Gould: Measuring Differences (Individual Differences) Flashcards
1
Q
What background was there to Gould’s study?
A
- A key issue related to intelligence is one of nature vs. nurture
- Yerkes was a psychologist at Harvard who wanted to show that intelligence could be reliable and valid
- The outbreak of WW1 gave him the opportunity to use recruits for the American army as a source of sufficient data to show that intelligence testing was scientific
2
Q
What method does Gould’s study use?
A
- Review article
- Looked at the history of Yerkes’s intelligence testing of recruits in his attempt to establish psychology as a scientific discipline
3
Q
What was the sample of Gould’s study?
A
- 1.75 million recruits in the US during WW1
- This included white Americans, black Americans, and European immigrants
4
Q
What were the 3 different tests Yerkes carried out?
A
- Army alpha Test
- Army beta Test
- Individual spoken examination
5
Q
What was the Army alpha test?
A
- Designed for literate recruits
- Consisted of 8 parts and included items expected in an intelligence test (analogies, filling in the next number)
- Required a good basic understanding of the English language
- Numerous questions on American culture
6
Q
What was the Army Beta Test?
A
- Designed for people who were illiterate or failed the army alpha test
- Seven parts and consisted of picture completion
- Pictures were culturally specific
- Instructions were in English and some answers had to be given in writing despite it being a test for the illiterate
7
Q
What was the Individual Spoken Examination?
A
- Done if recruits failed the other two tests, however it was rarely carried out
- 1/5 of those who failed the Beta Test were allowed to take the individual examination
8
Q
How were recruits graded by Yerkes?
A
Given grades from A to E with plus and minus signs
9
Q
How did administration of the tests cause problems?
A
- Illiterate recruits should have been given the beta test but many were only given the alpha test
- Literacy was much lower than Yerkes anticipated
- Queues for the beta test led to more doing the alpha test and lower minimum requirements to do the alpha test
- Many of those who failed the alpha test were not given the beta test
10
Q
What were the finding’s of Yerkes’s study?
A
- Average mental age of white American male adults was 13, indicating the country was ‘a nation of morons’
- People with darker skin (such as Southern Europeans and the Slavs of Eastern Europe) were less intelligent than those with lighter skin
- Average mental age of black men was 10.4
11
Q
What was the impact of Yerkes’s findings?
A
- By the end of WW1, 2/3 of the men who had been promoted in the army were those who had done well in the test
- Used as propaganda by racists
- Immigration Restriction Act of 1924 used quotas to restrict how many immigrants could enter the country
12
Q
What conclusions did Gould draw?
A
- IQ tests are culturally and historically biased
- IQ tests do not measure innate intelligence
- IQ testing is often unreliable
- IQ tests may not produce valid results
- Inappropriate, poorly administered IQ tests can lead to tragic consequences
- America is a nation of morons
13
Q
What are the strengths and weaknesses of research methods used in Gould’s study?
A
- Review article gives a different perspective, changing information
- Yerkes’s study is self report
- Yerkes used a quasi experiment with the IV as ethnic origin and the DV as the mental age of recruits
14
Q
What are the strengths and weaknesses of different types of data used in Gould’s study?
A
- Yerkes was only quantifiable so analysis was easy to do
- Comparison between conditions
- Gould adds qualitative data
15
Q
What ethical considerations are there in Gould’s study?
A
- Socially sensitive so could cause harm (being called a moron, racism)
- Consented to army but weren’t told about the exam or its purposes
- Felt they couldn’t withdraw
- Anonymous to public but names, ages, and education were recorded
- Not treated with respect
