History of IQ TestsThey were naturally curious! They wanted to discover some methods not solely to measure these intellectual differences but also recognize them in understandable terms. But most of the thinkers could only acknowledge these differences but could not invent ways to appraise them. However, the situation started shifting in the 19th century. Sir Frances Galton
The British scientists were the harbingers in history of the IQ tests. Sir Frances’s book Hereditary Genius (1869), compared for the first time, the achievements of people of prominent English families. He studied the people of from different generations and completed his work. At that time no formal measures of intelligence were available. Galton evaluated each person on his fame as judged by encyclopedias, honors, awards, and such other accomplishments. He concluded in the history of IQ tests that eminence ran in families and it was due to a hereditary component. Believing that some human abilities derived from hereditary factors, Galton founded the eugenics movement, which says that in order to get the better human species selective breeding of gifted individuals was necessary. Galton ran a laboratory where people could have themselves calculated on a number of physical and psychological characteristics. He related intellectual abilities to skills such as reaction time, understanding of physical stimuli, and body level. He measured the highest and lowest pitch of a person with which he could hear. He also measured how well a person could detect insignificant differences between weights, colors, smells, and other physical stimuli. In spite of the racist nature of his works, Galton was a pioneer in the history of IQ tests. His work helped to get a foundation to develop statistical concepts and techniques for the latter’s. Some of his techniques are still in use even today. He was the first to put forth the concept that intelligence can be quantitatively measured. James McKeen CattellAmerican psychologist James McKeen Cattell and Galton developed a set of 50 tests that attempted to measure basic mental ability. Like Galton, Cattell focused on measurements of sensory discrimination and reaction times.History of IQ Tests in 20th CenturyAny aspect of human conduct can be measured by methods consisting of carefully prescribed content, technique of administration, and interpretation.Tests may address almost to any aspect of intellectual or emotional performance, including personality traits, attitudes, intelligence, or emotional concerns. Alfred BinetA French psychologist Alfred Binet and his colleague Théodore Simon formulated one of the first tests of general intelligence in 1905. This test was to identify children, which face difficulties in ordinary schools so that they could receive special education. The two developed a 30-item scale to make sure that no child could be denied education in the Paris school system. The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale American adaptation of Binet’s test is still used today.Lewis TermanAn American psychologist Lewis Terman fashioned the first Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon scale In 1916.It was formulated to provide comparison standards for Americans from age three to maturity. In 1937 and 1960the test was revised.Nowadays the Stanford-Binet test is one of the most widely used intelligence tests. Classification of Soldiers in World War IDuring World War I the need to classify soldiers resulted in the development of two group intelligence tests—Army Alpha and Army Beta. To help distinguish soldiers who might stop working in combat, the American psychologist Robert Woodworth designed the Personal Data Sheet. It proved a forerunner of the modern personality inventory.History of IQ Tests in 1930sWith the interest in the psychoanalysis in the 1930s, two important projective techniques were introduced: * The Rorschach or inkblot test—developed by the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach. * A story-telling process called the Thematic Apperception Test—developed by the American psychologists Henry A. Murray and C. D. Morgan. Both these tests are often included in contemporary personality assessment.
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