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Essay on Childrens Iq
| Date: |
04-24-03 10:36am |
| Subject: |
Psychology |
| Word Count: |
696 |
| Page Count: |
2.78 |
Childrens Iq
INTRODUCTION
The controversy of the IQ test has been going on since
the time of Galton. We will take a look at the pros and the
cons of IQ testing.
IQ testing has been debated for a long time and we will
take a look at the pros for IQ testing. A major reason why
IQ testing is so widely used is that they are standardised,
reliable and valid. IQ testing is a very good predictor on
how children will do in school. Today’s IQ testing are set
up that there are certain tests for children and different
tests for adults. The most widely used intelligence test for
adults is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale or the WAIS.
And the most widely used children’s IQ test is the Wechsler
Intelligence Scale for Children. Intelligence test given in
kindergarten begin to predict academic achievement in the
following years. These test are reliable in the sense that
they yield dependable consistent scores. These test are also
consistent throughout life. Also IQ scores predictive
validity correlates well with highschool grades, about
+0.50.(Cornbach, 1970 ; Bernstein et al, 1997).IQ tests also
correlate with how you do outside school; such as your
occupational status IQ testing for job employment is very
successful at finding new employees and is good at
identifying hard workers. IQ testing also has the ability to
identify gifted students with unique educational and
socio-emotional needs. Also IQ tests can identify students
that are underachievers, have low verbal ability, have
handicaps such as learning disabilities, behavioural
disorders, hearing impairments, visual impairments, and
physical impairments. (Kaufman & Harrison, 1986). As we can
see IQ testing is very good at establishing how you are to
do in your academic career and also a good indication of
your academic standing in life.
There are also many opposing ideas to IQ testing. Past
tests were not good for adults because they were calculated
from there mental age meaning that if a person the age of 40
did as well as a 20 year old then they would have a IQ of
50. (Myers 1998) As we can see IQ tests were unfairly done.
Now “there is no any longer intelligence quotient.”(Myers
1998, pg. 335) Now the average test score for each age is
100. A lot of controversy over IQ tests came after the first
World War. Intelligence tests have labelled people with
certain inferiority’s, especially ethnic and immigrant
groups. Intelligence tests were also given to people who
immigrated to the US, many immigrants were turned back for
having low IQ scores. These people were given a look of
inferiority because they scored low on a English based
test.”Following his 1913 study of arriving immigrants,
psychologists Henry Goddard claimed that 83 percent of the
Jewish immigrants, 80 percent of the Hungarians, 79 percent
of the Italians, and 87 percent of the Russians were “
“feeble-minded.””(Myers 1998; from Eysenck & Kamin, 1981
pg.336) Things like this were a major reason of enforcing
new immigration laws, which reduced emigration from Northern
and Southern Europe.(Myers, 1998) Numerous IQ tests are
culturally biased, these differences may occur because
people live in different areas of the city, i.e. ghetto,
slums or the opposite side of the spectrum. Intelligence
tests are also seen as concrete things not as test marks
anymore. People are assigned an IQ for life and other
attributes are not as important. Another disadvantage of
intelligence tests is that they only test one thing your,
intellectual knowledge. It does not test your creativity,
practical intelligence or your emotional intelligence. Many
tests that measure your intelligence such as the SAT or GRE
can be studied for and are not significantly measuring your
knowledge on the subject. IQ tests scores can also be
affected by stress and anxiety. Many psychologists do not
agree with the definition of intelligence. Meaning that they
do not agree with what IQ tests measure. There are social
consequences that come with results from IQ tests. Children
may be isolated because he/she is gifted or needs special
educational needs. IQ tests only measure academic standings.
Young believed that IQ would organise society into a
meritocracy.(Berstein et al.) These ideas are very
disturbing as Young and his people wanted to organize
society strictly on IQ standings. IQ tests do not measure
other important skills a person such as athletic ability,
they may be very athletic but not very intelligent. As we
can see there are many controversies to IQ testing.
As a whole IQ testing is a positive thing in life. IQ
testing is now better as there are tests that are not
culturally biased and test intelligence for what it is.
Psychology
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