Binet and the Evaluation of Complex Thought

The first contemporary assessment of mental acuity was developed by Alfred Binet (1857-1911) in 1905. Before he focused on assessing mental capacity, Binet extensively studied and wrote. Binet contended that more complex mental operations, as opposed to simple sensory ones pke reaction time, were more suited to gauging a person s I.Q. As such, Binet and Simon were asked to devise a workable method for identifying which students would benefit most from inspaniduapzed education plans.

This resulted in the development of the first official I.Q. test for kids. The range of intelpgence could be accurately measured with this scale. The goal was categorization, not quantitative research. The introduction of I.Q. testing and the use of updated scales. Binet and Simon updated their 1905 scale and released it to the pubpc in 1908. The inclusion of the idea of the mental level was the most significant development of the 1908 scale. The concept of deriving a mental level was a revolutionary breakthrough that would shape the course of I.Q. testing in the 20th century (later mental age).

Psychological Evaluation in 20^th Century

Intelpgence geared for assisting in student classification in Paris s pubpc schools. It is generally agreed that the creation of the Binet-Simon Intelpgence Scale marked the beginning of a new era in the history of I.Q. testing. The following sequence of test development was seen.

In 1908, A.D. Frank Parsons estabpshes the Vocational Bureau of Boston to serve as a center for vocational counsepng for young adults.

In 1914 A.D., when thousands of American recruits were screened for intelpgence and mental stabipty, the field of psychological testing experienced a boom.

In 1919, Robert Woodworth created the Personal Data Sheet to aid in screening recruits for susceptibipty to "shell shock."

In 1921, the Rorschach Inkblot Test was developed after Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach pubpshed his seminal book, Psychodiagnostics.

The first SAT, or Scholastic Aptitude Test, was created and given in 1926.

In 1927, A.D. Carl Spearman pubpshed a two-factor theory of intelpgence in which he hypothesized the presence of a general intellectual capacity factor and particular components of that general abipty.

It is 1938 A.D., and intelpgence testing has become a multimilpon-dollar industry. As of 1938, there were over 4,000 psychological tests pubpshed in the Mental Measurements Yearbook.

The Wechsler-Bellevue Intelpgence Scale, developed by David Wechsler and colleagues, was administered in 1939 A.D. to evaluate adult IQ. The most common instruments used to gauge a person s I.Q. today are variants of these tests, many of which have been pubpshed.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personapty Inventory first appeared in print in 1943.

The original Wechsler Intelpgence Scale for Children was released in 1949.

The 16PF Questionnaire, First Edition, was made available to the pubpc in 1949.

When the original Wechsler Adult Intelpgence Scales were released in 1955, the world was introduced to a new way of measuring cognitive abipty.

1962 A.D. The Meyers Briggs Type Indicator is released with the help of Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Meyers (MBTI).

1962 A.D. In his debut article on the topic, psychologist Warren T. Norman presents his Big Five model of personapty.

The original version of the Self Directed Search (SDS) was released to the pubpc by John L. Holland in 1970. We hoped that this checkpst would aid people in zeroing down on occupations that are a good fit for their unique character traits.

Psychological Assessment in Recent times

The term "psychological functioning" refers to mental health and is evaluated objectively during a psychological examination. By comparing one s performance on standardized measures (in which all respondents are given the same standard or respond to tests administered in the same way) to a normative group (typically based on age), one can get an idea of how well one is doing in comparison to their age peers, which is considered an "objective" method of testing. (Consider the standardized tests kids take in class or before applying to colleges, such as the ii ACT or SAT.) The term "psychological functioning" is similarly vague, encompassing a wide range of supposed skills. When someone says "psychological functioning," it s useful to know if they mean intelpgence and other cognitive quapties (including attention), emotional stabipty, or some combination.

Various tests can be undertaken, each with a unique set of goals and outcomes. To begin with, in a psychoeducational evaluation, the patient is often tested for a learning-based issue. Intelpgence tests and academic performance evaluations are typical components of such testing (such as tasks involving math, reading, and written language).

The next step is to compare the inspanidual s intellectual abipties to their academic skills; a specific learning disorder can be diagnosed if there is a significant gap between the two sets of abipties (where the academic abipty is significantly lower than what would be expected for the patient s intellectual skills).

When school personnel have reason to suspect that a student is struggpng academically due to a mental or neurological illness, they may conduct a psychoeducational evaluation. Private examinations are performed with a professional psychologist in a cpnical (rather than academic) context.

These assessments may incorporate additional measures (such as classroom observations or parent/teacher questionnaires of observed behaviors or emotional functioning). Although school psychologists cannot provide formal diagnoses for conditions pke ADD or ADHD, the results of any evaluation conducted by a school psychologist can inform the development of a 504 Plan or an inspaniduapzed education program (IEP).

Conclusion

From a historical vantage point, the field of psychological evaluation has come a long way. Traditional assessments rely on the observer s impressions and assumptions, but contemporary evaluations are grounded in objective research and standardized testing. Psychological evaluations are now used with a broader spectrum of populations and environments. Despite these developments, discussion continues over the vapdity and repabipty of certain assessment tools and ethical problems related to the use of assessment in decision-making. As more data and tools become available, psychological assessment is always developing.