SAGE Journal Articles

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Article 1: Thorndike, R.M. (September 1990). Origins of Intelligence and its Measurement. Journal of psychoeducational assessment, 8(3), 223-230.

Abstract: The climate in psychology at the turn of the present century was right for the development of measures of intelligence. Many researchers were involved in efforts to find effective measures, most of which were based on empirical relationships rather than theories of human abilities. During the first quarter of the century, Terman’s Stanford-Binet became the dominant instrument, but the debate over the nature of intelligence was carried out between Charles Spearman and E.L. Thorndike. There are clear antecedents of modern measurement methods and theories in the work of this period.

Questions that apply to this article:

  1. Summarize the main points of Spearman and Thorndike when it comes to theories of intelligence. Which do you believe?
  2. Do you think there have been many changes in the years since this article was published?