Two Persistent Myths About Binet and the Beginnings of Intelligence Tests in Psychology Textbooks

Abstract

Alfred Binet is widely recognized as the father of the intelligence test, but many textbooks on psychology and intelligence testing contain inaccuracies about his work. This article corrects two common errors. First, the French government did not ask Binet to develop the test. Binet was part of a group of people trying to prevent special education from becoming part of psychiatric institutions and thus became motivated to develop an objective measure of intelligence. Secondly, Binet did not develop the test alone. He worked closely with Théodore Simon. We also look at the best reference for the first intelligence test and propose the Binet and Simon 1908 article. Hopefully, this article will help put an end to the spread of inaccuracies about the intelligence test.