Concise Summary of Intelligence Testing in Cognitive Psychology

Introduction to Intelligence Testing
- Measures intellectual ability numerically.
- Created by Francis Galton, inspired by Darwin; aimed to enhance superior human breeding, but results were inconsistent.
Alfred Binet's Contribution
- Developed mental age (1904) to assess children's intelligence for support, not labeling.
Lewis Terman's Stanford-Binet IQ Test
- Introduced IQ formula (mental age/chronological age x 100) in 1916.
- Flynn Effect showed increased intelligence over time; criticized for eugenics.
Thurstone's Seven Primary Factors
- Proposed seven intelligence factors in 1938:
- Word fluency
- Verbal comprehension
- Spatial ability
- Perceptual speed
- Numerical ability
- Inductive reasoning
- Memory
Wechsler’s Deviation IQ
- Developed WAIS (1955), focusing on fluid intelligence across four categories:
- Verbal comprehension
- Perceptual organization
- Working memory
- Processing speed
Validity in Intelligence Testing
- Tests must be standardized, reliable, and valid (accuracy diminishes with age).
Contemporary Testing Approaches
- Modern tests focus on processing speed and creativity within a bell curve distribution.
Limitations of Intelligence Tests
- Scores may not represent abilities (e.g., savants may score low).
- Labels can affect self-perception and emphasize environmental impact on intelligence.