Question

Using the information from the textbook about intelligence, do you think intelligence tests are accurate? Why or why not?

Have you had any personal experience taking an intelligence test? Hint: did you take the ACT or SAT?

Answer 1

Intelligence refers to a wide ranging cognitive abilities or the ability to perceive messages or information. These abilities are required to accumulate, retain and use knowledge and skills for problem solving, adaptive behaviors in an environment or surrounding.

Intelligence tests, also referred to as IQ tests help to measure an individual's intelligence quotient (IQ), via a series of activites or tasks to-be-performed. Intelligence quotient is measured and expressed in number. It was initially calculated as the ratio of a person’s mental age to his chronological age, which was multiplied by 100. Presently, IQ is calculated in terms of the statistical percentage of people, who are believed to have a certain IQ. It is important to note that scores on an intelligence test lead to formation of a normal distribution. In this kind of distribution, most of the individual scores falls near the middle of the distribution. The scores reduce in frequency, towards the tail of the bell-shaped normal curve. The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and the Wechsler scales are known to be the most widely used tests of intelligence.

There has been controversies regarding the accuracy of intelligence tests. It is still not clearly known what kind of cognitive abilities comprise of intelligence. It is not clear whether the IQ tests cover all these mental or cognitive abilities. It is unknown whether the obtained IQ is an accurate representation of the mental abilities. It is also important to note that there is possibility of cultural bias in the construction of intelligence test and standardization procedures of these tests. Intelligence tests are known to be more comprehensible to those belonging to opulent backgrounds. They are incompatible with the underprivileged racial, ethnic and social groups. This criticism of intelligence tests led to the development of 'culture-free tests', like the Johns Hopkins Perceptual Test. It is important to note that an intelligence test can help to know about an individual's general intelligence, but it is unable to measure the complicated thought process of human beings. Also, creativity, emotional sensitivity, social understanding and acquired skills (like music) are not parts of intelligence tests.

I have personal experience of taking an intelligence test called SAT or Scholastic Assessment Test or SAT I: Reasoning Test or SAT Reasoning Test. The SAT has been created, owned and published by a private, non-profit organization in the United States called the 'College Board'. The test is given to students on behalf of the College Board by the Educational Testing Service. The test has been framed to examine a student's readiness for college. The present SAT (2016) can be completed in 3 hours. Scores on the test range from 400 to 1600.