Measures of Intelligence - Intelligence Tests

Formal theories of intelligence serve as the foundation for the design and administration of intelligence tests. Intelligence tests are designed to measure a person's mental abilities. These tests were first designed to address clinical concerns and followed a simple premise: if performance on certain tasks or test items improved with age, then performance could be used to distinguish more intelligent people from less intelligent people within a particular age group. Using this principle, psychologist Alfred Binet (1857-1911) was asked by the French government to construct a scale for identifying the dullest students in the Paris school system who would benefit by extra help in school. In response, Binet and Theodore Simon developed the first intelligence test.

 

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