Binet, Alfred - Historical Context
Historical Context
Like everyone else, Binet was shaped by the times in which he lived. In part, his intelligence test was a reaction to earlier efforts by two of his colleagues, British Sir Francis Galton and American James McKeen Cattell, who each had tried to assess mental ability with physiological measures.
Galton and hereditary intelligence
The first person to try to develop a scientific intelligence test was Francis Galton. This British scientist, a half-cousin of English naturalist Charles Darwin, was a polymath, a person who is knowledgeable in many scientific areas. His interests included studying weather, fingerprints, and the peoples of Africa. Galton argued that plants and animals varied in systematic ways, and he devised new statistical methods for studying heredity. When it came to people, Galton...
[The entire page is 2493 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
