Psychological Testing Movement: History And Term Paper

PAGES
7
WORDS
2251
Cite

The opposing side, which sports a more eclectic set of disciplinary backgrounds and prides itself on a more sophisticated and inclusive perspective, divides human abilities into broad classes -- logical, spatial, interpersonal, verbal, etc. -- and labels each class an "intelligence." The two sides then proceed to talk past each other. (Casse, 1998, p. 33) The resulting controversy then falls back to the idea of socio-cultural differences, and race/gender/culture/environment. (Skidmore & Aagaard, 2004, p. 304) Casse claims that by differing on core definitions of intelligence scientists are not good at comparing anything but data or defining concepts,

Scientists make bad dictionary writers and worse philosophers. Their main skills are in constructing experiments and generating explanations for what they observe. Neither of these endeavors requires agreement on what the words involved "mean" in any deep or absolute sense, only on ways of converting the elements of the theory at issue into operations that can be carried out in an experiment and repeated later if necessary. Measurement is the most important such operation; as Kelvin pointed out long ago, without a way to measure something it cannot be studied scientifically. (Casse, 1998, p. 33)

The measure must be universalized for the meanings and scientific statistics to be compared in any constructive way. To call an intelligence test of any kind universal, all encompassing or even standardized is a simple response to the desire to quantify and therefore calculate an intangible. Yet, as we can see from controversy and analysis of it there is likely no end in the desire to do so,

This is why the oft-repeated phrase, "intelligence is nothing more than what intelligence tests measure," is, as an objection, merely a tautology. The truth is that as long as intelligence can be reliably Measured -- it can be, with a variety of tests -- and validly applied -- it can be, to predict a variety of outcomes -- it is intelligence. (Casse, 1998)

Returning again to the issue of race, one cannot discount language as a potentially biasing abstract on an kind of psychological test, included but not limited to intelligence testing. Bilingualism has been one of the most difficult factors to resolve, even with an emphasis on abilities rather than base intelligence as the guide. Direction must be given and if translational issues are a part of the equation misunderstandings can seriously skew results. (Figueroa, 1989, p. 145)

...

Clear understandings have accrued over the years with regard to the need to appropriately stimulate, rather than isolating the mentally retarded. The truth has been established repeatedly that without novel stimulus and the ability to watch and mimic the "normal" such people will continue to be unable to function in society at any level.(Daly, 1997, p. 553) if all intelligence testing is abandoned based on any one theory being proven wrong, though an unlikely scenario, then the ability of any professional to identify and help resolve social and intelligence issues for those people who need such intervention would be lost.
The questions that have been addressed in this work do not resolve the problems of intelligence testing and all its controversial and mainstream ideologies. This work does on the other hand show the pattern of development of a movement, that will likely continue to evolve and change, just as the historical basis for it does, the history of psychology. The evolution of psychology in a sense can be traced through the old and modern arguments associated with the psychological testing movement, as the ebb and flow of attempting to quantify intangibles, those things that happen under the surface, in the mind, reverberates through the evolution of test theory and application.

Sources Used in Documents:

References

Casse, D. (1998, August). IQ since "The Bell Curve." Commentary, 106, 33.

Intelligence. (2004). In the Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press.

Daly, W.C. (1997). Some Mentally Retarded Children Can Benefit from Placement with Peers. Education, 117(4), 553.

Figueroa, R.A. (1989). Psychological Testing of Linguistic-Minority Students: Knowledge Gaps and Regulations. Exceptional Children, 56(2), 145.


Cite this Document:

"Psychological Testing Movement History And" (2007, April 16) Retrieved April 25, 2024, from
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/psychological-testing-movement-history-38550

"Psychological Testing Movement History And" 16 April 2007. Web.25 April. 2024. <
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/psychological-testing-movement-history-38550>

"Psychological Testing Movement History And", 16 April 2007, Accessed.25 April. 2024,
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/psychological-testing-movement-history-38550

Related Documents

American writers from both the antebellum South and the North commented on the great differences between the white people in the two regions (Ibid; Samuda). Note though, the table data below regarding the percentage of males who completed high school by race, 1940-1980, which will provide data for further discussion regarding utilization of testing to stratify recruits: Table 1 -- Males 18-21 Who Completed High School By Percentile Race 1940 1950 1960 1970 1970 White 40 49 56 68 78 Black 11 18 33 49 60 (Source: Binkin, p.94) How is

Counseling Psychology Describe the mental hygiene movement in Counseling Psychology. Mental hygiene can be considered as a science of preventing disorders and maintaining a mental health at their full mental capability. This involves the precautions that are taken in order to encourage and safeguard the mental health. It offers therapy for the mentally disturbed, takes preventive measures of the ailment, and also assists in helping the patients cope with this stress. The

A more definitive explanation is; "... A proposed explanation for a phenomenon." (Scientific Reference) a hypothesis should be able to be tested and functions as a directive for further research. In my research study for example, the hypothesis that was explored was that certain circumstances in different historical periods affect the development of the areas of expertise and their application to project activities. These circumstances include social and cultural movements;

Management Strategy to Utilize Meta-Analysis Technique for Nuclear Energy and Waste Disposal and Create Social Sustainability This research proposal explores the link between public perceptions of nuclear power, how those perceptions are formed, and what influence those opinions have on energy policy. These issues are important in light of two realities. First, nuclear energy is declining in its share of global energy. Second, nuclear energy offers what might well be

Intelligence Testing Intelligence -- Nature/Nurture Debate In psychological terms, intelligence can be defined as "the general mental ability involved in calculating, reasoning, perceiving relationships and analogies, learning quickly, storing and retrieving information, using language fluently, classifying, generalizing, and adjusting to new situations" ("intelligence," 2013). However, interest in and importance of emotional intelligence has flourished in recent years because of which general and applied psychology has made emotional intelligence a standardized concept (Antonakis,

Eugenics Movement
PAGES WORDS 3010

Organized Psychology’s Involvement in the Eugenics Movement The eugenics movement that began in the United States during the 1920s reached a brutal extreme with the Nazis’ experimentation with improving the racial stock of human beings through controlled breeding, and this movement would have significant implications well into the 21st century (Sutton, 2015). Many practitioners today, though, may be unaware of organized psychology’s role in contributing to the eugenics movement during the