History & Theory: Chapter 8
(Textbook) What was the basic difference between the Army Alpha and Army Beta tests?
Army Alpha → comprised eight different tests told at the outset that the purpose of the test was to "see how well you can remember, think, and carry out what you are told to do. Army Beta 7 different tests told to follow instructions and "ask no questions" (p. 82); they were not told why they were taking the exam.
(Textbook) How was IQ to be calculated, according to Stern? Give an example.
He suggested that mental ability be capsulized in a "mental quotient" that represented the relationship between mental age and chronological age, found by dividing the former by the latter IQ = MA mental age / CA (actual age) x 100, normed to the score 100. 8/8 x 100 = 100 14/7 = 200.
Describe the method and findings of Terman's study of childhood intelligence and lifespan correlates. Why were his subjects called, Terman's termites"?
IQ = Mental Age/Chronological Age X 100 longitudinal study Terman IQ tested over 2,500 children and identified the group of "gifted" children who has an IQ above 140, called 'Terman's termites' because of their anticipated industrious life's work
(Textbook) What did Terman discover about gifted children that discredited a traditional stereotype about them?
In follow-up after follow-up, his group appeared to be not just smarter than others but more successful, productive, well adjusted, and physically healthy
What was Binet's concept of mental age level and how did he use it to make recommendations about placing children in special education classes?
MA was based on the number of questions successfully answered by the child (example a 7 year old who can complete the items expected of a 14 year old has the MA of 14; or a 10 year old who can only answer items expected of a 5 year old
Describe and criticize Goddard's Kallikak study. Describe and criticize the work of Goddard and his team at Ellis Island.
Writes the kalikak family: a study of heredity of feeble mindedness, believes mental disabilities passed through genes and society should control for these deficits. All lies. - Head of Immigration at ellis island, northern Europeans were smart and southern were dumb and laze, puts quotas on both. - Favored forced sterilization of feeble mind and eugenics
What was the purpose of the Army testing program led by Yerkes and what was the outcome of the program, both for psychology and for the army?
Yerke's developed an intelligence test that could be administered to large groups of recruits, rather than the individual testing method required of earlier intelligence tests like the Binet-Simon The easily administered pencil & paper Group IQ testing is born Army alpha and Army Beta test. The objective - to see which recruits might be suitable for Officer Training!
(Textbook) What did Binet mean by mental age level?
a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the chronological age that most typically corresponds to a given level of performance. → Thus, a child who does as well as the average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8.
(Textbook) Lillian Gilbreth was an important pioneer in ergonomics. Give an example of one of her creations, to show that you know what is meant by ergonomics.
ergonomics, the study of how systems and products can be made efficient for human use responsible for modern kitchen design, creating what she referred to as the "practical" kitchen; pop-up trash cans and side-door shelves for refrigerators were among her innovations
(Textbook) Münsterberg was a pioneer in the area of forensic psychology. What is forensic psychology? He was also a pioneer in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Decribe the main ideas of his books in these applied areas.
examines how psychology applies to legal issues. prevention of crime is more important than the treatment of crime vocational guidance and how to select the best employees for the job chapters of training, effects of working conditions chapters on advertising & marketing
Describe the Binet tradition of mental testing and how it differed from Galton's approach.
first Binet test, called the Binet-Simon scale in honor of Binet's assistant Theodore Simon. This manner of testing differs significantly from Galton's idea that there were physical determinants of mental acuity. Binet's standardized intelligence test received wide acclaim, particularly in America, where it was favored over Francis Galton's scale, which did not accurately predict how well children would do on schoolwork. Binet contined to revise his scale until his death in 1911, allowing for such variables as the increase of intelligence with age.
(From Ch 5) Describe Galton's contributions and especially intelligence & its measurement. How did Galton propose to measure intelligence? What is 'g'? What is 'Eugenics' What did Galton propose to improve general human intellect?
how Galton introduced the concept of variation of individual differences Galton was the first to introduce the idea of mental test. He believed that the higher your intelligence level the higher your sensory capacity. One of his ideas is called the Spearman "g" factor, a measure of general intelligence. Galton believed that speed of reaction time to stimuli was a measure of 'g'. So, he designed tests that would measure a person's sensory capacity on numerous levels