Critical Response

When Binet died, he considered his test to be a work in progress. He was still constantly striving to improve it. Yet this imperfect test was itself widely adopted, and it became the model for other tests that have had an enormous impact on society. Since Binet's death, the field of intelligence testing has attracted both ardent supporters and vocal critics. Few other areas of psychology have proven to be such lightning rods for controversy.

Stern and the intelligence quotient

Today, the terms "intelligence test" and "IQ test" are often used interchangeably. Therefore, many people assume incorrectly that Binet came up with the idea of an intelligence quotient (IQ), a single number for expressing the overall result on an intelligence test. This distinction actually goes to German psychologist William...