The evolution and ethics of intelligence and psychological testing

¶ … psychological testing methods have become as controversial on a broad scale as intelligence testing. It is important to understand the causes of the controversy and what has been done to maximize validity and reliability with intelligence testing. Although we did not spend too much time on the sociological or political implications of misuse of standardized intelligence tests, the course has helped me to understand the evolution of intelligence testing since the first published intelligence test in 1905 with Binet-Simon.

Intelligence testing is only one facet of psychological testing. From then, we learned the history of various methods of measuring intelligence, aptitude, performance, and achievement. All types of test instruments need to be evaluated in terms of errors of measurement, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency. The value of learning the components of test efficacy includes the ability to transfer knowledge from statistical analyses in experiments to the application of psychological tests. In other words, the same principles related to reliability, validity, consistency, and generalizability are core concerns. The most successful aspect of the course was the way we were able to understand why psychological testing can be problematic, and how to judiciously use psychological testing. I have come to believe that new technologies, new testing procedures, and new analytical algorithms used to decode the test results have transformed the nature of standardized testing to make the instruments more internally consistent and reliable. In my future career, I intend to remain up-to-date on latest testing procedures, so that I can properly evaluate clients in ethical ways. I can then use the results of those tests to create appropriate interventions, or offer accurate diagnoses that are as unbiased as possible. There is a potential for the tests to offer objective information rather than the potentially biased impressions received from meeting a client for the first time.

Not much in the course is what I could call surprising, except perhaps how long ago many of the most famous psychological tests were developed. These are well-used and proven instruments, which is why they are still used today, even if they have been adapted. For example, the projection test the Rorschach inkblot test is one of the most famous of its type. It was developed in the early 20th century, as was the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), developed in 1943. We still use these tests, albeit with some changes to suit the changing social norms and roles that psychologists play.

I hope that more culturally appropriate testing methods are used, but even more than that, I hope that in the future psychologists develop comprehensive ways to measure the different types of aptitude and intelligence. For example, some individuals have incredible social skills. Others are simply good at math. The individual differences are part of diversity. It is important to recognize that weaknesses in some areas are not a bad sign; it just means that the psychologist needs to discover the individual's strengths as well.