wide range intelligence test reliability and validity

They quickly came to realize that certain children were able to answer advanced questions that older children could answer and vice versa.

This set of questions then formed the foundations for allowing them to predict likely success in school. Binet, with the help of his colleague Theodore Simon, began to work on a question set that would let them assess a person's ability to solve problems, remember facts and assess their attention span. It was for this reason that it seemed a good idea to identify which children would need special assistance as early as possible. The French Government had just passed laws making school attendance compulsory. It is also interesting to know that your IQ score will not necessarily remain the same over your lifetime!ĭuring the early 1900's, the French Government wanted to find out which students were most likely to struggle in school. If you fall into the extremes of the scale they are highly unreliable. For this reason, they are only really designed and valid for certain IQ ranges. IQ tests are based on normal distribution bell curve. This allows for an overall assessment of intelligence and your performance in each of the different areas. Most tests provide overall scores and individual subtest scores. They test various areas including short-term memory, verbal knowledge, perceptual speed and spatial visualization. These tests, unlike their precursors, involve a number of problems that must be solved in a set time period, under supervision. Modern tests, often WAIS (more on that later), are used to calculate IQ. Due to this fact the term 'intelligence quotient' is, in reality, defunct but still widely accepted. Modern IQ tests are now based on the normal distribution of scoring. The basic test developed by Binet and his colleague Simon have been built on and expanded over the last few decades.

The actual term IQ was coined in 1912 by German psychologist William Stern. Modern tests involve a combination of several intelligence scales to provide a general indicator of intelligence. He wanted to measure the mental ability of children but is now used to test adults of all ages. It was originally developed by French psychologist Alfred Binet. It is meant to quantify or measure the participant's intelligence. IQ, or 'Intelligence Quotient', is in effect a numerical score based on the results of a standardized test.

Wide range intelligence test reliability and validity