Individual Differences Study - Gould

Question 1

What is the background behind this study?

Answer 1

Binet-Simon (1905) First test on intelligence designed to test children on whether regular schooling benefitted them or not.
Finding out whether intelligence was inherited or learned.

Question 2

What did Yerkes say?

Answer 2

Yerkes said that intelligence is determined by our genetics (hereditarianism argument) and would therefore not be affected by nurture.

Question 3

What were Yerkes’ aims?

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

What was Yerkes’ research method and why?

Answer 4

Quasi experiment because the IV was naturally occurring (ethnic origin)

Question 5

What was the experimental design?

Answer 5

Independent measures.

Question 6

What was the sample in Yerkes study?

Answer 6

Yerkes used the US military for his testing and in total tested 1.75 million men - recruits included White Americans, Black Americans and European immigrants - the varying educational levels of the men meant that multiple tests had to be designed.

Question 7

What was the Army Alpha test?

Answer 7

It was made up of 8 parts - took about 1 hour - 1st test

Question 8

What were the tasks in the Army Alpha test?

Answer 8

Number sequences, unscrambling sentences and analogies. - Questions included: Crisco is: medicine, disinfectant, food product, toothpaste.

Question 9

What was the Army Beta test?

Answer 9

The test for illiterates and people who failed Alpha

Question 10

Examples of things in the Army Beta test?

Answer 10

Maze running, cube counting, translating numbers into symbols, picture completion (opposite)

Question 11

What were the problems with the way in which the tests were designed?

Answer 11

Beta test still required some skill data was analysed subjectively, many took alpha when they should take beta, many Qs were culturally biased, black recruits and recent immigrants were the ones most likely to take wrong test, recruits for Alpha were lowered but not consistent across camp, conditions = chaotic, only 1/5 those who failed Beta took Individual examinations

Question 12

What was Yerkes’ sampling method?

Answer 12

Opportunity

Question 13

How Yerkes’ mental tests were supposed to be administered?

Answer 13

AA - people who could read and write at a good level
AB - people who could read and write at a decent level however not as good as Alpha (can’t read or write)
IE - who can’t read or write - people who failed Alpha and Beta

Question 14

Problems with the way Yerkes’ test were administered?

Answer 14

AA - inconsistent criteria - requirements were lowered - many failed Beta but only 1/5 people did the IE - conditions were very chaotic

Question 15

Findings from Yerkes’ mental tests

Answer 15

Average mental age of White American adult (13) was just above that of a moron (12)
Darker side of Southern Europe and the slaves of Eastern Europe were less intelligent than the fair people of Western and Northern Europe (eg. Russians had a mental age of 11.34) (Poles 10.74)
Black recruits scored lowest of all with an average mental age of 10.41 (in some camps, people were grouped together on intensity of skin colour)

Question 16

How the results from Yerkes’ tests were explained?

Answer 16

Before the war there were 9000 officers and at the end of the war 200000. Two thirds of which came from camps where the tests were done. These ‘facts’ were used to provide a genetic explanation for the differenced (ie. that some groups of people were naturally less intelligence)

Question 17

How the results from Yerkes’ tests could have been explained?

Answer 17

Gould argued there were systematic biases in the way the tests were designed and administered which meant black and European recruits did worse. It was really measuring their level of schooling and familiarity with US culture rather than naive intellectual ability

Question 18

How the findings from Yerkes’ study were applied?

Answer 18

The results were used to suggests that some racial groups were superior to others (eugenics argument)- This helped inform political policy and in particular was used as ‘evidence to restive immigration (The Immigration Restriction Act, 1924)

Question 19

Problems with how the findings for Yerkes’ study were applied?

Answer 19

It is estimated that 6 million people from Southern Central and Eastern Europe (all areas that scored low on the tests) tried to enter America between 1924 and 1939 but were denied. Many of those people suffered due to not being allowed to enter. - Jewish people have the lowest score - many tried to leave `Europe before the 2nd World War started but were unable to due to the immigration restrictions.

Question 20

What Gould would conclude about Yerkes’ research?

Answer 20

There were ‘systemic errors’ in the design of the tests and how they were administered which led to black recruits and immigrants scoring lower. Intelligence testing of this kind is culturally biased and if interpreted incorrectly can lead to racial discrimination.

Question 21

Examples of quantitative data?

Answer 21

Scores of the tests - number of correct answers on a test

Grade given

Question 22

Examples of qualitative data?

Answer 22

‘Yerkes has overlooked or consciously bypassed something of importance’ - recruits tests relying on pencil work - criticised the conditions in which the tests took place saying that they would have been ‘either o=utterly confused or scared shitless = struggled to see how ‘recruits could have been in a frame of mind to record anything about their innate abilities

Question 23

What is a review?

Answer 23

A process of subjecting an author’s scholarly work, research or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field

Question 24

Strengths of a review

Answer 24

Able to reassess research
Benefits of hindsight makes it able to show hoe the conclusions drawn from Yerkes’ work had major social and political consequences
Highlight the strengths and weakness of the research (psychometric testing)

Question 25

Weaknesses of a review

Answer 25

May miss important data or the data being analysed may not be accurate in first place - reviewer could be biased

Question 26

Ethics criticised.

Answer 26

Consent - no consent
Withdrawal
Protection from harm 
Deception
Debrief
Confidentiality

Question 27

Why is it ethnocentric?

Answer 27

The tests themselves assumed knowledge of American culture so were ethnocentric

Question 28

Why is it not ethnocentric?

Answer 28

The men came from a wide range of backgrounds so we could say the research is not ethnocentric

Question 29

Internal Reliability - Were Yerkes’ ways of measuring intelligence standardised and replicable?

Answer 29

The tests were standardise in that they all had the same questions.
There were instructions however they were not always followed

Question 30

External Reliability - Was Yerkes’ sample large enough to suggest a consistent effect?

Answer 30

Very large sample (1.75 million recruits took the test) which should provide consistent results

Question 31

Internal (construct) Validity - Were Yerkes’ tests accurate measures of ‘native intellectual ability? Could there be any other possible reasons for the results?

Answer 31

obviously the tests were not valid measures of intelligence but were affected by a range of other factors (how long they lived in the USA, how much schooling they had, knowledge of US culture)

Question 32

External (population) Validity - How representative of the wider population was Yerkes’ sample?

Answer 32

The sample represents a fairly wide set of cultural backgrounds with those from Easton, central, northern and southern Europe as well as white and black Americans and the samples very large for the results should be generalisable (but no women)

Question 33

External (construct) Validity - How were the test results supposed to predict future performance?

Answer 33

The test we used to predict if recruits are intelligent enough to be considered for the roles as officers