IQ : A Smart History of a Failed Idea

This is a provocative and intriguing book about intelligence testing that covers its background,   its significance in modern society,   and its future.

Stephen Murdoch has delved into this fascinating topic to reveal the  racism, classism, sexism, and xenophobia that underlie these compelling and arbitrary benchmarks.

He draws on the writings and papers of major intelligence testers as well as on legislative history and transcripts to tell the story of intelligence testing through modern history, from Francis Galton (a cousin of Charles Darwin) and his theories of hereditary genius to sterilization in Nazi Germany to high school students suffering the SAT.

With excellent scholarship and highly readable prose, Murdoch explains why tests were originally developed and sheds light on how they work (and don't). Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: The Problem with Testing Chapter 2: The Origins of Testing Chapter 3: The Birth of Modern Intelligence Tests Chapter 4: America Discovers Intelligence Tests Chapter 5: Turning Back the Feebleminded Chapter 6: The Tests That Changed the World Chapter 7: Alpha and Beta Chapter 8: From Segregation to Sterilization: Carrie Buck’ s Story Chapter 9: Nazis and Intelligence Testing Chapter 10: The 11-Plus in the UK Chapter 11: Intelligence Testing and the Death Penalty in America Chapter 12: What Do IQ Tests Really Measure? Chapter 13: Alternatives to IQ Chapter 14: The SAT Chapter 15: Black and White IQ Afterword Notes Index