Describe some of the areas where U.S. psychologists have contributed to psychometrics.
Psychometrics refers to the branch of study, which involves the measurements of psychology and the theories and techniques, which are used. This branch measures the knowledge, skills, personality and intellect of an individual via tests and observation.
U.S. psychologists, such as Cronbach, Thurstone, Quinn McNemar, and others have contributed immensely to the field of psychometrics. Quinn McNemar (1900-1986) was chiefly responsible for many psychological advances, which were made in the U.S. towards the intelligence-testing methods of Binet-Simon scale.
The Binet-Simon scale of intelligence was discovered by psychologists Binet and Simon in the year 1905 to differentiate between normal and mentally deficient children. It is used to measure the motor development cognitive abilities of the children.
Quinn McNemar’s research was published in “Psychological Statistics” in the year 1949. He found out that there is not much difference between a single factor and multiple factors in measuring IQ (intelligence quotient).
Another U.S. psychologist known as Anna Anastasi (1908-2001) worked on the field of Psychometrics. She worked on how experience and environment impacted development in a region and she is also known for making psychological tests valid methods of characterizing a person’s intellect and IQ.
David Wechsler (1896-1981) was another U.S. psychologist, who changed the pattern how IQ tests were prepared for the adults. He set up a total score of 100 on which the results were to be compared and evaluated. In recent years, both heredity and environmental factors have been believed to influence intelligence. The debate is now limited to the finding of the percentage of these two factors in determining intelligence and intellect.