In 1904, Binet was to somehow differentiate between the intellectually normal and the inferior. This was his task and he rose to the occasion. Binet developed the Binet Scale by testing children.
The I.Q. Test is Born
Binet gave children simple tasks such as to copy patterns, name objects, follow commands and to place things in order. Binet decided that if 70% of the eight-year-old students could pass the test, they were "intelligent." The phrase "Intelligence Quotient" was developed based on these tests. If an eight-year-old could pass the ten-year-old test then he would have an IQ of 10/8 x 100, or 125. Binet cautioned society against using the new IQ tests to condemn a child to stupidity. [1]
Of course, Binet did not realize in 1904 that there were more intelligences than following commands, copying patterns and putting things in order. Harvard professor, Howard Gardner, has discovered that there are many more intelligence areas than Binet’s narrow list. However, the U.S. quickly embraced Binet’s IQ testing and did not heed his cautions that this information could be abused.
IQ Tests Used for Screening Students
H. H. Goddard was the director of research at Vineland Training School in New Jersey. He decided that the Binet test would be a great way to decide which students should be admitted to his school. He decided to divide applicants into three categories:
- Normal
- Idiots (normal age of 3-7)
- Imbeciles (would not advance past the age of 3)
Morons were considered those that fell between normal and idiots. While the original intent of the IQ test was to determine which children required more re-teaching, the test was now being used for another reasons – to determine who was smart and who was not. Even eugenics was considered a possibility.
IQ Tests Grounded in Racial and Cultural Bigotry
The founding fathers of intelligence measuring, Goddard, Terman and Brighan, were also advocates of eugenics. Eugenics is the selective breeding of human beings based on certain traits that society finds admirable. "Selected human beings would be mated with each other in an attempt to obtain certain traits in their offspring, much the same way that animal breeders work with champion stock. The eventual goal of eugenics is to create a better human race. The Nazis took this idea to the extreme. All 'inferior' humans, especially Jews, retarded children or adults, and any individual with genetic defects, were to be destroyed." [1]
Goddard lobbied for U.S. immigration laws that were restrictive. He concluded that only immigrants from Northern Europe were of normal or above intelligence. Therefore, tight immigration laws were enacted in the 1920s to give preferential access to immigrants coming from Northern Europe. Goddard determined that 87% of Russian immigrants were morons and this lead to vast numbers of immigrants to be deported in 1913 and 1914. Of course, no one at that time seemed to be concerned about the fact that the test being given in English could be a factor in the low scoring
Follow the Money Trail
By 1920 the Stanford-Binet Scale became a booming industry. The IQ test was accepted as standard procedure in assessing children in schools. By the 1980s, teachers gave over 500 million standardized tests to children and adults. That is something to take to the bank.
Schools are now giving IQ tests less often and giving less weight to them when given. Howard Gardner’s new look at multiple intelligences is gaining ground. Gardner believes that many intelligences that are extremely important to society are not revered in schools.
[1] Audiblox
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