I.Q.Testing

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the I.Q. controversy revolves around four main issues: 1) the nature and validity of these tests, 2) the question of cultural bias in tests when they are used for certain minority groups, 3) the relative contributions of heredity and environment to individual differences in general mental ability and 4) the causes of the observed differences in mental abilities between social classes and racial groups. The author states that there is no correlation between I.Q. and success; about the only thing, I.Q. testing can predict is success in school because higher I Q children tend to like going to school. The paper concludes that, until I.Q. testing takes into account the environment of those tested and the creators of the test represent a cross-section of those being tested, they will continue to be unfair.

From the Paper:

"Some who measure the effectiveness of I Q testing claim that children who have been exposed from infancy to the daily routine of mental stimulation have shown remarkable advancement compared to a control group. This seems like an elitist approach. On the other hand, how many news stories of over-achieving minority young people have featured a parent relating how "from the time he could read, we urged him to read and ask questions, and write." There are also success stories of minority young people who used only their own initiative to escape from dangerous friends or neighborhoods or to do more than survive when their families were torn apart."

More papers on I.Q.Testing:

• Essay # 47672 : "I.Q. Tests"
• Analytical Essay # 48494 : "Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale"
• Essay # 58007 : "Genes and Intelligence"

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