Psychology 10: Introduction to Psychology
S/R Paper for October 13, 2006
By
Halford H. Fairchild
Rosenthal, Robert & Jacobson, Lenore (1966). Teachers’ expectancies: Determinants of pupils’ I.Q. gains. Psychological Reports, 19, 115-118. (In Hock, pp. 93-100)
Stimulus: This article reviews the “Pygmalion Effect” in the classroom: the effects of teachers’ expectations on students’ cognitive performance. Teachers who were led to believe that certain (randomly selected) students were particularly bright, engaged in subtle and (presumably) unintentional behaviors to produce higher I.Q. gains, especially for younger students (in grades 1-2).
Responses: At Pitzer, advisors are given advisees’ SAT scores. I wonder how many of the faculty perceive them, or use them? What effects might occur?
IQ is supposed to be some sort of “fixed capacity.” It is not supposed to be subject to environmental manipulation. Yet, IQ score gains were evidenced for both experimental and control groups (as much as 30 points; and 80% of one group had a 10 point gain). This shows that IQ is not an innate capacity, but is affected by teaching. It shows that IQ tests don’t measure intelligence, but academic achievement.
IQ is not a reliable (consistent) indicator of cognitive performance.
IQ, like SAT, is sensitive to what is taught, or not.
What happens when the whole society believes that Blacks and Latinos are lower in intelligence? Is there a macro-level self-fulfilling prophecy?
If erroneous scores are unfair and unethical, and if scores for minorities are erroneous (because of culture bias, inequalities in educational opportunities, etc.), then isn’t the continued use of IQ tests unfair and unethical? And isn’t this also true for the SATs?
Expectations have been shown to influence judges in the courtroom; could this be one of the reasons why 50% of those incarcerated are Black? Note, too, William Bennett’s recent remarks about aborting Black babies in order to reduce the crime rate.
Stimulus: This article
summarizes the main points in
Responses: What other intelligences might there be? Moral? Also, the text doesn’t cover much of the material on how the various intelligences work together, complement each other, compete with each other. They are viewed as separate, yet they obviously must combine. Can combinations of intelligences be thought of as new categories (e.g., linguistic-spatial; spatial-naturalist; spatial-linguistic-naturalist; etc.)?
Fairchild, H.H.
(2001). SAT’s
‘Halo Effect’ casts a long shadow.
Stimulus: In this op-ed piece, my favorite psychologist critiques the use of the SAT.
Responses: I liked the breadth of the article: it critiques the test (by noting the group differences in test scores; cultural rootedness of test items); notes that the use of the SAT actually is a form of racial preference; covers similar issues for graduate and professional schools; decries taxation without representation; calls for more holistic admissions procedures; and fairer educational practices.
Fairchild, H.H.
(February 24, 2002). SAT: the
sacred cow of higher education.
Stimulus: This article critiques the use of the SAT, and applauds UC’s decision to drop it as a criterion for admission. It suggests that intellectual capacity is unlimited for virtually everyone, and notes how using the SAT is discriminatory. It lists 4 forms of racism (individual, cultural, scientific and institutional), and suggests that each is implicated in the use of the SAT. It calls for equalizing educational opportunities in grades K-12.
Responses: The infinite intellectual capacity is reflected, for example, in speech production and recognition. UC has cowtowed to the College Board and is going to continue using the SAT now that the College Board amended it to include more content that is actually taught (supposedly) in high schools, and to include a writing sample. What cowards! Can Pitzer be “the mouse that roared”?