Stanford-Binet test

The Stanford-Binet intelligence scale (the famous IQ test) is widespread in Europe and the USA. It is used to assess the preparation of a child for school, including those with a profile bias, and the readiness of the applicant to enter the university. The level of development of intellectual abilities in quantitative terms is most often measured by the Stanford-Binet method.

The Stanford-Binet test is applied in the following cases:

• Assessment of abilities of normally developing subjects and with features.
• Diagnosing autism.
• Recognition of children gifted with abilities.
• Diagnosis of professional fitness.
• The study of the level of creativity.
• Drawing up a portrait of a child’s personality independent of IQ: indicators of activity, concentration, effort, and confidence.

Brief historical background

The primary test was developed in 1905 by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon by order of the French Ministry of Education in order to sift out underdeveloped children before entering school. The Binet-Simon test revealed the correspondence of intellectual abilities to the physical development of a child, and the number of solved tasks determined his mental age.

In 1916, the test was modified by Lewis Theremin of Stanford University (USA). That is why the test became known as "Stanford Binet" and is widely used to this day. At the center of the methodology is the IQ (Intelligence quotient) coefficient — a quantitative assessment of intelligence in a numerical indicator. The fifth version of the test, created in 2003, changed the method of scoring, their interpretation, as well as fully automated all processes. Can be used for children from 2 years.

The structure and application of the test

The Stanford-Binet test in the 2003 edition includes five parts:

1. The definition of mobile (free) intelligence, dependent on biological factors.
2. Verbal research (knowledge test).
3. Computational problems (quantitative intelligence).
4. Visual perception and spatial thinking.
5. Study of working short-term memory.

These 5 factors of intellectual abilities are taken from the Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory.

Time limits — 15-75 minutes (depending on the age and intellectual abilities of the subject).

Interpretation of results: IQ 70-79 — borderline, 80-89 — below average, 90-109 — average, 110-119 — above average, above 130 — an indicator of a gifted person.

The Stanford-Binet test cannot be used to diagnose psychological disorders and predict the development of intellectual abilities, because it does not reveal the nature of the data, but merely states their presence.