TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION L. 



803 



4. On Testing Intelligence in Children. By Otto Lipmann, D.Phil. 



In dealing with the method, not the results, of investigations of intelligence 

 in children reference was made principally to that followed by Binet and Simon' 

 and by Bobertag in investigations, of which the results are not yet published. 

 Starting with a definition of intelligence based on the concepts of 'leading idea' 

 and of ' inhibition ' it was shown that an intelligence test should be not merely 

 a memory test. In employing intelligence tests certain limitations should be 

 observed. Only children subject to like conditions should be compared, while 



30% 



25% 



20% 



15% 



Inferior 

 2 years 1 year 



* Galton. 



f McDougall. 



Superior f 

 1 year 2 years 



J Binet and Simon. Bobertag. 



the chief result of the investigation will be to draw a boundary line between 

 normal and sub-normal pathological cases. 



Binet and Simon give a number of tests by which all the mental functions 

 belonging to the intelligence may be investigated. They show for each age the 

 tests which a ' normal ' child might be expected to accomplish. The preliminary 

 question, what percentage of the children of the same age are normal, is 



1 Binet and Simon, ' Le developpement de l'intelligence chez les cnfants,' Annee 

 •psychologique, 14, pp. 1-94, 1908 ; Otto Lipmann, ' Die Entwickelung der Intelligenz,' 

 Zeitschrift fur angewandte Psychologic, 2, pp. 534-544, 1909 ; Otto Bobertag, ' Binets 

 Arbeiten iiber die intellektuelle Entwiokelung dcs Schulkindes,' Zeitschrift fiir 

 angeivandte Psychologie, 3, pp. 230-259, 1909. 



