A Brief History of Psychological Testing
“Psychology cannot attain the certainty and exactness of the physical sciences, unless it rests on a foundation of experiment and measurement. A step in this direction could be made by applying a series of mental tests and measurements to a large number of individuals. The results would be of considerable scientific value in discovering the constancy of mental processes, their interdependence, and their variation under different circumstances. Individuals, besides, would find their tests interesting, and, perhaps, useful in regard to training, mode of life or indication of disease. The scientific and practical value of such tests would be much increased should a uniform system be adopted, so that determinations made at different times and places could be compared and combined.” -James McKeen Cattell (1890)
As suggested by James McKeen Cattell- America’s first psychology professor- the turn of 20th Century was a time ripe for the introduction objective psychological testing. However, the history of psychological testing, albeit less scientific, actually began thousands of years prior to Cattell and colleagues. Beginning with civil service proficiency tests in ancient China, psychological testing has gone through great diversification and refinement to include assessments of intelligence, personality, and vocational fit. Today, the use of psychological assessment in the practice of psychology is considered vital component of the profession and psychological testing is often viewed as an intervention within its own right. Despite the prominence of psychological assessment in modern practice of psychology, ethical and practical concerns have presented themselves throughout the subfield’s long history.
The purpose of this website is to provide a brief overview of the history of psychological testing. This website spans the historical underpinnings of psychological testing in antiquity through the use of assessments in modern times. Links to videos and scholarly websites have been included to help supplement the material offered on this website.
References:
Cattell, J. M. (1890). Mental tests and measurements. Mind, 15, 373-380.
DuBois, P. H. (1970). A history of psychological testing. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Gregory, R. J. (2004). Psychological testing: History, principles, and applications. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
A History of Psychological Testing 