Gould's study Flashcards
What area is Gould’s study in?
Individual differences
Who are Gould and Yerkes in regards to Gould’s study?
Yerkes is the man who carried out the study in the 1910s and Gould is the man who was evaluating this work in the 1980s
What were Yerkes’ aims?
To produce a reliable, valid and more scientific measure of intelligence
To prove that psychology could be as objective quantifiable as the other scientific disciplines.
What type of study was Yerkes’ study?
A quasi experiment
What were the IV and DV of Yerkes’ study?
IV - naturally occurring IV was ethnic origin of the participants e.g. white American, Russian, Italian etc
DV - average mental age of the recruits of various ethnic backrounds.
Who were Yerkes’ sample?
1.75 million men
US military conscripts of varying educational levels and from different ethnic backgrounds
‘negroes’, European immigrants and white Americans
What were the three different tests meant to be given to recruits and which recruits were they meant to be given to? (Yerkes)
The Army Alpha - literate recruits (written test)
The Army Beta - illiterate recruits and those who failed the alpha test
Individual examination - for those who failed the beta test (never actually done)
What were the problems with how Yerkes’ mental tests were designed?
Both Alpha and Beta tests were done with very culturally specific questions often needing to be completed in a tight time frame, making the tests ethnocentric
What are some ways the results from Yerkes’ study could have been interpreted (but weren’t)?
Mis-management of a poorly put together testing process
researcher bias
unreliable results
personal political agenda being used in a supposedly scientific study
How many pieces of data were actually analysed in Yerkes’ study?
160,000
What were the three facts ‘found’ in the results of Yerkes’ study?
Fact 1: The average mental age of a white American adults was 13 years, just above that of a moron
Fact 2: It was possible to grade European immigrants by their country of origin (southern and eastern Europe were less intelligent than northern and western)
Fact 3: Black recruits scored lowest of all, with an average mental age of 10.41 (some camps furthered this by splitting black candidates into 5 categories of increasing skin lightness - lighter individuals scored lighter)
How were the three facts in Yerkes’ explained?
Yerkes said that these proved that there was a biological explanation for intelligence and that white American people are just more intelligent
How were the results of Yerkes’ study used within the army?
Each of the candidates was given a grade ranging from A to E (with + and -). Yerkes suggested that recruits with a score of C- should be classed as low average intelligence should be an ordinary private. Men given a D were ‘rarely’ suited for tasks requiring special skills’. Men with higher scores were given higher ranks
What were the problems with how the tests were administered?
The beta test was supposed to be administered to the illiterate recruits, however as there were so many of these, he relaxed the definition of literate (so anyone who had been schooled up to 3rd grade) was to go to the alpha test. As a result many men scored 0 or near 0 on the alpha test and were not given a chance on the beta test, as there were so many other applicants.
How were the findings of Yerkes’ study applied to wider society?
The results suggested that some races were superior to others which helped inform political policy and led to the immigration restriction act of 1924 which meant that many European immigrants weren’t able to enter America (including many fleeing Jews)
How was Yerkes’ study ethnocentric?
The tests themselves assumed a knowledge of American culture
How was Yerkes’ study not ethnocentric?
The men came from a wide range of backgrounds
What did Yerkes conclude about his research?
Intelligence is an innate quality with a hereditary basis. It is possible to grade individuals by the colour o their skin
The average man of most nations could be considered a ‘moron’
Mental testing of this kind is a valid, scientific technique with wider implications for society
What did Gould conclude about Yerkes’ research?
The beta test was designed to be used by illiterate men but still relied on pencil work, knowledge of numbers and how to write them
He criticized the conditions in which the test took place saying that he struggled to see how recruits could have been in a frame of mind to record anything about their innate abilities
Intelligence testing of this kind is culturally biased and if interpreted incorrectly could lead to racial discrimination
There were ‘systematic errors in the design of the tests and how they were administered
What is a review? (Gould and Yerkes)
a process of subjecting an author’s scholarly work or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the field.
What are three strengths of reviews? (Yerkes and Gould)
Highlight the strengths and weaknesses of psychometric testing
Able to reassess research as it affords a fresh perspective on what was found originally
Hindsight can show that Yerkes’ conclusions had major social and political consequences
What are two weaknesses of reviews? (Gould and Yerkes)
Reviewer may be biased
May miss important data or the data being analysed may not be accurate in the first place.
Can Yerkes’ study be defended ethically?
No
It was actually awful ethically
How can Yerkes’ study be criticised ethically?
No informed consent - soldiers ordered to take part
no confidentiality
withdraw - the soldiers couldn’t really leave as they were there to join the army so didn’t have a choice
weren’t debriefed
protection from harm - if they did badly on the test they were sent to the front line - might have been worried about doing badly
deception - results were biased and unfair
