The Unconscious Bias of Intelligence Tests :: Research Papers

The Unconscious Bias of Intelligence Tests In the chapter entitled â€Å"The Hereditarian Theory of IQ: An American Invention† in The Mismeasure of Man (New York: Norton, 1996), Stephen Jay Gould analyzes the reasoning behind intelligence tests. Gould begins the chapter by stating how Alfred Binet, who studied the measurement of intelligence, began this endeavor in order to institute special education for learning-disabled and other disadvantaged children. Gould continues his analysis by reporting that three of Binet’s followers, H. H. Goddard (who brought Binet’s scale to America), Lewis M. Terman (who developed the Stanford- Binet scale), and Robert M. Yerkes (who persuaded the army to test the intelligence of 1.75 million men in World War I), corrupted Binet’s work and used his tests to measure an element they called â€Å"intelligence,† which ultimately resulted in peoplebeing labeled as either â€Å"intelligent† or â€Å"stupid.† In this chapter, Gould successfully demonstrates that the work of these three men was affected by their unconscious biases and preconceived ideas. According to Gould, Alfred Binet developed his scale for a sensible, effective motive. The original purpose of Binet’s scale was to identify children whose poor performances in school suggested a need for special education. Unlike previous tests, Binet’s scale utilized a variety of distinct activities, such as counting coins and comprehension, which tested a child’s different abilitites: â€Å"Binet decided to assign an age level to each task, defined as the youngest age at which a child of normal intelligence should be able to complete the task successfully† (179). The age parallel with the last task the child could successfully complete was that particular child’s â€Å"mental age.† A child’s level of intelligence was determined by subtracting his/her mental age from his/her true chronological age. Those children whose mental ages were a great deal behind their chronological ages were recommended for special education programs. In 1912, W. Stern suggested instead of subtracting the mental age of a child from his/her chronological age, the mental age should be divided by his/her chronological age, and thus the intelligence quotient (IQ) came into existence. Binet never once labeled IQ as inborn intelligence; he simply used his scale to identify those children who were learning-disabled, in an effort to direct them to places where they would receive special help. H.H. Goddard was the first person to make Binet’s scale popular in America. However, Goddard distorted Binet’s scale and relied on it to identify the allegedly intellectually defective people in the country; he even relied on his preconceived notions to label these individuals â€Å"feeble-minded† and â€Å"morons† from the Greek word meaning foolish. All people whose actions went against moral behavior were designated â€Å"morons.† These people included criminals, alcoholics, and prostitutes. According to Gould, Goddard believed â€Å"morons† should be