Lewis Terman: biography of this intelligence researcher

Lewis Terman is known for being the psychologist who created one of the most widely used intelligence tests.

In the field of psychology and education, Lewis Terman was one of the first authors to talk about intelligence, along with Alfred Binet and Alfred Binet.along with Alfred Binet and William Stern. Terman was an American psychologist, very interested in studying intelligence, the tests that evaluate it and giftedness.

Through this article you will find a biography of Lewis Termanin which some of the most important contributions of the creator of the most widely used intelligence test in the United States (the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale) are explained.

Biography of Lewis Terman

Lewis Terman (Johnson County, 1877 - Palo Alto, 1956), with the full name Lewis Madison Terman, was an American psychologist who collaborated with several American universities, such as Stanford University, and was born in Johnson County, Indiana (USA) on January 15, 1877..

Terman was born in Johnson County, Indiana (USA) on January 15, 1877, and died on December 21, 1956 in Palo Alto, California (USA). Terman began his studies at Central Normal College in Danville (Indiana), and at Indiana University (where he took some courses). He later graduated in Psychology at another university, Clark University, in 1905.

Intelligence

Terman devoted much of his time to research on human intelligence, which he defined as "the ability to think abstractly". He was also a pioneer in the field of educational psychology in the early 20th century.

In fact, Lewis Terman became world-renowned for creating the first intelligence test, widely used in the United States. To create it, he based it on the Binet-Simon test. (the original Binet-Simon scale), and created the so-called "Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale".

This scale is still widely used today, and is now in its fifth edition. Some of its most relevant characteristics will be discussed below.

Eugenics

Lewis Terman was also a member of the Human Betterment Foundation (a eugenic group founded by E.S. Gosney in 1928).

Thus, Terman was an advocate of eugenics, a philosophy that advocates the improvement of hereditary traits (especially intelligence) through (especially intelligence) through different methods of manipulation and human selection.

Career path.

Professionally, Terman was a professor of psychology and pedagogy at the State Normal School (Los Angeles) for four years (from 1906 to 1910). In 1910 he began working at Stanford University, this time as a professor of education.

On the other hand, Terman also served as president of the American Psychological Association.. As for the recognitions granted to Terman, it is worth mentioning the Honorary Professorship, awarded by Stanford University.

Contributions

Let's get to know the most relevant contributions of Lewis Terman in the field of education, intelligence and psychology.

1. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale

The aforementioned Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, developed by Terman, measures intelligence and cognitive capacity, through several differentiated factorsThese are working memory, knowledge, quantitative reasoning, fluid reasoning and visual-spatial processing. This scale consists of two subtests, verbal and nonverbal, and is administered individually.

The Terman Scale originated in the proliferation of intelligence tests, and is in fact an example of an adaptation of another test, the Terman Scale. is an example of an adaptation of another test, the Binet scale (Alfred Binet, French psychologist).The Binet scale (Alfred Binet, French psychologist).

Later, with Terman's adaptation, the test was published in 1916 as an exam under the name "Stanford-Binet test", at Stanford University.

2. Military psychology

On the other hand, Lewis Terman also introduced group intelligence tests in the U.S. Army, so we find part of the roots of intelligence assessment in military psychology in this author.

3. Intelligence Quotient

One of Terman's most important contributions was the introduction of the term "intelligence quotient" (IQ) to measure human intelligence; it was an index of measurement of such faculty, applicable to children and adults.

Specifically, what Terman did was to adopt the suggestion of another author, William Stern (German psychologist), who proposed multiplying the Mental Quotient by 100in order to avoid the inconvenience produced by decimals. This is how Lewis Terman established the Intellectual Quotient (IQ), which is calculated through the following formula:

(mental age / chronological age) * 100.

Advantages and disadvantages of IQ

In relation to the advantages and disadvantages of Lewis Terman's IQ, we find that: as an advantage, it is an index independent of age (thus, if a subject shows an average performance against his age group unchanged in successive years, his intelligence quotient varies).

As a disadvantage or problem, we find that there are no differentiating tasks for the 20 and 25 year age groups, and that Mental Age (MA) does not grow at the same rate as Chronological Age (CE). so in adults, the Mental Quotients are low.

Outstanding works

Among the most outstanding works of Lewis Terman we find (in chronological order):

• The Measurement of Intelligence (1916)
• The Use of Intelligence Tests (1916)
• The Intelligence of School Children (1919)
• The Stanford Achievement Test (1923)
• The Genetic Study of Genius (1925, 1947, 1959)
• Autobiography of Lewis Terman (1930)

In relation to the work of The Genetic Study of GeniusThe Genetic Study of Genius, it is worth noting that it is made up of five volumes, which the analysis of 1,500 gifted children is collected.. This work was published after Terman's death (it is therefore a posthumous work).

Research on gifted children

Beyond "normative" intelligence, Terman was also very interested in gifted children. Through his studies, Terman observed that gifted children did not represent the stereotypes often associated with them.at that time (that they were sickly children, poorly adapted to society...).

Moreover, he found that they were taller children, with a healthier physical development and a better social adaptation, compared to other children. Thus, he elaborated different studies of them; as a curious fact, the children he included in these studies were colloquially called "termites".

On the other hand, in the field of giftedness, another contribution made by Lewis Terman was to implement a program, in 1921, which had the objective of studying gifted children (in the long term). According to Terman, these children belonged to the top 2% of the population (i.e., the top 2% of the population). (i.e., the top 2% of the population, in terms of intelligence).

Bibliographical references:

• Joel N. Shurkin, Little Brown & Co. (1992). Terman's Kids: The Groundbreaking Study of How the Gifted Grow Up.
• Moreno, V., Ramirez, M.E., De la Oliva, C. and Moreno, E. (2019). Lewis Terman. Buscabiografias.com [Accessed December 19, 2019].
• Sánchez Elvira, A. (2005). Introduction to the study of individual differences. Madrid: Ed. Sanz y Torres. 2nd Edition.