The Binet-Simon scale accurately graded fairly minute individual differences in mental ability within same-age groups, as validated against teacher and principal judgments¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 1914 · checked against its sources 2026-10-24 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Average age differences (mental minus chronological age) fell steadily across the five teacher-judgment groups, from +.91 for very bright through +.03, −.47 and −.94 to −1.8 for very dull. → Carl C. Brigham 1914 q2 i? Teacher and principal judgments coincided in 41 per cent of cases and differed by one group in 50 per cent. → Carl C. Brigham 1914 (2)

Evidence¶

Carl C. Brigham 1914¶

Carl C. Brigham. (1914). An Experimental Critique of the Binet-Simon Scale. The Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0071183

q2 · i? · associational · r1

194 cases under twelve, judged by teachers into five groups (very bright to very dull) and checked against the principal's ratings; Table IV prints average age differences from +.91 (very bright, 17 cases) to −1.8 (very dull, 9 cases), supporting that the scale "measured and accurately graded fairly minute individual differences."

"From these results the conclusion is safe that in the long run the Binet-Simon scale measured and accurately graded fairly minute individual differences in mental ability."

Carl C. Brigham 1914 (2)¶

Carl C. Brigham. (1914). An Experimental Critique of the Binet-Simon Scale. The Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0071183

q2 · i? · associational · r1

Check on judgment reliability: 215 cases under twelve were judged by both teachers and the principal; judgments "coincided in 41 per cent, of the cases" and varied by one group in 50 per cent, with cases differing by two groups thrown out, leaving 194 cases.

"The judgments concerning the child's mental capacity coincided in 41 per cent, of the cases. In 50 per cent, of the cases the judgments varied a magnitude of one group."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The Binet-Simon scale measured intelligence development from ages seven to eleven with at least 96 per cent efficiency under the study's conditions — related
• Exceptional Binet-Simon test outcomes were rare (4 per cent) and mostly attributable to error in adult judgments rather than the scale — related
• The twelve-year tests of the Binet-Simon scale were unsatisfactory, with several individual tests too difficult for the children tested — related
• The personal equation of the experimenters never amounted to more than one-third of the average mean variation, too small to be considered significant — related
• The study's conclusions rest on only sixty-five individually tested unretarded cases, limiting generalization — related
• Against Stanford Binet criteria for 300 grade 3–6 children, the mental index correlated .47, the educational index .52, crude score with mental age .80, mental with educational index .62, and Difference with I.Q. .21 — related
• Mental differences between bright and dull pupils can be ascertained by means of simple group tests — related
• The author judges the tests reveal class members' ability to do school work almost as accurately as months of teacher observation, supporting use for borderline promotion cases — related
• Thorndike found correlations between Binet age and language tests higher than those between Binet age and a construction test, and therefore judged the Binet scale inadequate. — related
• The Binet scale can be understood and applied by the average teacher or school principal as readily as current pedagogical tests — related
• Grouping pupils by mental age is not a reliable means of ensuring proper educational treatment — related
• Teacher reports in the New Haven survey identified 370 children (about 1.5 per cent) as mentally deficient but only 45 as mentally superior — related