Intelligence quotient tests, or IQ tests, have been used since the early 1900s as a method for measuring a person's ability to think and reason. IQ tests are not the sort of test that you can study for; rather, they measure your ability to answer questions using your innate knowledge and ability to problem-solve.
Origin
The IQ test was created in 1905 by French psychologist Alfred Binet at the request of the Paris public school system. Administrators hoped to relieve school crowding by identifying mentally retarded students who might benefit from training outside the regular classroom. In 1916, the test was revised by a Stanford University psychologist. This revised intelligence test, known as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, is still in use today. Similar tests, particularly the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, are used to evaluate intelligence in both children and adults.
IQ Tests
Most IQ tests require that the test taker answer a set number of problems within a given time frame, under the supervision of a test administrator. The most commonly given IQ test today, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, or WAIS, covers seven verbal areas--information, comprehension, arithmetic, similarities, vocabulary, digit span, and letter-number sequencing--and seven performance areas--digit symbol-coding, picture completion, block design, matrix reasoning, picture arrangement, symbol search, and object assembly.
Test Scoring
An IQ score is an indication of your performance on one particular test as compared to others in your age group. An IQ score of 100 lies at the 50th percentile. Psychologists consider an IQ score between 90 and 109 to indicate normal intelligence, with about 50 percent of people falling within this range. On one proposed scale for identifying intelligence, a score of 110 to 119 is considered above-average intelligence; between 120 and 129, superior intelligence; between 130 and 139, very superior intelligence; and 140 and above, gifted or near genius.
Controversies
Controversy abounds over the usefulness of intelligence measuring. Some feel that intelligence testing predicts a child's school performance and is important in identifying those students who require extra assistance. Others are concerned that IQ tests are culturally biased against children in certain ethnic groups or from poor communities. Some fear that the abilities of students with speech or movement disabilities may be underestimated because of their difficulties in taking the test.
Limitations
Modern research into the definition of intelligence has led many to consider the limitations of the IQ test. Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner has challenged the traditional measurement of intelligence with his concept of multiple intelligences. Gardner believes that each of us has at least seven separate and independent intelligences--linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. Gardner's research questions the long-held belief that intelligence is rooted in any one single factor and that it can be measured by an IQ test limited to verbal and mathematical skills.
References
- Human Illnesses and Behavioral Health: Human Diseases and Conditions - Intelligence - I.Q. Smarts
- About Intelligence: What Is IQ and How Is It Measured?
- Canadian Broadcasting Centre: Test the Nation - What is IQ?
- The Encyclopedia of Informal Education: Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences and Education
