This essay provides a brief biography of Psychologist Alfred Binet and explores a modern application based on the theory behind Binet’s Intelligence test.
Alfred Binet, born in Nice, France on July 11th, had a mother who was an artist and a father who was a physician. He later became one of the prominent psychologists in French history.
Binet was educated in Nice and later at the prestigious Lycee Louis-le-Grand in Paris. Although he had initially wanted to pursue a career in law, he realized it wasn’t suitable for him. Instead, he became deeply fascinated with the writings of J.S. Mill, Bain, and Sully at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. He strongly identified with the theory of associationism, which was also embraced by his mentor J.S. Mill.
Binet started his work at the Salpetriere, a well-known Parisian hospital, alongside Charcot and Fere. There, he learned about hypnosis, hysteria, and abnormal psychology from his mentors. Over the next seven years, Binet remained devoted to defending Charcot’s beliefs on hypnotic transfer and polarization. However, he had to acknowledge the opposition from Delboeuf and the Nancy School, which ultimately created a division between Binet and his teacher.
Married in 1884 to Laure Balbiani, whose father was E.G. Balbiani, an embryologist at the College de France, Binet had the opportunity to work in his lab and became fascinated by comparative psychology. In that lab, he wrote his thesis for his doctorate in natural science, which focused on studying the behavior, physiology, histology, and anatomy of insects. It was during this time that Binet also wrote ‘Animal Magnetism’, showcasing his adaptability and ability to learn from new experiences while moving away from associationism.
Binet’s next focus was seen as a forerunner to Piaget’s work in child psychology. He started by observing his two daughters and dedicated much of his time to studying and writing about them. It was during this period that Binet realized the significance of exploring individual differences in order to establish universal laws applicable to all individuals (Pollack, p.xii).
Shortly after, Binet was appointed as co-director and, a year later, became the director of the Laboratory of Physiological Psychology at the Sorbonne. Alongside Beaunis, who was also a co-director, they founded and managed the first French psychological journal called ‘L’Annee Psychologique’, which is still being published today.
Although he never achieved a professorship in his own country, which was a bitter disappointment for the proud nationalist, Binet did spend a spring in Bucharest. During this time, his expertise in experimental psychology was highly valued and he taught to full auditoriums. As a result, he was offered a position in psychophysiology. However, Binet turned down the offer because he could not bear to be away from Paris.
The ‘Society Libre pour l’Etude Psychologique de l’Enfant’ was founded in 1900 by Binet and Ferdinand Buisson, focusing on practical issues in the school environment. Binet’s successful work led to his appointment to a commission, on which he made his most notable contribution in Psychology – the ‘Methodes Nouvelles pour le Diagnostic du Niveau Intellectuel des Anormaux’. These tests, developed by Binet and his partner Theodore Simone, enabled the identification of normal and intellectually challenged children in schools, allowing for targeted assistance for slower learners. While not widely adopted in France, this became the precursor to the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, although used for different reasons than originally intended by Binet.
Alfred Binet sought to gain insights into the human mind and comprehend it as a unified entity. His extensive work spanned various areas, including systematic introspection, suggestibility, research involving individuals with abnormalities, mental exhaustion, the psychology of legal testimony, experimental investigation of children, and experimental pedagogy.
Binet, a French Psychologist, passed away in Paris in 1911. Despite his extensive work and dedication, he was not fully acknowledged by his fellow countrymen. Binet’s research covered a wide range of areas pertaining to human nature, aiming to comprehend individuals as a whole. Although his contributions were valuable and often served as the foundation for further research, they lacked the level of detail required to establish concrete theories in specific fields.
Binet’s most notable accomplishment was the development of the original intelligence test, extensively described in pages 191 to 208 of ‘The Psychological Testing Enterprise, An Introduction’.
Rogers (p.653) suggests that Binet’s theory states that the most reliable way to predict success in school is by assessing prior academic accomplishments. This concept can also be applied to various situations. By dividing a larger task into smaller subtasks that showcase an individual’s capabilities, it becomes feasible to precisely assess their skills and determine the optimal learning environment for their progress.
The example focuses on hockey and addresses the current practice of grouping children into age divisions regardless of physical development, experience, etc. In accordance with Binet’s theory, we will break down the game of hockey into smaller tasks, such as quickly changing directions on command. While there are likely many more tasks that can be sub-divided within this complex game, this serves as a starting point and marks the initial step in our process.
Commence the testing of all children in the norm group for each task. It is important to acknowledge that certain children may demonstrate exceptional performance in specific subtests, while others may face difficulties. The variation in abilities among the children explains this differentiation.
Start with the easier subtests and gradually increase the level of difficulty.
Our assessment will involve evaluating the percentage of children who can proficiently complete each subtest in order to identify them within each scale.
Every level of children is expected to have a capability of passing the specific subtests for each scale within the range of 65-75%. Hence, the determination of each scale depends on participants’ varying abilities and the inherent separation of subtests.
Children in the lower level often struggle to complete the subtests on this specific scale, whereas those in the higher level demonstrate exceptional performance in these tasks.
Therefore, if 65% of children at the lower end have the capacity to skate forward, stop suddenly, and change directions but face difficulties with other tasks, these three subtasks will be merged into one measurement. This measurement will cover tasks that are consistently accomplished at a similar level of proficiency by the following lowest 65% of participants.
The levels in the session will each have a range of subtests for the children to master. The difficulty of the subtests will vary across the levels, with some focusing on basic skills while others require advanced skills.
Children would be separated based on skill level, ensuring they receive proper attention. Playing with peers at the same skill level would result in more playing time and better chances for skill development. Advancement would be determined by acquiring skills at the next level instead of automatically moving up with the same group. A child would move up when they demonstrate proficiency in 80% of the subtests of their current level, allowing them to always play at a level that maximizes their individual potential.
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