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Intelligence Tests and Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Overview of Psychology 425:

This course evaluates the uses and misuses of intelligence (IQ) tests in academic and institutional environments, with special emphasis on the social and academic implications of scores that differ widely from the mean. Additionally, there is strong emphasis on techniques for raising IQ. Students both take and administer the Stanford-Binet test in the penultimate unit, the only laboratory session in the course.

Outline:

Unit 1: Francis Galton's early attempts at quantifying intelligence
Unit 2: The perceived need for intelligence tests in turn-of-the-century France
Unit 3: The inventors of IQ tests: Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon
Unit 4: Terman (U.S., 1916) and Stern (Germany, 1912) popularize IQ testing in America and Europe
Unit 5: Yerkes and the U.S. Army Tests in WWI
Unit 6: Charles Spearman's g-factor (1920s)
Unit 7: Weschler's Intelligence Scales for adults and children (1939 - present)
Unit 8: Thurstone's measure of primary mental abilities (1930s)
Unit 9: Cattell's conjecture of fluid and crystallized Intelligence (1960s)
Unit 10: Guilford's multiplicity of factors (1960s - present)
Unit 11: Vernon and Carroll's hierarchical approaches (1960s - present)
Unit 12: Howard Gardner's conjecture of multiple intelligences (1980s - present)
Unit 13: Robert Sternberg (1970s - present)
Unit 14: Why measured IQ is often lower than real IQ
Unit 15: How bypasses (Melzak) may raise IQ scores and reveal your true, but hidden, IQ
Unit 16: Patterns of deception in the design and construction of IQ tests
Unit 17: Lab: Taking and administering the Stanford-Binet test
Unit 18: Social implications of scores that differ widely from the norm; uses and misuses of IQ scores

Evaluation:

To receive credit for Psych 425, students must complete all course assignments and achieve a composite grade of at least 60 percent, and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination. The weighting of assignments is as follows:

Course Material:

Handouts and your own lecture notes are primary references. You will not receive a good grade unless you are a methodical note-taker. If you miss a class, borrow notes from someone who was there. Questions about missed material should be referred to my TA; if she cannot answer them you may come to my office any Thursday morning. Secondary references are:

Herrnstein, R. and Murray, C. (1994). The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life. New York: Free Press.
Gould, S. (1996). The Mismeasure of Man. New York: Norton.
Melzak, Z. (1983). Bypasses: A Simple Approach to Complexity. New York: Wiley.
Damasio, A. (1994). Descartes' Error. New York: Putnam.

Other Material:

You should practice with a reliable IQ test prior to taking the Stanford-Binet. A number of free IQ tests are available online. I recommend experimentation with The Free IQ Test That May Raise Your IQ Score 20 Points a free online IQ test that also explains why some intelligence tests may understate your true IQ between 10 and 20 points. By applying a novel methodology from Complexity Theory known as bypasses, you may be able to successfully uncover some of these now-hidden points and learn that your IQ, when correctly measured, is significantly higher than you think. Results correlate well with the Stanford-Binet IQ test, the unofficial gold standard of cognitive testing. The recommended site also contains a wealth of information relevant to Psych 425. Plan on visiting it well before Unit 15.

Special Interests:

Please note that I have special interests in techniques for increasing IQ and the implications of IQ testing for good and ill (e.g., high IQ is putatively good but some U.S. states will not execute those whose scores are indicative of profound cognitive impairment). Although I am open minded about term paper topics I admit to a bias favoring papers touching upon methodologies for raising IQ, as well as the personal, social and academic consequences of IQs deviating far from the norm.