc
    larc

    TMS,

    First off, I want to note that on my last post, I wrote TLM instead of TMS. As a diagnotician, I would say that could be a sign of dsylexia, brain damage, or advancing age on my part. I will rule out age, since I have made such mistakes on a regular basis over the years. In my research, I have to constantly check my work for clerical errors. Now, a Freudian would interprete my error had an unconscious motive, some animosity towards you. Well, I think most of Freud's ideas are a crock, so I won't buy that interpretation.

    Well, at any rate, I am not going to make my second point at this time, since my wife just served up dinner. See ya later.

  • larc
    larc

    TMS,

    I am back. I wanted to address your three examples of skill or lack thereof. Your first one was of an aboriginese who could smell rain coming from some distance. This is primarily a skill of the senses and would probably not correlate highly with cognitive skills. Your second example of recognizing poinsonous snakes and how to properly prepare them is a learned behaviour and probably would correlate with measures of intelligence. Your third example is of a very bright person who had trouble tying their shoes. Tying shoes is a perceptual motor skill and also would not correlate hightly with cognitive functioning.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit