When science and religion work synergistically
Scientists noticed that the IQ of the population rose with each generation.
It was happening too quickly to be genetic, so they began to understand that environmental factors have a significant impact on intelligence.
The modern IQ test has evolved significantly, but it still only tests a person's reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Racially biased scientists used the results of the military IQ tests to conclude that certain races were superior to others in terms of intelligence.
The purpose was to determine if the child needed specialized attention. Their method would become the basis for the IQ test.
Binet and Simon designed a series of tests that evaluated each of these abilities and combined the results into a single score.
The result reflected how well the child performed compared to an average child of their age. It was called the "Intelligence Quotient," or "IQ."
In Germany, the Nazi government approved the murder of children with low IQ scores.
They failed to understand the importance of environmental factors such as quality of education and healthcare. They created a racial hierarchy that naturally left minorities and newly arrived immigrants at the bottom.
Psychiatric patients were subjected to a range of barbaric treatments in this era.
The test was used to diagnose conditions such as depression and schizophrenia, which could land a person in a psychiatric hospital.
A psychologist named Alfred Binet and his partner Théodore Simon created a test to help children who were struggling in school.
Sadly, this left a lot of room for interpretation and the test model was applied in troubling ways, often reflecting biased assumptions about the nature of intelligence.
These erroneous findings were used to influence government policies. The State of Virginia approved forced sterilization of people with low IQ scores. This practice was continued until 1974.
In the mid-20th century, the IQ test was used by psychologists in an attempt to diagnose severe mental illnesses.
However, there has never been a consensus on how to define general intelligence.
Today, a score of 100 indicates the average of a sample population. Currently, 68% of the world's population score within 15 points of 100.
During this period in history, researchers believed that abilities such as verbal reasoning, memory, and visual-spatial skills reflected a person's general intelligence.
In many cases, it was used to sort people on the basis of some very flawed ideologies.
There was a common belief at this time that undesirable genetic traits should be controlled through selective breeding.
Unfortunately, some psychologists still use it to diagnose learning disabilities, which can decide a child's educational experience and seriously impact their future.
We still don't have a way to test for general intelligence and there is certainly no test that can measure a person's potential.
If modern researchers agree on one thing, it would be that individuals cannot be categorized by a single numerical score.
It was first used by the US military during WWII. They used it as an aptitude test to sort recruits into different positions based on their perceived intelligence.
Thankfully, it was later discovered that the IQ test did not provide any clinically useful information and it was no longer used in diagnosis.
Those who scored highest would be considered for officer training, and would naturally find themselves in safer roles.
This idea was even more dangerous because it was believed that intelligence was hereditary and linked to race.
How do you define and measure intelligence? The consensus seems to be that you can't, but the IQ test is the closest we've ever come. This general intelligence test had innocent origins in French schools, but it was later used to support discrimination, eugenics, and genocide. Click through the following gallery to learn how the test was used since its conception, and what modern day psychologists think of it now.
The dark history of the IQ test
This seemingly innocent evaluation sentenced people to their deaths
LIFESTYLE Psychology
How do you define and measure intelligence? The consensus seems to be that you can't, but the IQ test is the closest we've ever come. This general intelligence test had innocent origins in French schools, but it was later used to support discrimination, eugenics, and genocide. Click through the following gallery to learn how the test was used since its conception, and what modern day psychologists think of it now.