The Validity Of The Individual Tests
The validity of each test was checked up by measuring it against the scale as
a whole in the manner described on p. 55. For example, if 10-year-old children having
11-year intelligence succeed with a given test decidedly better than 10-year-old
children who have 9-year intelligence, then either this test must be
accepted as valid or the scale as a whole must be rejected. Since we
know, however, that the scale as a whole has at le
degree of reliability, this method becomes a sure and ready means of
judging the worth of a test.
When the tests were tried out in this way it was found that some of
those which have been most criticized have in reality a high correlation
with intelligence. Among these are naming the days of the week, giving
the value of stamps, counting thirteen pennies, giving differences
between president and king, finding rhymes, giving age, distinguishing
right and left, and interpretation of pictures. Others having a high
reliability are the vocabulary tests, arithmetical reasoning, giving
differences, copying a diamond, giving date, repeating digits in reverse
order, interpretation of fables, the dissected sentence test, naming
sixty words, finding omissions in pictures, and recognizing absurdities.
Among the somewhat less satisfactory tests are the following: repeating
digits (direct order), naming coins, distinguishing forenoon and
afternoon, defining in terms of use, drawing designs from memory, and
aesthetic comparison. Binet's "line suggestion" test correlated so little
with intelligence that it had to be thrown out. The same was also true
of two of the new tests which we had added to the series for try-out.
Tests showing a medium correlation with the scale as a whole include
arranging weights, executing three commissions, naming colors, giving
number of fingers, describing pictures, naming the months, making
change, giving superior definitions, finding similarities, reading for
memories, reversing hands of clock, defining abstract words, problems of
fact, bow-knot, induction test, and comprehension questions.
A test which makes a good showing on this criterion of agreement with
the scale as a whole becomes immune to theoretical criticisms. Whatever
it appears to be from mere inspection, it is a real measure of
intelligence. Henceforth it stands or falls with the scale as a whole.
The reader will understand, of course, that no single test used alone
will determine accurately the general level of intelligence. A great
many tests are required; and for two reasons: (1) because intelligence
has many aspects; and (2) in order to overcome the accidental influences
of training or environment. If many tests are used no one of them need
show more than a moderately high correlation with the scale as a whole.
As stated by Binet, "Let the tests be rough, if there are only enough of
them."
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Reliability Of Repeated Tests
Will the same tests give consistent results when used repeatedly with the same subject? In general we may say that they do. Something depends, however, on the age and intelligence of the subject and on the time interval between the examinations. ... Repeating Five Digits
PROCEDURE. Use: 3-1-7-5-9; 4-2-3-8-5; 9-8-1-7-6. Tell the child to listen and to say after you just what you say. Then read the first series of digits at a slightly faster rate than one per second, in a distinct voice, and with perfectly uniform emp... Repeating Five Digits Reversed
The series are 3-1-8-7-9; 6-9-4-8-2; 5-2-9-6-1. PROCEDURE and SCORING. Exactly as in years VII and IX. ... Repeating Four Digits
PROCEDURE. Say: "_Now, listen. I am going to say over some numbers and after I am through, I want you to say them exactly like I do. Listen closely and get them just right--4-7-3-9._" Same with 2-8-5-4 and 7-2-6-1. The examiner should consume nearly... Repeating Four Digits Reversed
The series are 6-5-2-8; 4-9-3-7; 3-6-2-9. PROCEDURE AND SCORING. Exactly as in VII, alternate test 2. ... Repeating Six Digits Reversed
The series used are: 4-7-1-9-5-2; 5-8-3-2-9-4; and 7-5-2-6-3-8. PROCEDURE and SCORING, as in year VII, alternative 2. REMARKS. The test is passed by approximately half of "average adults" and by three fourths of "superior adults." It shows no ef... Repeating Six To Seven Syllables
PROCEDURE. Begin by saying: "_Can you say 'mamma'? Now, say 'nice kitty.'_" Then ask the child to say, "_I have a little dog._" Speak the sentence distinctly and with expression, but in a natural voice and not too slowly. If there is no response, th... Repeating Sixteen To Eighteen Syllables
The sentences are:-- (a) "_We are having a fine time. We found a little mouse in the trap._" (b) "_Walter had a fine time on his vacation. He went fishing every day._" (c) "_We will go out for a long walk. Please give me my pre... Reversing Hands Of Clock
PROCEDURE. Say to the subject: "_Suppose it is six twenty-two o'clock, that is, twenty-two minutes after six; can you see in your mind where the large hand would be, and where the small hand would be?_" Subjects of 12- to 14-year intelligence practi... Scattering Of Successes
