There is no Such a Thing as a Non-biased IQ Test
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There is no Such a Thing as a Non-biased IQ Test
Bias in an IQ test is said to be present whenever a test score bears implications or meanings for a relevant subgroup of takers of the test, which are not similar to the implications or meanings for the remainder of takers of the test. Thus, bias can be defined as the differential validity a given interpretation of the score of a test bears for any relevant and definable subcategory of the takers of a given test. When a test contains bias, from the point of view of social values, the concern normally relates to the denial of opportunity as well as the false negatives in the hypotheses. Two other concepts or terms relevant to debates regarding testing CLD categories are not as important. Arguably, while a test may lack technical bias, it may still be not fair to all the participants. The fairness of any given test is concerned with the likely social consequences the results of the tests might have on the participants. There is consensus about the criterion that indicates statistically whenever an IQ test is biased. A brief review of popular definitions shows that bias in a test may be categorised in two ways: socially and technically. Technically, bias in a test refers to the differential validity for relevant, definable subcategories of groups of people. Hence, a test of intelligence is only considered biased if the scores from the subpopulations in question do not fall in the relevant criterion or the same regression line.
Psychologists use intelligence tests that often focus on the participants’ educational and social consequences disparate impact and fairness. The primary belief and argument is that individuals from backgrounds other than the socio-cultural environment in which a test is developed always are penalized and there is a high likelihood their score falls lower on the test. Thus, they have their chances limited and face misinterpretations concerning their potential and worth. The argument has been that a number of intelligence tests have been formed with numbers that represent the CLD populations, rather than just percentages. Consequently, the scores of the test are not valid. They are not only unreliable but also biased for them, which renders the tests inappropriate for use. The position has also applied to disciplines other than ethnicity and race. For instance, if only a few in the forming category are linguistically diverse or have low income, then the test can be viewed as potentially useless, harmful, and inappropriate to the group. In addition, if only a few students with learning disabilities or gifted ones were in the forming category, the usefulness of the test is questionable (Stinnett 2001).
In recognition that their test scores or performance affects African American students negatively, black students are denied numerous educational opportunities. According to the Association of Black Psychologists, these tests of intelligence are not valid measures for African American students; in fact, they do more harm than good. The notions of tests of intelligence being harmful go against fundamental principles of equitable, fair testing, which is a key feature in professional standards of testing. These include the American Psychological Association, National Council on Measurement in Education and American Educational Research Association. Apart from questioning the fairness of the tests, these professionals’ standards have attempted to come up with reliable tests without success (Sobhi 2004).
There is ranging controversy on the area of generalisability and validity of tests of intelligence to various cultures because they may not use or understand the same lines of reasoning. The racial differences in intelligence quotient may be explained using three theories. The first one emphasises the relevance of genetic differences in Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Social differences influencing an individual’s IQ also exist. In addition, the differences in IQ test scores are principally the result of extremely biased assessments. The reliability and validity of scores of Intelligence Quotient scores obtained from outside Europe and the United States have faced serious criticism, in part due to the inherent difficulty that arises when one compares IQ scores across cultures (Davies 2013).
In spite of the intentions to develop non-bias IQ tests, human error including but not limited to prejudice and stereotypes usually undermine the administration, use, and interpretation of these tests. Frequently, students of African American and Hispanic descent as well as other culturally diverse ethnic backgrounds are the major recipients of this inequity. From the foregoing, there is no such a thing as a non-bias IQ test.