The measure of the human intelligence

(copied it from my course notes about intelligence under psychological assessment & psychopathology)

 There is a common belief that human intelligence is something that can be
defined, measured, and neatly described with a number.
 To find this holy number, the educational gods (testing services, publishers,
schools, and the like), have declared that humans shall take a standardized test,
after which, the number of test errors shall be subtracted from the total number
possible and a score given unto them. Thus sayith the gods.
 This score is then compared to the scores of a large group of humans who are of
the same age. These humans are ranked according to where their scores fall
within this same-age group.
 They are then given a percentile ranking that shows how many same-age
humans scored above and below them. Finally, numbers are assigned to each
percentile rank and this number is said to indicate intelligence (Walters &
Gardner, 1985).

Those humans who have bigger numbers are thought to have more of it. They are
the chosen ones, the sheep. Those humans who have smaller numbers are thought
to have less of it. These are the unsaved, the goats. This sacred number, this very
holy entity is called intelligence quotient or IQ.
 From this perspective high atop a mountain, intelligence is a twodimensional
entity, existing on a paper plane with only height and width. In this
numerated, two-dimensional world, small-numbered students are put in slower
lines, but then we wonder why they don't progress as fast. High-numbered students
are put in a faster line and allowed entrance into special programs and fine highnumbered
schools.
 These high-numbered students come out of these high-numbered schools and
become high-numbered people, except now their numbers have to do with bank
accounts, investment portfolios, and other such things. These high-numbered
people mate and have high-numbered children, and the circle of life continues.

Andrew P. Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor, Holistic Education
Department of Educational Studies: Special Populations
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Mankato, MN 56001