d essentially the same.An IQ test measures intelligence by finding a person’s mental age, dividing it by his or her chronological age, and then multiplying that number x100 (Block & Dworkin, 1976, p.6); however, there is no standard test or testing method. There are roughly over one hundred different tests with the most common of these being the Stanford-Binet test (Lawler, 1978, p.29) The test is administered either through group or individual testing.In group testing literacy is required and each person simply takes a timed written test. In individual testing literacy is not required: Each individual meets privately with a test proctor and takes a mostly oral examination. For example, a child of three would be asked to string beads, identify individual pictures by name not use, build a bridge with blocks, identify a specific article from a picture shown earlier, draw a circle, and draw a vertical line. Test questions become gradually more difficult with age (Lawler, 1978, p. 29-33).While most of those in the psychological field agree that scores from individual tests are more accurate than scores derived from group testing, many still argue the validity of the test (Block & Dworkin, 1976, p.350). One psychiatrists has said, “the tests are accurate at defining mental age in comparison”, but went on to add that, “mental age and intelligence are not necessarily interchangeable terms” (Sternberg & Detterman, 1986, p.41).The number of different tests creates a problem with scoring a valid IQ. In a 1973 study, students were given three different IQ tests on the same day. The students were not given the same exams in the same order. For example student 1 would take test A, then test B, and end with test C; while student 2 would take test B, then test C, and end with test A. The results of the tests showed staggering differences of up to 40 points in IQ. There was no one test that all students scored ...
