Current feats in the field of psychology are a result of continuous technological development in testing practices. Psychological testing involves collecting, assessing, and inferring information to gain better understanding on the characteristics and capabilities of an individual. The history of psychological testing shows how various methods have evolved since the earliest form of assessment in China to modern day practice. Practitioners in psychological fields must understand the general overview of tests carried out on a daily basis (Groth-Marnat & Wright, 2016). With this knowledge, they can identify and sift through mistakes that have occurred in the past as well as areas of opportunity (Groth-Marnat & Wright, 2016). The field of psychology has undergone tremendous developments to change the perceptions of those who opposed the ethical nature of tests. The ensuing discussion delves deeper on the history of psychological testing by analyzing earliest manifestations of cognitive tests and achievements by persons such as Francis Galton, James Mckeen, Lewis Terman, Alfred Binet, Simon, and Goddard.
Despite modern form of psychological testing taking shape in about more than 100 years ago, earlier forms of testing can be traced back to 2200 BC in China. The Chinese emperor conducted tests three times a year to test the mental fitness of his officials (Gregory, 2014). Such testing was developed through numerous centuries to more refined versions, which were eventually administered through mental exams in the Han dynasty in 206 BC (Gregory, 2014). The Chinese persisted with psychological testing since it was providing efficient results in civil war, geography, agriculture, revenue and military affairs (Gregory, 2014). Without this persistence, most of modern psychological testing would not have developed to its current capacity. Final forms of Chinese examinations emerged in 1370 during the Confucian classics. Preliminary exams on topics such as military service required selected candidates to spend a day and a night in an isolated booth, composing essays and poems detailing their thoughts (Gregory, 2014). Those who met selection criteria were assigned to a higher level in the government. However, the Chinese failed in proving their selection criteria, which made their practices inadmissible in psychological practice.
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Early experimentalists such as Wilhelm Wundt, Francis Galton, and James McKeen begun substantial developments in the field of psychological testing in the late 1800s (Gregory, 2014). In 1879, William Wundt founded the first psychological laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. Wundt performed his initial tests using a swinging pendulum with needles protruding from wither side (Gregory, 2014). He determined that people have different swiftness of thought. British scientist Francis Galton pioneered the first modern form of psychological test through the battery of tests (Gregory, 2014). Galton based his research on his particular interest of measurement. He believed that everything was measurable and set off to prove critics wrong by measuring intellect though reaction time and sensory discrimination. Galton borrowed from Wundt’s practices and developed a more timely method of measuring response (Gregory, 2014). Notably, his findings were more reliable because he tested more than 17000 individuals. It is evident that Galton had more influence psychological testing because he considered additional factors such as height, weight, head breadth, visual acuity, and reaction time.
Prior findings in psychological testing occurred in Europe. James Mckeen Cattel, an apprentice of both Wundt and Galton, led the field of psychological testing in the first half of the 20 th century. He capitalized on his studies with both scientists and settled at Columbia University, where he pioneered American psychology (Gregory, 2014). Wundt made further improvement to the findings of Galton through traditional tests of identifying response time. According to Groth-Marnat and Wright(2016), traditional tests created the foundation for modern psychological assessment including unstructured interviews and neuropsychological assessment. Without psychologists such as McKeen, who defied common disillusionment on testing processes, these wide variety of tests would have never developed beyond their redundant forms. The Binet-Simon scales developed in 1905, identified children requiring special needs by measuring levels of mental functions (Pardes, 2015). Goddard translated the test from French to English for application in the US. By 1911, Binet and Sion had updated their scale to an age-level consisting of five tests extending into adult age. Close collaboration between American and European scientists facilitated substantial developments in psychological tests, allowing persons such as Binet and Sion to make further advancements in their work.
In the 1930s to 1940s, psychologists prioritized on psychological testing due to the accomplishments of Goddard, Simon, and Bennet. Groth-Marnat and Wright(2016) contend that in the past 60 years, psychologists have continuously developed findings from early scientists by adding a wider range of activities. From the 1940s, psychologists such as Terman focused their practice on widening roles such as administration, consultation and organizational development (Pardes, 2015). Average time spent in testing decreased from 44% in 1959, 29% in 1969 and only 22% in 1982 (Gregory, 2014). Tests lose meaning without integrating reliable evidence and literature development. This is the main reason as to why more books and reports were published between 1949 and 1970. In this period, Katherine Briggs, Isabel Briggs, Warren Norman, and John Holland published their findings on different categories of psychology addressing factors such as mental illness and intelligence quotient (Gregory, 2014).
Agreements across multiple sources suggest that the foundations of many psychological and neuropsychological assessments are based on findings obtained in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Clearly, the text explains why testing and assessments reduced in the second half of the 20 th century. Psychologists had to build rapport, idiographic richness, and flexibility to support the growing branches of psychology. The future of psychological testing depends on computerized assessment that provide rapid scoring and complex decision rules. In contrast, tests in the 21 st century and the future link client psychological assessments with recommendations and treatment options. As such, the future must rely on supporting psychological tests in organizational contexts and health care needs to show how they can improve quality of life and optimize treatment outcomes.
References
Gregory, R. (2014). Psychological Testing: History, Principles and Applications (7 th Ed.). Pearson.
Groth-Marnat, G., & Wright, J. (2016). Handbook of Psychological Assessment . John Wiley & Sons.
Pardes, H. (2015). Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination . The National Academic Press.
