Publication Date

6-1973

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

David Shiek, Carl Martray, Sandra Reese

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Arts

Abstract

Since the advent of the first intelligence test in 1905, the primary goal of the psychometric field has been to obtain the most reliable and valid evaluation of an individual's level of intellectual functioning. The major difficulty concerning this goal, however, has been how to motivate the individual to work at his optimum level of performance. Terman (1916) attempted to solve this motivation problem through the use of praise. "Exclamations like 'Fine!,' Splendid!,' etc. should be used lavishly. Almost any innocent deception is permissible which keeps the child interested, confident, and at his best level of effort Cio. 120." Terman and Merrill (1937) instructed examiners to enlist the individual's best efforts through the establishment of good rapport, or the resulting score would be an underestimate to some unknown degree. In their latest revision, Terman and Merrill (1960) again stressed the importance of rapport, but felt that praise should be given not only for success, but for general effort as well.

Because the individual's best possible performance is sometimes difficult, if not impossible to measure, it is all too often taken for granted by the examiner that the individual' best efforts have been demonstrated without considering the actual amount of motivation and the incentives utilized in the testing environment. If it can be demonstrated that the use of incentives to maximize the level of motivation is an important factor in the optimal performance of the individual, then the need to control this factor in order to obtain valid measures of intellectual functioning becomes of critical importance.

Disciplines

Child Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

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