Gould Flashcards
What was the aim of Gould’s study?
Gould; to reveal basic problems in attempts to measure intelligence. Yerkes: Study was to devise a scientific way to test the natural trait of intelligence on mass scale.
What was the method in Gould’s study?
Gould: A review of IQ testing
Yerkes: Psychometric testing
What was the sample in Gould’s study?
Opportunity sample: 1.75 million army recruits situated in training camps.
What was the army alpha test in Gould’s study?
For literate recruits. Had 8 sections e.g filling the missing number in a sequence.
What was the army beta test in Gould’s study?
Pictorial test for men who were illiterate or who had failed army alpha. It had 7 parts e.g. completing a maze etc.
What was the individual examination in Gould’s study?
This was an individual spoken test for ps who had failed the Army Beta. The tests took less than an hour and were often rushed or in intimidating conditions. There was lots of inconsistences found due to different criteria’s or illiteracy. Some weren’t given the opportunity to take the army beta if they failed the army alpha.
What were the results in Gould’s study?
Set standard age=16 years but results showed that most men would be classed as morons.
White (American)- 13.04
Black (American- 10.41
Russian (Immigrant- 11.34
Italian (Immigrant)- 11.01
Polish (Immigrant)- 10.74
What did Yerkes mean by ‘native Intellectual ability’?
He meant that his tests measured innate intelligence which was unaffected by culture and educational opportunities.
Identify two criticisms of the test as a measure of ‘native intellectual ability’ in Gould’s study
-Some of the test items relied entirely on knowledge specific to contemporary American culture
-The army mental tests were a product of their time and the results were used to further support racist beliefs and practices.
Identify a fact that was created from the data collected by Yerkes in Gould’s study
Intelligence is an innate quality with a hereditary basis. It is possible to grade individuals by the colour of their skin.
Describe one of the practical problems experienced by Yerkes when he attempted the mass testing of army recruits for WWI in Gould’s study
There were inconsistences between camps where the tests were taken, as administrators used different criteria’s to test illiteracy. Meaning nit everyone did the correct test/
From Gould’s study suggest two factors that might affect performance on an IQ test.
- The cultural bias in the test, If you lacked knowledge of American culture you wouldn’t achieve a good score.
-The conditions of the test were often very rushed and intimidating surroundings.
In this paper on bias in IQ testing Gould identified 3 ‘facts’ that were created from the data collected by Yerkerde. What were these 3 ‘facts’?
-Intelligenece is an innate quality with a heriditaruy basis. It is possible to grade individuals by the colouyr of their skin.
the average man of most nations could be considered a ‘moron’
Mental testing of this kind is va;lid, scientific technique with wider implications for society.
What is a difficulty accepting these ‘facts’ by Yerkes?
Gould asserts that the internal contradictions and systematic prejudice of the materials and methodologicay thouroughly invalidated the conclusions drawn by Yerkes. It may be hard for us today to fully comprehend the extent of discrimination blacks, immigrants, poorrer and less-educated Americans would have been subject to. As Gould points out, The Army mental tests were a product of their time and the results were used to further support rasict beliefs and practices.
In Gould’s study give one use that was made of the data by politician’s
The findings of the study were continually invoked in legal measures to restrict immigration to the USA on the grounds of eugenics. These arguments were persuasive to teh US congress, and restrictibve immigration quotas barred an estimates 6 million europeans between 1924 and 1939 from seeking refuge from persecution in their home countries.
