Claims

Mental tests are useful for appraising an individual only when the examiner can psychologize about the results and establish rapport with the subject

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · theoretical r? · q1
Currency · newest study 1917 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims

Reading the evidence codes

q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.

This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.

q1 i? Tests appraise individuals only when the user can translate simple responses into terms of the mental process involved and avoid confusing mental content with mental process. → Lewis M. Terman and Clara Harbison Town 1917 q1 i? Tests appraise only when rapport is established; if the subject is intimidated or repelled, a true estimate of ability cannot be made, so rapid examinations for diagnostic purposes are unjustifiable. → Lewis M. Terman and Clara Harbison Town 1917

Evidence

Lewis M. Terman and Clara Harbison Town 1917

Lewis M. Terman and Clara Harbison Town. (1917). Communications and Discussions, The Journal of Educational Psychology. https://www.jstor.org

q1 · i? · theoretical · r?

An expert-theoretical communication stating two conditions of use: the examiner must make or watch the procedure because a response 'can be fairly judged only as a part of the whole circumstance which produced it,' and rapport must be established. No empirical data are reported.

"Mental tests are of use in appraising an individual only when a rapport is established between the experimenter and the subject. If the subject is intimidated or repelled by the examiner or by the sur rounding conditions a true estimate of his ability can not be made."

Discussion

Page metadata
Field Value
type claim
id rapport-and-psychologizing-conditions-for-test-use
title Mental tests are useful for appraising an individual only when the examiner can psychologize about the results and establish rapport with the subject
description Mental tests are useful for appraising an individual only when the examiner can psychologize about the results and establish rapport with the subject
status review
evidence_strength weak
newest_evidence 1917
generated by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-24
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — lewis-m-terman-and-clara-harbison-town-1917

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