Psychometric Evaluation of the Child

L’échelle métrique d’intelligence de Binet et l’invention du QI

  • ALFRED BINET (1857-1911) created the 1st intelligence test with SIMON to detect children with problems after school was made compulsory by JULES FERRY in 1881.
  • The test, created in 1905, used concrete items that called upon higher psychological functions (memory and reasoning).
  • The scale established norms characteristic of a given age. BINET & SIMON determined items that most children of a certain age could accomplish.
  • The scale helped calculate the mental age. In 1912, WILLIAM STERN invented the concept of QI: QI = \frac{MENTAL AGE}{CHRONOLOGICAL AGE} X 100.
  • In 1909, LEWIS TERMAN adapted the BINET-SIMON, creating the 1st intelligence scale. In 1916, it evolved to the TERMAN STANDFORD scale and then to STANDFORD-BINET.
  • In France, there were 3 revisions:
    • 1st in 1949
    • 2nd in 1966 (RENÉ ZAZZO): « NEMI »
    • 3rd in 2006 (COGNET): « NEMI2 »
  • It is a test of global efficiency.

Arnold Gesell et les échelles de développement psychomoteur

  • ARNOLD LUCIUS GESELL (1880-1961) filmed children's development from birth to adolescence (16 years old).
  • He linked behavioral evolution with general development and developed the inventory of psychomotor development which calculates the QD (development quotient).
  • Each scale focuses on a specific aspect of development: language, social development, and motor skills.
  • In 1951, ODETTE BRUNET and IRÈNE LÉZINE revised the test, resulting in the Brunet-Lézine test.
  • Scales of GESELL were used by ANDRÉ THOMAS and SAINT-ANNE DARGASSIES to evaluate the development of premature babies.

Les échelles de Wechsler

  • DAVID WECHSLER (1896-1981) developed a new intelligence scale, abandoning the concept of mental age and QI in favor of a statistical calculation method.
  • The WECHSLER tests are the most used worldwide and are adapted to cultural references in most countries.
  • WECHSLER scales:
    • Verbal scale: « QIV »
    • Non-verbal performance scale: « QIP »
  • Three different WECHSLER scales based on age:
    • « WPPSI-R »: preschool children (3 to 7 years old)
    • « WISC III »: the most used scale, contains 10 tests + 3 optional, used from 6-7 years old
    • « WAIS III »: people aged at least 17 years old
  • The WISC IV introduced a major change presenting the intellect through four scales:
    • Verbal Comprehension Scale
    • Perceptual Reasoning Scale
    • Working Memory Scale
    • Processing Speed Scale

Le K-ABC

  • K-ABC (Kaufman-Assessment Battery for children) is used to evaluate children from 2 to 12 years old.
  • It relies on research in cognitive psychology and neuropsychology.
  • The K-AABC proposes four scales:
    • Sequential Processing Scale
    • Simultaneous Processing Scale
    • Composite Scale
    • Knowledge Scale
  • The K-ABC evaluates intelligence in terms of knowledge but more in terms of processes.

Les tests Piagétiens

  • Piaget's method: Guided conversation with the child.
  • Method = Clinico-experimental or critical method.
  • Several standardized tests are inspired by the Piagétienne method:
    • EPL (scale of logical thought): LONGEOT (1969), from 6 years old
    • TOF (test of formal operations): adolescence
    • UDN 2 (use of numbers): MELJAC and LEMMEL, children from 4 to 12 years old
  • Success in Piagétiens tests is strongly correlated to success in classic tests (WISC, NEMI).
  • Piagétiens tests have a solid theoretical foundation compared to classic tests.

Approche psychométrique et développement de l’enfant : une critique majeure

  • The psychometric approach to the child is not a developmental approach.
  • The notions of mental age and IQ only indicate a child's position in relation to their age group.
  • Psychometry does not allow us to understand developmental processes and mechanisms.