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Psychological test facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Psychological testing of the modern type started about 150 years ago. Francis Galton (1822–1911) invented the first tests. The American psychologist James Cattell (1860–1944) studied with Galton and then, in 1890, published a classic paper Mental Tests and Measurements.

The definition of a psychological test is "an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior". The kind of tests which were developed included:

  • Intelligence tests: how well a person solves problems.
  • Aptitude tests: how well a person is suited to a particular task or role.
  • Personality tests: what kind of person an individual is.

Psychologists who give these tests have training and qualifications which tell the employer that they are certified to give the tests and assess (understand) the results.

Images for kids

  • Palastexamen-SongDynastie

    A Song Dynasty painting of candidates participating in the imperial examination, a rudimentary form of psychological testing.

  • Physiognomy

    Physiognomy was used to assess personality traits based on an individual's outer appearance.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Test psicológico para niños

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