Gould (Yerkes) Flashcards
Background to Yerkes’ study
-Binet-simon test (1905)-the first intelligence test, designed to study school children who would benefit from ‘special schools’, due to ‘inferior intelligence’
-Later adapted for US school children
-Key debate at the time was whether intelligence was inherited, or could be learned
-Yerkes said that intelligence was inherited, and therefore wouldn’t be affected by nurture
Intelligence definition
An inferred characteristic of a individual, usually defined as the ability to profit from experience, acquire knowledge, think abstractly, or adapt to changes in the environment
Psychometric tests definition
Tools that provide numerical measures of human personality traits, attitudes and abilities
Eugenics definition
The belief that it is possible to breed a superior group of people by encouraging those deemed superior to reproduce, while inhibiting the growth of those groups deemed inferior
Hereditarianism definition
The belief that genetic inheritance is more important than environmental factors in determining intelligence and behaviour
Yerkes’ overall aims
-To produce a reliable and valid measure of intelligence
-To prove that psychology (intelligence testing) could be as objective and quantifiable as the other scientific disciplines
Research method used
Quasi experiment, as the IV is ethnicity, and the DV is intelligence/average mental age
What way did Yerkes collect data?
-Self report
-Recruits would answer questions during intelligence testing to get their average mental age
Yerkes’ sample
-1.75 million men within the US military
-Included white Americans, black Americans, and European immigrants
-The sample were of varying education levels
Sampling method
-Opportunity
-Obtained by using those present at the camps visited by researchers
Army Alpha test design
-Written exam for literate recruits
-Made up of 8 parts, and took less than 1 hour
-Tasks included number sequences, unscrambling sentences, and analogies
Army beta test design
-An exam for illiterate recruits and those who failed alpha
-The instructions were written in English, and in 3 of the 7 parts answers had to be given in writing
-Tasks included maze running, cube counting, translating numbers into symbols, and picture completion
Spoken individual exam
An exam for those who failed beta
What was the average mental age of white Americans?
13
Average mental age of Russians
11.34
Average mental age of Polish
10.74
Average mental age of black recruits
10.41
Who analysed Yerkes’ results?
-Another researcher-Boring
-Came up with ‘3 facts’ after analysing the results of 160000 recruits
What were the ‘3 facts’?
-Average mental age of the white American adult was just above that of a moron
-Darker people of southern Europe and the Slavs of Eastern Europe were less intelligent than the fair people of western and Northern Europe
-Black recruits scored lowest of all with a mental age of 10.41
How were the mental ages interpreted/analysed
-Used to provide a genetic explanation
-I.E.-that some groups of people were naturally less intelligent
Define a review study
A process of subjecting an authors scholarly work, research or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field
Strengths of review studies
-Able to reassess research, as it offers a fresh perspective on what was found originally
-Highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the research (psychometric testing)
Weaknesses of review studies
-May miss important data, or the data analysed mat not be correct/accurate in the first place
-Reviewer could be biased
What problems did Gould identify with the design of Yerkes’ intelligence tests?
-Alpha-criteria to sit the test was lowered, but not consistently across camps
-Beta-still required reading, writing, and number knowledge
-Bias-many questions were culturally bias (eg-‘what is crisco?’)
What problem did Gould identify with how the tests were administered?
-Extremely chaotic conditions
-Only 1/5 of those who failed the beta test were able to take the spoken exam
-Black recruits and recent immigrants were likely taking the wrong test, but due to demand had to tae whatever was available
-Many had been taking alpha when they should’ve taken beta. This should’ve been picked up due to their low scores, but wasn’t
What problems were there with how Yerkes interpreted his findings?
The questions were framed so white Americans did best, it was not because they were naturally more intelligent?
What happened as a result of Yerkes’ findings?
-Used to support the eugenics argument
-This helped inform political policy
-Was used as evidence for the Immigration Restriction Act, 1924
What were the long term negative effects of this?
-Estimated that 6 million people from across Europe were denied access when trying to enter America between 1924 and 1939, many suffered as a result
-One of the ‘low intelligence’ groups were Jewish, which prevented them leaving Europe during WW2
What did Yerkes conclude from his research?
1) Intelligence is an innate quality with a hereditary basis, it is possible to grade individuals by colour of their skin
2) The average man of most nations could be considered a ‘moron’
3) Mental testing of this kind is a valid, scientific technique with wider implications for society
What did Gould conclude about Yerkes’ research?
-There were ‘systemic errors’ in the design of the tests, and how they were administered. This led to black recruits and recent immigrants scoring lower
-Intelligence testing of this kind is culturally biased, and if interpreted incorrectly can lead to racial discrimination
Examples of Yerkes’ quantitative data
-The number of correct answers in the test, and then a grade give by the army psychologists.
-The ‘average mental age’ for people of a different ethnic background
Gould’s qualitative data
-Yerkes had overlooked or consciously bypassed something of importance-recruits tests relying on pencil work
-Criticised test conditions, saying recruits would be ‘utterly confused or scared shitless’
-He struggled to see how ‘recruits could have been in a frame of mind to record anything about their innate abilities’
How can Yerkes’ study be criticised ethically?
-Protection from harm-the chaotic/stressful environment
-Consent-recruits were forced to take the test
-Confidentiality-recruits had to state name, age and education level on the tests
-Right to withdraw-recruits faced punishment if they didn’t finish the tests
-Debrief-no time to debreif in the chaotic environment
-Deception-didn’t know how results would be used
How can Yerkes’ research be defended ethically?
-Deception-no other deception as they knew it was intelligence testing
How could Yerkes’ research be accused of cultural bias?
The test questions were linked specifically to American culture, and the tests were written in English
How would Yerkes’ research not be ethnocentric?
He tested people from various cultures and ethnicities
Internal reliability
+Same questions asked in the same time limit
-Participants took the tests in different environments, which could impact how they answered
-There were instructions of how to administer the tests, but they often weren’t followed
External reliability
+The results did show a consistent effect in intelligence across ethnic groups
+The sample of 1.75 million was large enough to establish a consistent effect
Internal validity
- Not a valid measure of intelligence as it was impacted by other factors:
>How long they had lived in the USA
>How much schooling they had
>Knowledge of US culture
Population validity
-All male sample, meant results weren’t generalisable to female population
-Limited age range as all recruits
+Diverse in sense of ethnicity of participants
Criterion validity
-Used to predict if recruits were intelligent enough to be considered for officer roles
-However the bias in tests meant this was unlikely to be a good indication
