Psycho-metrics testing is a tool that reflects the patterns of injustice which already exist within the society

Psycho-metrics testing is a tool that reflects the patterns of injustice which already exist within the society

Psychometric tests are very useful things for modern society.  “Psycho-metrics is defined in Chambers Twentieth-Century Dictionary as the branch of psychology dealing with measurable factors, but also as the occult power of defining the properties of things by mere contact.”(Rust&Golombok,1989). Galton was the originator of psycho metrics. “Psychological tests are tools…Traditionally; the function of psychological tests has been to measure differences between individuals or between the reactions of the same individual under different circumstances.”(Anastasi & Urbina, 1997)  Psychometric test can measure intelligence, personality, aptitude and ect. So, there are different kinds of Psychometric test.

Modern society is really different than old society. Society different with culture, religion, class, social status, racism, economic and ect. Due to those differences we can find many social injustices in the society. The term 'social injustice' refers to the unequal division of burdens and rewards in society.

Psycho-metrics testing is a tool that reflects the patterns of injustice which already exist within the society. For example, if you want to measure intelligent between school children and children who live in slum. After this test we can find different between those two types of children.  So in this test also reflect social injustice. We can find many psycho-metrics tests which are reflect of social injustice. But I never say all psycho-metrics test reflect the patterns of injustice which already exist within the society.

When we study intelligent test, we can get good example for this argument. “Alfred Binet was the first to provide an intelligence test specifically for education selection.” (Rust & Golombok, 1989).  “An intelligent test is intended to measure a wide variety of mental abilities, especially the capacity to think rationally and act purposefully.” (Fernald& S.Fernald, 2005).There is different kinds of definition about the intelligent. “Lewis Terman (1921), an influential pioneer in intelligence research and testing, defined intelligence as the ability to think abstractly. David Wechsler (1944), who developed tests that are today widely used to measure intelligence, considered intelligence to be the ability to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with the environment. More recently, Robert Sternberg and William Salter (1982) reported that most experts view intelligence as a person’s capability for goal directed adaptive behavior.”(Crooks& Stein, 1988).

“Cyril Burt, who applied intelligence testing to school selection in England, was particulars concerned that the examination system was unfair to working-class children, and successfully argued for the introduction of intelligence tests in place of essays for the selection of children for grammar schools, on the grounds that the former would have less class bias. It has frequently been commented that when IQ test were abolished for the eleven plus, the number of working-class children in grammar schools again decreased.” (Rust & Golombok, 1989).  According to this IQ test we can get idea about working-class children and other children. Working class children haven’t privileges. Their parents haven’t well-paid jobs. Sometimes they have not good environment for their education. The test remembers those things for the society. So this test reflects social injustice.

Some IQ tests have cultural bias. “One test, designed by Robert Williams (1972), is titled the Black Intelligence Test of cultural Homogeneity (BITCH). The average BTCH score for a group of 100 black teenagers was 30 points higher, on the average, than that for a    group of same-age whites.” (Crooks&Stein, 1988).What is a Black Draught? It is a one of question in this test. So we can find clearly, there is a cultural bias in this test .It also Social injustice situation. Those questions are really easy to black people. So we can’t find who are really intelligent than others. These kinds of tests are not good for the society.

American culture always thought Blacks are socioeconomically and educationally disadvantaged in comparison with white. Psychologists think that intelligence differences between racial groups are largely if not exclusively the result of environmental factors. “Many years ago, researchers noted that IQ scores of black children from the rural South increased after they moved to northern cities, and that the extent of their IQ improvement was positively correlated with the number of years they spent in northern schools.”  (Crooks&Stein, 1988).Direct result of this test was exposure educational environment of blacks. Only southern country schools black’s children had notoriously limited environment for their studies. So this test also remembers about the social injustice.

“Jensen , and then Eysenck, following an analysis of the performance of American black children in the Head Start programme. The aim of Head Start had been to counteract the adverse environmental conditions of black Americans by giving them an educational boost in their early years. Twin studies had shown that intelligence was about 50% inherited , and when the early analysis of the result of Head Start was negative , Jensen argued that the lower average IQ of American blacks people was due to a genetic difference between the  black and white races. This was supported by Eysenck in his book, Race and IQ , who also extended the argument to the inheritance of intelligence in people of Irish extraction” (Rust & Golombok, 1989).  Much otherty attacked to both these result .They try to say Black people really different than whites. The result built bad kind of argument in the society.

Personality tests also one of psychometric test. “The term personality test implies a broad description of an individual; it measures characteristic behaviors, interest, attitudes, abilities, and other qualities” (Fernald& S. Fernald, 2005).In the Rorschach Ink- bolt test, consist of 10 cards showing ink bolts. In one time show one card and then they must say what is looks like or brings to mind. In this test we haven’t idea about social injustice.

According to above information we can get small idea about psychometrics test. Through some tests, we can comprehensively understand the unfair activities done by society. But some tests are really useful for the society.   

References

Anastasi ,A ., & Urbina , S. (1997) . Psychological testing. India: PHI Learning Private   Limited.

Crooks ,R., & Stein ,J. (1988). Psychology science, behavior and life. America: Saunders College Publishing.

Fernald, L.D., & Fernald P.S. (2005). Introduction to Psychology . Delhi: A.I.T.B.S. Publishers & Distributors(Regd.).

Rust,J., & Golombok.S. (1989). Modern Psychometrics, The science of psychological assessment . New York : Routledge.