It is sometimes a source of concern to the untrained examiner that the successes and failures should be scattered over quite an extensive range of years. Why, it may be asked, should not a child who has 10-year intelligence answer correctly all t... Scoring
The exact method of scoring the individual tests is set forth in the following chapters. Reference to the record booklet for use in testing will show that the records are to be kept in detail. Each subdivision of a test should be scored separately, ... Sex Differences
The question as to the relative intelligence of the sexes is one of perennial interest and great social importance. The ancient hypothesis, the one which dates from the time when only men concerned themselves with scientific hypotheses, took for gra... Some Avowed Limitations Of The Binet Tests
The Binet tests have often been criticized for their unfitness to perform certain services which in reality they were never meant to render. This is unfair. We cannot make a just evaluation of the scale without bearing in mind its avowed limitations... Sources Of Data
Our revision is the result of several years of work, and involved the examination of approximately 2300 subjects, including 1700 normal children, 200 defective and superior children, and more than 400 adults. Tests of 400 of the 1700 normal child... Special Characteristics Of The Binet-simon Method
Psychologists had experimented with intelligence tests for at least twenty years before the Binet scale made its appearance. The question naturally suggests itself why Binet should have been successful in a field where previous efforts had been for ... Summary Of Changes
A comparison of the above list with either the Binet 1908 or 1911 series will reveal many changes. On the whole, it differs somewhat more from the Binet 1911 scale than from that of 1908. Thus, of the 49 tests below the "adult" group in the 1911 sc... Superior Adult 1: Vocabulary (seventy-five Definitions 13500 Words)
PROCEDURE and SCORING, as in previous vocabulary tests. At the "superior adult" level seventy-five words should be known. The test is passed by only one third of those at the "average adult" level, but by about 90 per cent of "superior adults." Ab... Superior Adult 2: Binet's Paper-cutting Test
PROCEDURE. Take a piece of paper about six inches square and say: "_Watch carefully what I do. See, I fold the paper this way_ (folding it once over in the middle), _then I fold it this way_ (folding it again in the middle, but at right angles to th... Superior Adult 3: Repeating Eight Digits
PROCEDURE and SCORING, the same as in previous tests with digits reversed. The series used are: 7-2-5-3-4-8-9-6; 4-9-8-5-3-7-6-2; and 8-3-7-9-5-4-8-2. Guard against rhythm and grouping in reading the digits and do not give warning as to the numbe... Superior Adult 4: Repeating Thought Of Passage
PROCEDURE. Say: "_I am going to read a little selection of about six or eight lines. When I am through I will ask you to repeat as much of it as you can. It doesn't make any difference whether you remember the exact words or not, but you must listen... Superior Adult 5: Repeating Seven Digits Reversed
PROCEDURE and SCORING, the same as in previous tests of this kind. The series are: 4-1-6-2-5-9-3; 3-8-2-6-4-7-5; and 9-4-5-2-8-3-7. We have collected fewer data on this test than on any of the others, as it was added later to the test series. As f... Superior Adult 6: Ingenuity Test
PROCEDURE. Problem _a_ is stated as follows:-- _A mother sent her boy to the river and told him to bring back exactly 7 pints of water. She gave him a 3-pint vessel and a 5-pint vessel. Show me how the boy can measure out exactly ... Superior Intelligence (i Q 110 To 120)
Children of this group ordinarily make higher marks and are capable of making somewhat more rapid progress than the strictly average child. Perhaps most of them could complete the eight grades in seven years as easily as the average child does in e... Supplementary Considerations
It would be a mistake to suppose that any set of mental tests could be devised which would give us complete information about a child's native intelligence. There are no tests which are absolutely pure tests of intelligence. All are influenced to a... The Avoidance Of Fatigue
Against the validity of intelligence tests it is often argued that the result of an examination depends a great deal on the time of day when it is made, whether in the morning hours when the mind is at its best, or in the afternoon when it is sup... The Ball-and-field Test (score 2 Inferior Plan)
PROCEDURE. Draw a circle about two and one half inches in diameter, leaving a small gap in the side next the child. Say: "_Let us suppose that your baseball has been lost in this round field. You have no idea what part of the field it is in. You don... The Ball-and-field Test (superior Plan)
PROCEDURE, as in year VIII, test 1. SCORING. Score 3 (or superior plan) is required for passing in year XII. ... The Distribution Of Intelligence
