Gould (classic study)

Question 1

Psychometric testing

Answer 1

Utilising self report method of data collection to measure participants cognitive ability

Question 2

Background of Yerkes study

Answer 2

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

Question 3

What type of study is this

Answer 3

A review done by Gould of Yerkes’s research on IQ in America

Question 4

Why did Yerkes develop the IQ test?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

What was Yerkes a strong believer in?

Answer 5

Intelligence is due to genetics and cannot be changed
Hereditarianism = belief human behaviour is inherited thus determined from birth

Question 6

What were Yerkes’s aims with his distribution of IQ tests

Answer 6

Produce a reliable and valid way of measuring intelligence
Prove intelligence is quantifiable and can be seen as a science

Question 7

What were Gould’s overall aims with the review?

Answer 7

Illustrate how these tests were flawed
Show how research can have disastrous consequences if socially sensitive and dealt carelessly

Question 8

What type of experiment was Yerkes?

Answer 8

A Quasi experiment
Because independent variable was naturally occurring (race)

Question 9

Sample of Yerkes study

Answer 9

1.75 million men of army recruits

Question 10

Sample method of Yerkes

Answer 10

Opportunity sample of all those who happened to sign up

Question 11

What IQ tests did Yerkes develop?

Answer 11

3 stages:
Army alpha test
Army beta test
Individual examination

Question 12

What was in the army alpha test?

Answer 12

A written exam so included general knowledge questions, unscrambling sentences, true or false questions etc

Question 13

Who was the army alpha test for?

Answer 13

Army recruits who were deemed literate

Question 14

What was in the army beta test?

Answer 14

Paper made running with a pencil, cube counting, drawing what is missing from an image

Question 15

Who was the army beta test for?

Answer 15

Illiterate test recruits
And those who failed army alpha test

Question 16

Who was individual examination for?

Answer 16

Those who failed army beta test

Question 17

What happened after recruits took the test?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

What was the problem about administration of each test in terms of who took what test?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What was the problem about testing conditions?

Answer 19

Taken in frantic and chaotic conditions of colonels barking orders which scared recruits so not in right state of mind to be tested

Question 20

What was the problem about the design of the tests?

Answer 20

Did not measure actual intelligence: questions related to American culture, understanding of English, pencil work, even some literacy required for beta

Question 21

Who was the tests biased against?

Answer 21

European immigrants not familiar with American culture/ English language, poorer Americans including segregated black Americans who didn’t have adequate schooling

Question 22

Mental age of white Americans found by Yerkes

Answer 22

13

Question 23

Mental age of black Americans found by Yerkes

Answer 23

10.41

Question 24

Problems of the analysis of findings

Answer 24

Yerkes and Boring took reductionist approach: only believing hereditarias explanations: the results showed their native intelligence
Didn’t consider external factors

Question 25

What were the consequences of Yerkes research for ethnic minorities?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

What were the consequences of Yerkes research for all the soldiers taking the test?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Strengths of reliability

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Weakness of reliability

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Weaknesses of construct validity

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Strengths of population validity

Answer 30

Contained a range of men from different cultures, social classes, education level and ages

Question 31

Weaknesses of population validity

Answer 31

Cannot be generalised to women, children, older people as they were not accounted for

Question 32

How could it be argued the sample wasn’t ethnocentric?

Answer 32

Because the sample measured a range of cultural backgrounds including Europeans
Included both white and black Americans

Question 33

How was this study ethnocentric?

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Strengths of data collected

Answer 34

Quantitative data in the form of average mental ages of participants which is easily compared across groups

Question 35

Weaknesses of data collected

Answer 35

No qualitative data collected so was not rich nor detailed which may have given other explanations which contradicted Yerkes view

Question 36

How was Yerkes unethical?

Answer 36

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

Question 37

Strengths of quasi experiment

Answer 37

no independent variable was manipulated so more ethical

Question 38

Strengths of a review study (Gould)

Answer 38

It can highlight consequences of poor research to prevent in the future: designing better IQ tests, not using scores to determine someone’s worth

Question 39

Weaknesses of a review study

Answer 39

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

Question 40

What conclusion did Gould make about Yerkes study?

Answer 40

‘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