IQ Tests

Paper Summary:

This paper examines some of the major forms of standardized testing used in the United States today and assesses them for both fairness and validity.
Contents:

Introduction;

An Overview of Testing and Some Basic Definitions;

History of Standardized Psychological Testing;

Functions of Tests and Testing;

Typology of Current Tests;

The Key to Psychological and IQ Tests: Who Interprets Them;

Conclusion: Do Any of These Tests Do What They Promise

From the Paper:

"The usefulness of psychological tests depends on their accuracy in predicting behavior. By providing information about the probability of a person's responses or performance, tests aid in making a variety of decisions. One of the sustained criticisms of psychological tests is how well in fact they are able to do precisely this predict future behavior. Many tests have the word "aptitude" in their titles to reassure us that they are in fact not simply testing the subject on how much he or she knows, what his or her mental state is at present, or what his or her experiences have been to date. And it is certainly true that to some extent tests do have a predictive value although of course the validity of this predictive value varies widely from test to test. But it is also true that one of the most important aspects of human nature (or the human psyche or human intelligence) is that we are capable of learning and changing. How much each one of us is capable of changing has remained a difficult aspect of human behavior to assess. And whether the particular circumstances that might cause someone to change will come about remain in the realm of crystal ball gazing (Nash 119)."

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