IQ Testing 101

While the use of intelligence tests is widespread, they are not without controversy. IQ supporters see IQ measures as valid predictors of academic success, capable of proving real differences in intellectual abilities and influencing educational policy. IQ critics such as Robert Sternberg and Howard Gardner believe that IQ is a limited measure of intelligence and that a truer picture should incorporate more cultural and contextual factors.Alan Kaufman, a fellow of four divisions of the American Psychological Association, is a centrist in this debate. As a protege of David Wechsler, Kaufman is a firmer believer in the goal of IQ tests, but believes that the system of IQ testing needs serious improvements. This provocative and controversial book tracks both sides of this ongoing debate. Kaufman provides a historical overview of IQ testing, and approaches both sides of the debate with critical questions, including: how do heredity and our cultural environment influence our intelligence; how does aging affect intelligence; are IQ tests irrelevant for Learning Disability Assessment; what will IQ tests be like in 2030.