Gould (classic study) Flashcards
Psychometric testing
Utilising self report method of data collection to measure participants cognitive ability
Background of Yerkes study
In early 1900s, intelligence tests developed in France to help school children who needed extra help
These tests were designed to be done 1 at a time and not multiple at once
What type of study is this
A review done by Gould of Yerkes’s research on IQ in America
Why did Yerkes develop the IQ test?
To be done en masse by army recruits in America to determine which rank they should be given
To measure differences between races + immigrants of different ethnic backgrounds
What was Yerkes a strong believer in?
Intelligence is due to genetics and cannot be changed
Hereditarianism = belief human behaviour is inherited thus determined from birth
What were Yerkes’s aims with his distribution of IQ tests
Produce a reliable and valid way of measuring intelligence
Prove intelligence is quantifiable and can be seen as a science
What were Gould’s overall aims with the review?
Illustrate how these tests were flawed
Show how research can have disastrous consequences if socially sensitive and dealt carelessly
What type of experiment was Yerkes?
A Quasi experiment
Because independent variable was naturally occurring (race)
Sample of Yerkes study
1.75 million men of army recruits
Sample method of Yerkes
Opportunity sample of all those who happened to sign up
What IQ tests did Yerkes develop?
3 stages:
Army alpha test
Army beta test
Individual examination
What was in the army alpha test?
A written exam so included general knowledge questions, unscrambling sentences, true or false questions etc
Who was the army alpha test for?
Army recruits who were deemed literate
What was in the army beta test?
Paper made running with a pencil, cube counting, drawing what is missing from an image
Who was the army beta test for?
Illiterate test recruits
And those who failed army alpha test
Who was individual examination for?
Those who failed army beta test
What happened after recruits took the test?
They were assigned a grade from E to A which would determine their position in army
Guy called Boring did analysis of this to assign mental age scores and calculate mean mental age per race/ethnicity
What was the problem about administration of each test in terms of who took what test?
Logistical difficulties meant most people did not take correct test:
More men taking beta test
So what was considered literate lowered = more ppl take alpha
Mostly no individual examination occurred
What was the problem about testing conditions?
Taken in frantic and chaotic conditions of colonels barking orders which scared recruits so not in right state of mind to be tested
What was the problem about the design of the tests?
Did not measure actual intelligence: questions related to American culture, understanding of English, pencil work, even some literacy required for beta
Who was the tests biased against?
European immigrants not familiar with American culture/ English language, poorer Americans including segregated black Americans who didn’t have adequate schooling
Mental age of white Americans found by Yerkes
13
Mental age of black Americans found by Yerkes
10.41
Problems of the analysis of findings
Yerkes and Boring took reductionist approach: only believing hereditarias explanations: the results showed their native intelligence
Didn’t consider external factors
What were the consequences of Yerkes research for ethnic minorities?
Statistics of mental ages were reported as fact to politicians:
Behind the restricting immigration act in the 20s preventing southern + Eastern Europeans from entering US
Turned Jewish refugees during WW2 from entering
What were the consequences of Yerkes research for all the soldiers taking the test?
Dependent on grade A-E in tests determined which rank they got in military:
Low grades = more dangerous roles
High grades = could be given authoritative position when it wasn’t warranted
Strengths of reliability
A consistent effect can be measured because:
Large sample size
Test was standardised with same questions for each participant in test
Attempts for both tests to be of same difficulty
Weakness of reliability
The actual distribution of tests was not standardised as the conditions test was taken in varied and standards to qualify for alpha test varied from camp to camp
Weaknesses of construct validity
ps not in right state of mind, the design was flawed: bias against ethnic minorities and poorer Americans
Did not measure abstract thinking/ problem solving but general knowledge
Strengths of population validity
Contained a range of men from different cultures, social classes, education level and ages
Weaknesses of population validity
Cannot be generalised to women, children, older people as they were not accounted for
How could it be argued the sample wasn’t ethnocentric?
Because the sample measured a range of cultural backgrounds including Europeans
Included both white and black Americans
How was this study ethnocentric?
Yerkes thought american culture eg knowledge of food, house design, American footballers was universal so would be adequate to measure immigrants intelligence level with this
Strengths of data collected
Quantitative data in the form of average mental ages of participants which is easily compared across groups
Weaknesses of data collected
No qualitative data collected so was not rich nor detailed which may have given other explanations which contradicted Yerkes view
How was Yerkes unethical?
Deception, where Ps weren’t told the consequences of this test
Not allowed to withdraw
Harm = stressful environment, put recruits into dangerous positions in war
Strengths of quasi experiment
no independent variable was manipulated so more ethical
Strengths of a review study (Gould)
It can highlight consequences of poor research to prevent in the future: designing better IQ tests, not using scores to determine someone’s worth
Weaknesses of a review study
Original study may have parts missing
Gould could have selected the parts that made Yerkes research look bad
So could have skipped over something good
What conclusion did Gould make about Yerkes study?
‘Paths of destruction are often indirect but ideas can be agents as sure as guns and bombs’
His flawed test + reductive ideas lead to tragic consequences for ethnic minorities and contributed to eugenicist ideas
