Ebbinghaus said this because psychology’s questions go back to the ancients

In 1921, Terman began an ambitious longitudinal study of children with exceptionally IQs of 140+.

• In 1921, Terman began an ambitious longitudinal study of children with exceptionally IQs of 140+.

• The study was continued after his death.
• Those participating in the study were called “Termites.”

• His findings contradict the stereotype of geniuses as sickly weaklings interested in nothing but books, “early ripe, early rot.”

• Exceptional performance continued in adult careers.

• The sample was unrepresentative, admittedly.

Yerkes worked his way through college, then worked with Munsterberg for this doctorate in comparative psychology, publishing “The Great Apes.”

• Yerkes worked his way through college, then worked with Munsterberg for this doctorate in comparative psychology, publishing “The Great Apes.”

• He was offered a job and remained at Harvard for his whole career.
• He replaced photos of James, Royce & Palmer with pictures of great apes – his “philosophers.”

• He also worked at Boston State Psychopathic Hospital, which focused him on the need for better ways of measuring mental abilities.

At the start of WWI, Yerkes organized a meeting to figure out how psychologists might aid the war.

• At the start of WWI, Yerkes organized a meeting to figure out how psychologists might aid the war.

• Yerkes traveled to Canada to study their war experiences.
• They decided to focus on adapting mental measurement to military needs – IQ testing in the Army.

• 40 psychologists prepared tests for the Army, to identify mentally incompetent, classify men by mental ability and select individual for special training and extra responsibility.

Group administration.

• Group administration.

• Measuring “native wit” not education.

• Steeply graded in difficulty – hard enough to tax those with high ability but easy enough for those of lesser ability.

• Could not take more than an hour and be simple to score objectively.

• Alpha test – for those who are literate, Beta test for those illiterate or non-English speaking.

Only a minute percentage of inductees were discharged due to low test scores.

• Only a minute percentage of inductees were discharged due to low test scores.

• A 900-page report concluded that the average mental age was 13 years, much lower than assumed

• Racist, antidemocratic conclusions were part of popularized versions of this report.

• Goddard proposed a meritocracy based on IQ to replace our democracy.

• Studies blamed non-Nordic immigrants for the low scores (Brigham). Quotas were established.

In The New Republic, Lippmann lambasted Terman, Goddard & Yerkes, criticizing the assumption that IQ tests measure intelligence & mental age is 13.

• In The New Republic, Lippmann lambasted Terman, Goddard & Yerkes, criticizing the assumption that IQ tests measure intelligence & mental age is 13.

• He stressed differences in early environment and experiences making comparisons across class/race meaningless.
• Logically impossible for the intelligence of an adult to equal that of a child. Labeling of kids is contemptible.

• Terman’s reply was sarcastic and hostile.

Cyril Burt’s twin studies – did he fake his data?

• Cyril Burt’s twin studies – did he fake his data?

• No way to know for certain, but Burt’s findings have been replicated by other researchers.

• Debates over social bias in testing arose in the 1940s & 1950s (working class vs upper class).

• Debates over racial bias arose in the 1960s with Arthur Jensen’s claim that IQs cannot be raised.

• The Bell Curve (Herrnstein & Murray) in 1994 reignited debates about racial differences.

Earl Hunt, Robert Sternberg & Howard Gardner have proposed cognitive approaches studying the knowledge structures underlying intelligent behavior

• Earl Hunt, Robert Sternberg & Howard Gardner have proposed cognitive approaches studying the knowledge structures underlying intelligent behavior

• Hunt developed the “cognitive correlates” approach, correlating response times with scores on cognitive tasks.

• Sternberg proposed a “cognitive components” approach decomposing performance on analogies into a series of cognitive processes.

Gardner proposed a “theory of multiple intelligences” based on a decomposition of factors contributing to performance.

• Gardner proposed a “theory of multiple intelligences” based on a decomposition of factors contributing to performance.

• This recapitulates the debate between Spearman and Thurstone over “g” – a single factor correlating performance across multiple tests, versus specific skills.

• There remain few alternatives to objective, group-administered standardized tests and intelligence testing remains controversial today.

Fainting and “fainting rooms” were common in the 18th and 19th century because of the tight lacing of corsets required to be fashionable.

• Fainting and “fainting rooms” were common in the 18th and 19th century because of the tight lacing of corsets required to be fashionable.

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