Alright, then. Much thanks to those who answered my previous question with many great references. Super reading. :-) I see my summer filling up already.

Here's the thing: I am looking to possibly do some work on eugenics and the shift in focus during the Progressive Era from the "feebleminded" to the "gifted." I just have to get published! :-) My History & Systems professor mentioned that that was an area that really hasn't gotten much attention, in their estimation. I thought it sounded fascinating; why did we (speaking from the point of view of a resident of the US) change our focus? Why did we decide to celebrate the gifted? Perhaps at the expense of the "mentally challenged?" Funny - the majority of those in the social sciences supported eugenics at the time. What was going on???!!!??? I have done some superficial surfing and perusing, and can't seem to find a postulated theory out there to even look at. Any clues?

Thank you much, professors!

-- Heather Staples (heather.staples@maine.edu), March 17, 2004

Answers

"Lewis M. Terman, based at Stanford University, figures prominently in these initial attempts. While his explicit motives for carrying out such research contrast with those expressed by Alfred Binet, the underlying assumptions about the individual nature of human intelligence are noted to be very similar. It is suggested that this assumption provided a problematic starting point for modern American ability testing."

From: Chapter 3 of Psychology, Society, and Ability Testing (1859- 2002):Transformative alternatives to Mental Darwinism and Interactionism. http://www.comnet.ca/~pballan/Index.html

-- Paul F. Ballantyne (pballan@comnet.ca), March 18, 2004.

I don't know how to answer your specific question. About the history of the use of IQ tests in general, you might have a look at Ray Fancher's _The Intelligence Men_ and at Stephen J. Gould's _Mismeasure of Man_ (though beware of the triumphalist -- or is it "anti-umphalist"? -- tone).

I'm not certain what gives you the impression that there was a "switch" from interest in one end of the spectrum to the other. Interest in both has always been around. Galton's emphasis was on the "gifted" ("genius" and "talent" were his preferred terms). Perhaps it was just that the period of most intense interest in the "feebleminded" -- during the highest levels of US immigration -- ended at the start of the depression, making it seem as though interest in the "gifted" had risen, when in fact it had been bubbling along all the time, just not getting the popular press coverage of the putative "threat" posed by the immigration of the allegedly feelbleminded. As immigration dropped and employment became the dominant issue in the 1930s, public interest in the "feebleminded" waned.

-- Christopher Green (cgreen@chass.utoronto.ca), March 18, 2004.