Measuring Intelligence

Measuring Intelligence

The process of sampling an examinee’s performance on various tests/tasks appropriate to their developmental level to assess intellectual functioning.

Standardized Assessment Situation

A structured testing environment that allows examiners to observe how individuals approach tasks, providing useful data in schools, military, and business settings.

Infant Intellectual Assessment

Assessment focused on sensorimotor development, relying mainly on nonverbal motor responses and caregiver reports.

Sensorimotor Development

Early developmental abilities such as turning over, lifting the head, sitting up, visually tracking objects, imitating gestures, and reaching for objects.

Caregiver Structured Interview

Information collected from parents or guardians to supplement direct testing of infants, often essential due to limited verbal ability.

Rapport in Infant Testing

The examiner’s skill in engaging infants who cannot understand instructions like “cooperate” or “be patient.”

Focus of Assessment in Older Children

Shifts toward evaluating verbal and performance abilities.

Verbal and Performance Tasks in Older Children

Tasks assessing general knowledge, vocabulary, social judgment, reasoning, numerical concepts, memory (auditory & visual), attention, concentration, and spatial visualization.

Teaching Items in Older Children

Practice items provided before test items to help children learn what is required in a task, as directed by test manuals.

Wechsler’s View on Adult Intelligence (1958)

Adult intelligence scales should measure retention of general information, quantitative reasoning, expressive language, memory, and social judgment.

Tasks Used in Adult Wechsler Scales

Similar to child tasks but with modified content appropriate for adults.

Purposes of Adult Intelligence Tests

Not typically for educational placement; instead used for clinical evaluation, assessing learning potential, evaluating impairment or competency for legal decisions, and informing vocational/career planning.

Use in Disability Determination

Insurance companies may use adult intelligence test data to assess disability status.