ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the origins of testing children's intelligence; the nature of intelligence and whether intelligence quotient (IQ) tests are adequate; the nature of creativity; and how we measure intelligence. Given that thinking is such a mix of operations, measuring children's cognitive development requires a variety of tests. A. Binet and T. Simon's questions have many of the hallmarks of IQ tests. In theory, IQ tests probe pure intelligence. Some intelligence tests even carry anagrams which require very particular kinds of the knowledge. In an attempt to get beyond the cross-cultural issues, some researchers have tried to find the most basic measure of intelligence possible. Hans Eysenck looked at reaction time studies, where there seemed to be a correlation between reaction time – the time it takes to respond to a stimulus – and IQ. Personality and motivation may well influence success in life, but they don't seem that crucial in IQ test performance, N. J. Mackintosh argues.
