Developmental psychology.pdf

Intelligence 377
Terman and Goddard, interested in mental measurement, adopted another
cause, though their special interests took them down different paths. Both men were
concerned with exceptional intelligence, at the very extremes of the intelligence continuum,
comprising the upper and lower 2 percent of the general population. People
with an IQ below 70 are usually regarded as mentally retarded, and they were of special
interest to Henry Goddard. Those with an IQ above 130 are known as mentally gifted,
and for them Louis Terman became a prominent spokesperson (Figure 14.10).
Both men became controversial figures partly through their work in exceptional
intelligence. The chief issues of that era, as today, concerned the identification
of these minority groups and the allocation of resources for their education and training.
Who are the retarded and gifted? What are their characteristics? What learning
opportunities should be offered to them? How much do they need or deserve beyond
the facilities available for more typical students?
The Mentally Retarded
A meticulous investigator, Goddard scrutinized the genealogical records of the inmates
of his institution and came to a startling conclusion. A young soldier of the American
Revolution, stopping at a tavern for a few hours away from the war, had sired a long
line of descendants through a mentally retarded woman he met there. The descendants
of his son, who bore the pseudonym Martin Kallikak, Jr., numbered 480 up to that
point, and of these, who were traced through five more generations, 143 people were
judged to be retarded. Only 46 were reported as normal, and the rest were of doubtful
or unknown status. Included in this group were persons alleged to be horse thieves,
paupers, convicts, prostitutes, and many illegitimate children (Goddard, 1912; Figure
14.11).
At this time a person of low mental level was referred to as an idiot, imbecile,
or moron, depending whether the IQ was below 25, below 50, or below 70, respectively.
Deborah, a well-known fifth-generation Kallikak, was regarded as a moron (Goddard,
1912).
Through constant and sometimes derogatory association, these terms eventually
acquired an unfavorable connotation, and they had to be changed. The retarded
individual is now described as having a handicap that ranges from mild to profound.
The focus of treatment also has changed, but before turning to this important issue,
we should consider the causes of mental retardation.
Martin Kallikak, Sr.
(Died 1837)
Acquaintance
Figure 14.11
Kallikak Descendants. Five
generations of descendants were
traced through the line of the eldest
son, except in the fourth generation
of the nonmarital line, where there
were no sons. The shaded figures
indicate apparent mental retardation;
the squares and circles indicate
males and females, respectively.