Cattell Infant Intelligence Scale

Know this topic well? Help others and get FREE products!

Psychologist James McKeen Cattell

Infant intelligence test.

The Cattell Infant Intelligence Scale is one of the oldest infant intelligence tests, originally designed in 1950. The Cattell scale measures mental development from 3-30 months, evaluating motor control and verbalizations. Items at each level cover the preceding period of development. Motor control is assessed by a series of tasks that involve manipulating various objects, such as cubes, pencils, and pegboards. Sample items from the test (with age norms on the Cattell scale) are: lifting a cup (6 months), ringing a bell (9 months), putting a cube in a cup (11 months), and marking with a crayon (12 months). The examiner also takes notes on the infant's attempts to communicate. The test is untimed but usually takes 20-30 minutes. Results are reported in terms of mental age and IQ score. The Cattell scale—which has been modified based on research with the Gesell, Minnesota Preschool, and Merrill-Palmer scales—is considered an extension of the Stanford-Binet intelligence test for younger children. Together, the two tests provide a continuous developmental scale from three months to maturity.

After studying with some of the leading European and American research psychologists, James McKeen Cattell focused on what he had learned from Sir Francis Galton in England—that statistics and quantitative methods are powerful research tools. Cattell adopted the practice of testing a large number of research subjects and using statistical analysis to draw conclusions about the resulting data. Cattell is believed to be the first person to use the term "mental test," and he devoted much of his career to the development of an intelligence test. Cattell founded the Psychological Corporation, which did not develop into a successful commercial enterprise until after he left the company.

While Cattell was at Columbia University, more students earned a doctorate in psychology working with him than with any other psychology professor. He cofounded the journal Psychological Review with J. Mark Baldwin, and resurrected the journal Science after acquiring it from Alexander Graham Bell. Cattell was instrumental in the founding of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Cohen, Libby G., and Loraine J. Spenciner. Assessment of Young Children. New York: Longman, 1994.

McCullough, Virginia. Testing and Your Child: What You Should Know About 150 of the Most Common Medical, Educational, and Psychological Tests. New York: Plume, 1992.

Walsh, W. Bruce, and Nancy E. Betz. Tests and Assessment. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.