The question as to the manner in which intelligence is distributed is one of great practical as well as theoretical importance. One of the most vital questions which can be asked by any nation of any age is the following: "How high is the average ... The Game Of Patience
MATERIAL. Prepare two rectangular cards, each 2 x 3 inches, and divide one of them into two triangles by cutting it along one of its diagonals. PROCEDURE. Place the uncut card on the table with one of its longer sides to the child. By the side of ... The Importance Of Tact
It goes without saying that children's personalities are not so uniform and simple that we can adhere always to a single stereotyped procedure in working our way into their good graces. Suggestions like the above have their value, but, like rules... The Influence Of Coaching
It might be supposed that after the intelligence scale had been used with a few pupils in a given school all of their fellows would soon be apprised of the nature of the tests, and so learn the correct responses. Experience shows, however, that the... The Intelligence Of Retarded Children Usually Overestimated
One of the most common errors made by the teacher is to overestimate the intelligence of the over-age pupil. This is because she fails to take account of age differences and estimates intelligence on the basis of the child's school performance in th... The Necessity Of Standards
In the first place, in order to judge an individual's intelligence it is necessary to have in mind some standard as to what constitutes normal intelligence. This the ordinary parent or teacher does not have. In the case of school children, for example... The Relation Between I Q And Grade Progress
This comparison, which was made for the entire 1000 children, showed a fairly high correlation, but also some astonishing disagreements. Nine-year intelligence was found all the way from grade 1 to grade 7, inclusive; 10-year intelligence all the ... The Relation Of The I Q To The Quality Of The Child's School Work
The school work of 504 children was graded by the teachers on a scale of five grades: _very inferior_, _inferior_, _average_, _superior_, and _very superior_. When this grouping was compared with that made on the basis of I Q, fairly close agreement... The Use Of The Intelligence Quotient
As elsewhere explained, the mental age alone does not tell us what we want to know about a child's intelligence status. The significance of a given number of years of retardation or acceleration depends upon the age of the child. A 3-year-old child... The Validity Of The Individual Tests
The validity of each test was checked up by measuring it against the scale as a whole in the manner described on p. 55. For example, if 10-year-old children having 11-year intelligence succeed with a given test decidedly better than 10-year-old ch... The Validity Of The Intelligence Quotient
The facts presented above argue strongly for the validity of the I Q as an expression of a child's intelligence status. This follows necessarily from the similar nature of the distributions at the various ages. The inference is that a child's I Q... Three Commissions
PROCEDURE. After getting up from the chair and moving with the child to the center of the room, say: "_Now, I want you to do something for me. Here's a key. I want you to put it on that chair over there; then I want you to shut (or open) that door, ... Tying A Bow-knot
PROCEDURE. Prepare a shoestring tied in a bow-knot around a stick. The knot should be an ordinary "double bow," with wings not over three or four inches long. Make this ready in advance of the experiment and show the child only the completed knot. ... Using A Code
PROCEDURE. Show the subject the code given on the accompanying form. Say: "_See these diagrams here. Look and you will see that they contain all the letters of the alphabet. Now, examine the arrangement of the letters. They go_ (pointing) _a b c, d ... Using Three Words In A Sentence
PROCEDURE The words used are:-- (a) _Boy_, _ball_, _river_. (b) _Work_, _money_, _men_. (c) _Desert_, _rivers_, _lakes_. Say: "_You know what a sentence is, of course. A sentence is made up of some words which say something. Now, I am go... Very Superior Intelligence (i Q 120 To 140)
Children of this group are better than somewhat above average. They are unusually superior. Not more than 3 out of 100 go as high as 125 I Q, and only about 1 out of 100 as high as 130. In the schools of a city of average population only about 1 ch... Vocabulary; Twenty Definitions 3600 Words
PROCEDURE. Use the list of words given in the record booklet. Say to the child: "_I want to find out how many words you know. Listen; and when I say a word you tell me what it means._" If the child can read, give him a printed copy of the word list ... I Ntelligence Of The Different Social Classes
Of the 1000 children, 492 were classified by their teachers according to social class into the following five groups: _very inferior_, _inferior_, _average_, _superior_, and _very superior_. A comparative study was then made of the distribution of I...