Intelligence and intelligence testing

Now that we have learned a little about intelligence and intelligence testing let’s demonstrate what we have learned through a class discussion. As you know, it isn’t easy to create culture-free intelligence tests. For example, imagine giving the SB5 to a young Bushman hunter. If tracking prey is what he values and is good at, what would it mean if he got a low IQ score? In other words, not every culture values the same set of mental abilities as those assessed by current IQ tests. For this discussion board posting, consider the following definition of a culture-fair test: “A test (such as an intelligence test) designed to minimize the importance of skills and knowledge that may be more common in some cultures than it is in others. This attempt to measure intelligence without being influenced by a person’s verbal skills, cultural background, and educational level.”

With this in mind, please respond to the following questions:

• Based on the idea that intelligence is an overall capacity to think rationally, act purposefully, and adapt to one’s surroundings, describe the relationship between culture and intelligence.
• Give an example of an intelligence test question that might reflect cultural bias. How does it reflect bias? What bias is reflected?
• Is it possible to develop a “culture-free” test? If a test cannot be culture-free, can it be “culture fair”?