“Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test”

Alfred Binet, Theodore Simon and Lewis Madison Terman , 1905
(Original)
1916
(First Revised Edition)
Salpetriere Hospital, Stanford University, Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale is an intelligence test which measures the cognitive abilities among children and adults from age two through mature adulthood. It has gone through many changes through the years.

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Course Name:
“History and Perspective of Psychology”
Project:
“Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test”
Authors:
Alfred Binet, Theodore Simon and Lewis Madison Terman
Year of Establishment:
1905
(Original)
1916
(First Revised Edition)
Institutional Affiliation:
Salpetriere Hospital, Stanford University
Note:
Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale is an intelligence test which measures the
cognitive abilities among children and adults from age two through mature
adulthood. It has gone through many changes through the years.

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Abstract
It is a report on history, current condition and utilization of Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test.
It includes a detailed examination of this test by relating its historical background with its
present situation. It will reflect the importance of this test and efforts behind its origin.
This IQ test measured IQ by dividing an individual’s mental age by his or her chronological
age and multiplying by 100. Hence the average IQ, when mental age and chronological age
are equal, is 100.
 Introduction:
The Binet - Simon scale was developed by Alfred Binet and his student Theodore Simon.
Although the case studies might be more detailed and helpful, but the time required to test
many people would be excessive. Therefore, in 1916, at Stanford University, a
psychologist named Lewis Terman released a revised examination which became known as
the "Stanford-Binet test".
This test is an examination meant to measure intelligence through five factors of cognitive
ability that include:
1. Fluid Reasoning (early reasoning, verbal absurdities, verbal analogies, object series
matrices)
2. Knowledge (vocabulary, procedural knowledge, picture absurdities)
3. Quantitative Reasoning (non-verbal and verbal quantitative reasoning)
4. Visual-Spatial Processing (form board and patterns, position and directions)
5. Working Memory (Delayed response, block span, memory for sentences, last word)
Both verbal and non-verbal responses are measured. Each of these factors is given a
weightage and the combined score is often reduced to a ratio commonly known as the
“Intelligence Quotient or IQ” (German psychologist William Stern).
 Primary Use/Purpose:
The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale was originally developed to help place children in
appropriate educational settings. Terman used the test not only to help identifying children
with learning difficulties but also to find children and adults who had above average levels of
intelligence. It helps to determine the level of intellectual and cognitive functioning in pre-

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schoolers, children, adolescents and adults and assists in the diagnosis of a learning
disability, developmental delay and mental retardation or giftedness.
 Method Of Administering, Analysis and Reporting:
Team including statisticians and professional methodologists are required for the statistical
results of the test that may aid the researcher for administering, analysing and reporting. A
trained psychologist is needed to evaluate and interpret the results, determine strengths and
weaknesses, and make overall recommendations based on the findings and observed
behavioural observations.
 Background and Development:
The Stanford–Binet is a modified version of the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale. The Binet-
Simon scale was created by the French psychologist Alfred Binet and his student Theodore
Simon. Due to changing education laws of the time, Binet was requested by the French
government commission to make a way for detecting children with significantly below-
average intelligence and mental retardation or issues.
To create their test, Binet and Simon first created a baseline of intelligence. A wide range of
children were tested on a broad spectrum of measures to discover a clear indicator of
intelligence. When Binet and Simon failed to find even a single identifier of intelligence, they
compared children in each category on the basis of their ages. The children’s highest levels of
achievement were sorted by age and common levels of achievement considered the normal
level for that age. Because this testing method compares a person's ability to the common
ability level of others of their age, the general practices of the test can easily be transferred to
test different populations, even if the measures used are changed.
As it was one of the first intelligence tests, so it quickly gained support in the psychological
community, many of whom further spread it to the public as well. Lewis M. Terman,
a psychologist at Stanford University, was one of the first to create a revised version of the
test for people in the United States, naming the localized version the Stanford–Binet
Intelligence Scale. In creating his version, Terman also tested additional methods for his
Stanford revision, publishing his first official version as “The Measurement of Intelligence”.
Few original tests from 1905 include;
1. Verbal knowledge of objects

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2. Verbal knowledge of pictures
3. Immediate comparison of two lines with unequal lengths
4. Repetition of three figures
5. Comparison of two weights
This test has many revised editions, the first of which was developed by Lewis Terman.
Timeline went like;
1. 1905: Binet-Simon Intelligence Test introduced
2. 1908 and 1911: New Versions of Binet-Simon Intelligence Test
3. 1916: Stanford–Binet First Edition by Terman
4. 1937: Second Edition by Terman and Merrill
5. 1973: Third Edition by Merrill
6. 1986: Fourth Edition by Thorndike, Hagen, and Sattler
7. 2003: Fifth Edition by Roid
Fifth Edition (SB5) is based on the schooling process to assess intelligence. It continuously
and efficiently assesses all levels of ability in individuals with a broader range in age. It is
also capable of measuring multiple dimensions of abilities.
 Present Use:
This test has been revised many times and its latest edition is SB5 i.e. Stanford-Binet 5. The
changings among the revised editions were according to the tests done and presented that
have improved when focusing on the introduction of a more parallel form and a
demonstrative standard. For one, a non-verbal IQ component is included in the present day
tests whereas in the past, there was only a verbal component. In fact, it now has equal balance
of verbal and non-verbal content in the tests. It is also more animated providing the test-
takers with more colourful artwork and toys. This allows the test to have test-takers of
various age groups. It is useful in evaluating the intellectual capabilities of people ranging
from young children to the young adults.
However, the test has been criticized as it does not compare the people of different age
categories, since each category gets a different set of tests. Moreover, very young children
performed poorly on the test due to the fact that they lack the ability to concentrate long
enough to finish it.

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Current uses for the test include clinical and neuropsychological assessment, educational
placement, compensation evaluations, career assessment, adult neuropsychological treatment,
forensics, and research on aptitude.
 Overview:
This report discusses the history of Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test which is reflected
through its latest 5
th
edition. It is basically a test for measuring the IQ level of a particular
individual depending upon his age. However, it does not provide a comparison between
intelligence levels of different aged people.
 Reliability/Validity:
The Stanford-Binet test is among the most reliable standardized tests currently used in
education. It has undergone many validity tests and revisions throughout its century-long
history and while there are undoubtedly a few issues with the assessment, most results are
created as accurate. That is, individuals with high scores are usually gifted and those with low
Stanford-Binet test scores often face some sort of cognitive disability.
References:
 Terman, L.M. (1916). Measuring Intelligence by Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test.
Stanford. Houghton Mifflin Company.
 Becker, K. A. (2003). History of the Stanford–Binet intelligence scales: Content and
psychometrics.
 Thorndike, R. L. (1973). Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Form L-M. Boston:
Houghton-Mifflin
 Thorndike, R. L., Hagen, E., & Sattler, J. (1986a). Guide for administering and
scoring the Fourth Edition Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Chicago: Riverside.
 Thorndike, R. M. (1990a). Origins of intelligence and its measurement. Journal of
Psychoeducational Assessment, 8, 223-230