Psychological Testing - Wechsler intelligence scale for children Essay

Psychological Testing - Wechsler intelligence scale for children - Essay Example By detecting low IQ scores in children, an intervention can be put in place to help the child learn. High IQ scores can help place an advance child in a higher learning environment. Normal IQ scores can make sure a child is on their level. Identifying IQ’s in children are important due to these reasons. One intelligence test for children today is the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). The WISC was created by David Wechsler (Kaplan and Saccuzzo, 2005, p. 7). The WISC was first introduced in 1974, then revised accordingly until today’s version the WISC-IV came into use (Kaplan and Saccuzzo, 2005, p. 10). The WISC produces an IQ number for children ages six to sixteen. Unlike most IQ tests, the WISC does not require a student to read or write. The oral side of the test lets educators determine a true IQ, not just test ability. Although the WISC can be used for various reasons, the WISC is intended to be as an IQ evaluation of children. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children is the test that will be critically reviewed as a standardized psychometric test for this paper. The WISC is an intelligence psychometric test. This paper will discuss the evolution of the WISC into the WISC-IV. The WISC will be evaluated as a tool for determining learning disabilities, accessing a child’s true ability, tracking a child’s development, and as a primary IQ test. In the Literature Review, the WISC’s advantages and disadvantages will be given. Then my personal opinion will be given in the Discussion section. Finally a brief Conclusion will wrap up the paper as a whole. The WISC-IV is used today. This IQ test is split into two sections, a verbal scale and a performance scale (Carey, n.d.). The test is split into different subtests, but the two main sections are the verbal and performance scales. On the verbal sections of the test, a verbal response from the child is needed. On the

LOCKE BY MICHAEL AYERS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

LOCKE BY MICHAEL AYERS - Essay Example Locke's view on the 'idea' itself center on the fact that he makes no distinction between the intellect and the imagination. Therefore, Locke stood to believe that the idea was a sensory image which is why many researchers refer to him as an imagist. Locke explains an idea as "Whatever it is, which the mind can be employed about thinking" (p. 45). As a result, many have concluded that Locke meant to leave the definition ambiguous, perhaps to allow individuals to make their own decisions. Others believe that Locke was following the same philosophical lines as Gassendi, who used the word in a more fantastical theoretical framework. However, this conclusion is challenged, give the fact that Locke rarely used the words fantasy or fancy when discussing ideas. Yet Locke strongly encouraged people to refrain from thinking that their interpretation of objects and ideas were exactly as they appeared outside of the mind. He draws on the idea of the memory as a place to save, in a way, ideas, though, again, they are not perfect representations. Ayers uses the analogy of a bird and a song to explain this point. If the bird hears a song and then produces it the next day, people may tend to say the bird memorized the song. Locke would say that the bird saved the song in its mind to use to compare the song he is singing. Likewise, children think when they have something to think about. They produce their own mental images, but these images are not exactly like those they see. Thus, Locke's idea is a sensation that is saved through retention in the mind. Ayers claims that Locke was reluctant to apply any intellectual activity to these sensations. He did not separate the imagist mind from a higher, intellectual mind. He never saw a reason to do this, unlike other philosophers. Of course Locke recognized the existence of wit, judgment, wisdom, and madness but only in terms of what the person did with his existing ideas. Descartes and Locke debated the idea of separating conceiving an idea and imagining an idea as either the same or separate functions. Descartes argued that one can conceive of a particular shape but not image it since he does not know exactly what it looks like. Locke countered with the argument that if one can reason about the number of sides and lengths of the shape, we can imagine it from those existing ideas. Ayers concludes that this is an argument against not only Descartes but also the Cartesian views. Ayers notes that in Locke's discussion of abstract ideas, he seems to contradict himself. He says that ideas such as jealousy and lies cannot be imagined by the mind. This seems to suggest that Locke did recognize other conceptions of the mind. Locke later explained that these abstract concepts were ideas "partially considered" (Ayers, p. 49). Ayers final argument here in considering Locke an imagist lies within the idea of an intuition of universal truth or a priori knowledge. Ayers explains this idea using diagrams. He says that philosophers like Descartes say that understanding diagrams, charts, etc. occurs because of higher intellectual processes in the mind. Locke argues that these ideas on paper are representations or copies of what already exists in the mind. For example, a line or angle is something