Their battery was continually revised and developed, until 1911 when the Binet-Simon questionnaire was finalized for different age levels.Īfter Binet's death, intelligence testing was further studied by Charles Spearman.
They created a list of questions that were used to determine if children would receive regular instruction, or would participate in special education programs. He did his research in France, with the help of Theodore Simon. However, he was more interested in distinguishing children with special needs from their peers after he could not prove in his other research that magnets could cure hysteria. He also coined the term " mental test" in this paper.Īs the 1900s began, Alfred Binet was also studying evaluation. His studies led to his paper "Mental Tests and Measurements" ,one of the most famous writings on psychological evaluation. James Cattell studied with him, and eventually worked on his own with brass instruments for evaluation. He tested thousands of people, examining their physical characteristics as a basis for his results and many of the records remain today. Wundt also measured mental processes and acknowledged the fact that there are individual differences between people.įrancis Galton established the first tests in London for measuring IQ. His tests were shorter, but used similar techniques. However, this influenced Wilhelm Wundt, who had the first psychological laboratory in Germany. This test was also not favorable, as it took over 100 hours to administer. In the 1800s, Hubert von Grashey developed a battery to determine the abilities of brain-damaged patients. The Chinese failure to validate their selection procedures, along with widespread discontent over such grueling processes, resulted in the eventual abolishment of the practice by royal decree. This process continued for one more round until a final group emerged, comprising less than 1% of the original group, became eligible for public office. Only the top 1% to 7% were selected for higher evaluations, which required three separate session of three days and three nights performing the same tasks. As a preliminary evaluation for anyone seeking public office, candidates were required to spend one day and one night in a small space composing essays and writing poetry over assigned topics. when an understanding of classical Confucianism was introduced as a testing mechanism.
These rudimentary tests were developed over time until 1370 A.D. when Chinese emperors were assessed to determine their fitness for office.
Eventually scientists tried to gauge mental processes in patients with brain damage, then children with special needs.Īncient psychological evaluation Įarliest accounts of evaluation are seen as far back as 2200 B.C. It started in China, and many psychologists throughout Europe worked to develop methods of testing into the 1900s. Modern Psychological evaluation has been around for roughly 200 years, with roots that stem as far back as 2200 B.C. 5 Pseudopsychology (pop psychology) in assessment.