What do intelligence tests measure?

What do intelligence tests measure?

Introduction

Intelligence is a broad term that refers to a set of mental abilities of the individual. An intelligence test is an instrument of psychological assessment to measure the intelligence of a person. Since intelligence and their areas can be defined in different ways, there are very different intelligence tests. Intelligence measuring means determining the property intelligence of a person (Carroll, 1993). This "measure" of one's intelligence, commonly done with psycho-diagnostic tests, is no easy task, mainly because intelligence has many facets and not easy to define. As people vary in height and weight, so they differ in their intelligence. However, where height and weight are easy to measure, is that intelligence is not immediately possible. This requires the thorough understanding. No single, test can cater all different facets of intelligence and to include a reliable and effective manner determined.

With increasing age, children grow not only in height and weight, but also in intelligence. Certain aspects of intelligence change with age more than others. In some cultures, certain aspects of intelligence are more practiced (and taught) than others. These variations in age and culture must be taken into account measurements of intelligence. They can also help determine whether an individual's emotional state interferes with their ability to learn and think effectively. Intelligence tests measure the ability of an individual adjustment and performance tests to measure proficiency in a specific area (Ligon, Jones, 1982). The purpose of this essay is to identify intelligence tests. This essay will explain the value of intelligence testing and identify measurement criteria.

Discussion

When the word intelligence is used, the idea of IQ testing most likely comes to mind. Intelligence regularly defines the intellectual prospective that an individual is born with, but can be measured and dimensions that is problematic to modification. Intelligence is formally defined as the ability to learn, understand, and deal with new instances related to the application of knowledge, abstract thought, and the manipulation of situations (Ballesteros, 2004).

However, the definition of the term only establishes the basis for the controversy that has surrounded the study and application of intelligence and related topics such as the measurement and testing. There are a number of intelligence tests, such as the Wechsler test developed to measure the ability of an individual. The test, designed to develop skills sub tests and scales to measure this: verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed. The test measures verbal understanding of the individual capacities in the area, including the ability to work with abstract information, semantic verbal fluency and memory (Wechsler, 1991).

The meaning of intelligence is unpretentious; it is an individual's ability to learn, reason, and solve problems. What makes intelligence complex is the way an individual ration that ability and the dimension it us used. During the early 1900s intelligence testing of separating or segregating individuals that reflected low intelligence was one the first methods used. Calculating an individual's intelligence is devised as the ultimate goal for an excessive ...