Discussion Board Forum 4

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Discussion Board Forum 4

Question 1

When it comes to testing, the measures of achievement, ability, and intelligence can be reviewed as culturally fair or culturally unfair. A culturally fair test is a test that does not favor any cultural group over another (Anderson & Varghese, 2020). When it comes to interpreting or using a test for classification or diagnosis, fairness is connected to an absence of biases. In a test considered culturally fair, the reliability of the interpretation is the same across various cultural groups. An ability test is a systematic and objective evaluation of a subset of behaviors at a particular time. Ability tests evaluate acquired and innate capacity to perform motor or mental functions. The measure of ability is culturally fair since it is only influenced by a person’s mental ability instead of verbal ability.

The measure of achievement evaluates how a person has gained knowledge over time and what knowledge the person has gained by analyzing their present performance. This measure also assesses the extent to which a person has mastered a particular knowledge area at a given time. Therefore, the measure of achievement can be categorized as culturally unfair since it relies on specific knowledge gained by an individual. Intelligence testing refers to assessing an individual’s performance on different diagnostic instruments as a predictor of their life prospects or future behavior or as a tool for intervention identification (Chollet, 2019). Despite how broad the measure of intelligence can be, it cannot comprehend a culturally fair test. This measure is considered culturally unfair due to its test skills and language limitations.

Tests are considered biased if they give unfair treatment to different groups or discriminate against them by either over-pathologizing their symptoms or underestimating their potential. I support the argument that intelligence tests are biased. First, intelligence tests underestimate or ignore the contribution of factors such as motivation, social skills, morality, and emotions. In addition, intelligence tests are considered to be culturally biased since these tests are heavily slanted in favor of white, middle-class communities. For example, these tests assess content and knowledge that are well-known to white, middle-class students compared to diverse students. Besides, the language and examples used in these tests are more conversant to the white, middle-class students (Ford, 2004).

Question 2 & 3

After visiting Free Aptitude Tests Online, I found many aptitude tests, but I was only interested in taking a verbal aptitude test. I took the verbal aptitude test because I wanted to evaluate my ability to use correct grammar, spelling words correctly, understand word meanings and relationships, and construe detailed written information. I managed to get 13 questions correct out of the 15 questions in the test, which gave 87% of the total score. I realized from my results that I needed help interpreting detailed information since the two questions I missed needed me to interpret detailed information. I was happy after receiving the results since I did not expect such a high score since some questions were quite challenging, and I was unsure if I had provided the correct answers. I was amused that my results showed that I had surpassed the average score of other people who had taken the same test. The assessment fairly and accurately captured my aptitude for the area in the verbal aptitude area. This is because I took my time answering the questions and was content with the results I received.

References

Anderson, E. J., & Varghese, F. P. (2020). Culture‐Free/Fair Intelligence Testing. The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences: Measurement and Assessment, 153-157. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118970843.ch96Chollet, F. (2019). On the measure of intelligence. arXiv preprint arXiv:1911.01547.

Ford, D. Y. (2004). Intelligence testing and cultural diversity: Concerns, cautions, and considerations. National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.

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