Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Measuring Intelligence295being “overrun with a horde ofthe unfit” (see Kamin, 1995).Despite concerns about the misuseof the so-called IQ tests, thetests quickly became very popular.Lost was Binet’s belief that intelligencetests were useful only toidentify those who might benefitfrom special educational help.Contrary to Binet’s contention, itsoon came to be believed that theIQ score was a fixed, inborn characteristicthat was resistant tochange (Gould, 1993).Terman and other Americanpsychologists also believed that ahigh IQ predicted more than success in school. To investigate the relationship betweenIQ and success in life, Terman (1926) identified 1,500 California schoolchildrenwith “genius” IQ scores. He set up a longitudinal research study to followtheir careers throughout their lives. Some of the findings of this landmark study aredescribed in the In Focus box “Does a High IQ Score Predict Success in Life?”Testing Immigrants at EllisIsland This photograph, takenin 1917, shows an examineradministering a mental testto a newly arrived immigrantat the U.S. immigration centeron Ellis Island. Accordingto one intelligence “expert”of the time, 80 percent of theHungarians, 79 percent of theItalians, and 87 percent ofthe Russians were “feebleminded”(see Kamin, 1995).The new science of “mentaltesting” was used to argue forrestrictions on immigration.IN FOCUSDoes a High IQ Score Predict Success in Life?In 1921, Lewis M. Terman identified 1,500 California children betweenthe ages of 8 and 12 who had IQs above 140, the mini mumIQ score for genius-level intelligence. Terman’s goal was to trackthese children by conducting periodic surveys and interviews to seehow genius-level intelligence would affect the course of their lives.Within a few years, Terman (1926) showed that the highlyintelligent children tended to be socially well-adjusted, as well astaller, stronger, and healthier than average children, with fewerillnesses and accidents. Not surprisingly, those children performedexceptionally well in school.But how did Terman’s “gifted” children fare in the real worldas adults? As a group, they showed an astonishing range ofaccomplishments (Terman & Oden, 1947, 1959). In 1955, whenaverage income was $5,000 a year, the average income for thegroup was $33,000. Two-thirds had graduated from college,and a sizable proportion had earned advanced academic or professionaldegrees.However, not all of Terman’s subjects were so successful. To findout why, Terman’s colleague Melita Oden compared the 100 mostsuccessful men (the “A” group) and the 100 least successful men(the “C” group) in Terman’s sample. Despite their high IQ scores,only a handful of the C group were professionals, and, unlike theA group, the Cs were earning only slightly above the national averageincome. In terms of their personal lives, the Cs were lesshealthy, had higher rates of alcoholism, and were three timesmore likely to be divorced than the As (Terman & Oden, 1959).Given that the IQ scores of the A and C groups were essentiallythe same, what accounted for the difference in their levels of accomplishment?Terman noted that, as children, the As weremuch more likely to display “prudence and forethought, willpower, perseverance, and the desire to excel.” As adults, the Aswere rated differently from the Cs on only three traits: They weremore goal oriented, had greater perseverance, and had greaterWith the exception of moral character, thereis nothing as significant for a child’s future ashis grade of intelligence.LEWIS M. TERMAN (1916)self-confidence. Overall, the As seemed to have greater ambitionand a greater drive to achieve. In other words, personality factorsseemed to account for the differences in level of accomplishmentbetween the A group and the C group (Terman & Oden, 1959).As the general success of Terman’s gifted children demonstrates,high intelligence can certainly contribute to success in life. But intelligencealone is not enough. Although IQ scores do reliably predictacademic success, success in school is no guarantee of successbeyond school. Many different personality factors are involved inachieving success, such as motivation, emotional maturity, commitmentto goals, creativity, and—perhaps most important—a willingnessto work hard (Duckworth & others, 2007; Furnham, 2008).None of these attributes are measured by traditional IQ tests.