Alfred Binet and the Binet-Simon Test

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAlfred Binet’s Early LifeBinet’s CareerThe Binet-Simon TestContributions

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Table of Contents

Alfred Binet’s Early Life

Binet’s Career

The Binet-Simon Test

Contributions

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Alfred Binet was a French psychologist best remembered for developing the first widely usedintelligence test, often known as the Binet-Simon test. The test originated after the French government commissioned Binet to create an instrument that could identify school kids who needed remedial studies. With his collaborator Theodore Simon, they created the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale.

Lewis Termanlater revised the scale and standardized the test with subjects drawn from an American sample, and the test became known as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. The test is still used today and remains one of the most widely used intelligence tests.

At a GlanceThe Binet-Simon test was the world’s first intelligence test. The test was named for its developers, Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon. Now known as the Stanford-Binet, the test remains a popular and important psychometric instrument. Let’s explore more about who Alfred Binet was, his career in psychology, and how he came to create the Binet-Simon test.

At a Glance

The Binet-Simon test was the world’s first intelligence test. The test was named for its developers, Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon. Now known as the Stanford-Binet, the test remains a popular and important psychometric instrument. Let’s explore more about who Alfred Binet was, his career in psychology, and how he came to create the Binet-Simon test.

Alfred Binet was bornAlfredo Binettion July 8, 1857,​ in Nice, France. His father, a physician, and his mother, an artist, divorced when he was young and Binet then moved to Paris with his mother.

Binet began working at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris under the guidance of Jean-Martin Charcot.Afterward, he moved to a position at the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, where he was the associate director and researcher. In 1894, Binet was appointed the director of the lab and he remained in this position until his death in 1911.

Binet’s early support of Charcot’s research onhypnotismresulted in professional embarrassment when Charcot’s ideas faltered under closer scientific evaluation. He soon turned his interest toward the study of development and intelligence, often basing his research on observations of his two daughters.

While Alfred Binet’s interests were broad and quite diverse, he is most famously known for his work onintelligence. The French government asked Binet to develop a test to identify students with learning disabilities or who required special help in school.

Fluid vs. Crystallized Intelligence

Binet and colleague Theodore Simon developed a series of tests designed to assess mental abilities. Rather than focus on learned information such as math and reading, Binet instead concentrated on other mental abilities such as attention and memory. The scale they developed became known as the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale.

How Were Score Calculated?

Perhaps most importantly, Binet also felt that such measures of intelligence were not always generalizable and could only apply to children with similar backgrounds and experiences.

Binet’s Contributions to Psychology

Today, Alfred Binet is often cited as one of the most influential psychologists in history. While his intelligence scale serves as the basis for modern intelligence tests, Binet himself did not believe that his test measured a permanent or inborn degree of intelligence.

According to Binet, an individual’s score can vary. He also suggested thatmotivationand other variables can affect test scores.

What This Means For You

What Is a Genius IQ Score?

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Michell J.Alfred Binet and the concept of heterogeneous orders.Front Psychol. 2012;3:261. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00261Silverman W, Miezejeski C, Ryan R, Zigman W, Krinsky-mchale S, Urv T.Stanford-Binet & WAIS IQ Differences and Their Implications for Adults with Intellectual Disability (aka Mental Retardation).Intelligence. 2010;38(2):242-248. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2009.12.005Teive HAG, Teive GMG, Dallabrida N, Gutierrez L.Alfred Binet: Charcot’s pupil, a neuropsychologist and a pioneer in intelligence testing.Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2017;75(9):673-675. doi:10.1590/0004-282X20170097Becker K.History of the Stanford-Binet intelligence scales: Content and psychometrics. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition Assessment Service Bulletin No. 1.Holden LR, Tanenbaum GJ.Modern assessments of intelligence must be fair and equitable.J Intell. 2023;11(6):126. doi:10.3390/jintelligence11060126National Human Genome Research Institute.Eugenics and scientific racism.Additional ReadingFancher RE, Rutherford A.Pioneers of Psychology. New York: W.W. Norton; 2016.Fancher RE. Alfred Binet. InPortraits of Pioneers in Psychology, Volume 3. GA Kimble & M Wertheimer (Eds.). Washington DC: Psychology Press; 2014.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Michell J.Alfred Binet and the concept of heterogeneous orders.Front Psychol. 2012;3:261. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00261Silverman W, Miezejeski C, Ryan R, Zigman W, Krinsky-mchale S, Urv T.Stanford-Binet & WAIS IQ Differences and Their Implications for Adults with Intellectual Disability (aka Mental Retardation).Intelligence. 2010;38(2):242-248. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2009.12.005Teive HAG, Teive GMG, Dallabrida N, Gutierrez L.Alfred Binet: Charcot’s pupil, a neuropsychologist and a pioneer in intelligence testing.Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2017;75(9):673-675. doi:10.1590/0004-282X20170097Becker K.History of the Stanford-Binet intelligence scales: Content and psychometrics. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition Assessment Service Bulletin No. 1.Holden LR, Tanenbaum GJ.Modern assessments of intelligence must be fair and equitable.J Intell. 2023;11(6):126. doi:10.3390/jintelligence11060126National Human Genome Research Institute.Eugenics and scientific racism.Additional ReadingFancher RE, Rutherford A.Pioneers of Psychology. New York: W.W. Norton; 2016.Fancher RE. Alfred Binet. InPortraits of Pioneers in Psychology, Volume 3. GA Kimble & M Wertheimer (Eds.). Washington DC: Psychology Press; 2014.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Michell J.Alfred Binet and the concept of heterogeneous orders.Front Psychol. 2012;3:261. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00261Silverman W, Miezejeski C, Ryan R, Zigman W, Krinsky-mchale S, Urv T.Stanford-Binet & WAIS IQ Differences and Their Implications for Adults with Intellectual Disability (aka Mental Retardation).Intelligence. 2010;38(2):242-248. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2009.12.005Teive HAG, Teive GMG, Dallabrida N, Gutierrez L.Alfred Binet: Charcot’s pupil, a neuropsychologist and a pioneer in intelligence testing.Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2017;75(9):673-675. doi:10.1590/0004-282X20170097Becker K.History of the Stanford-Binet intelligence scales: Content and psychometrics. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition Assessment Service Bulletin No. 1.Holden LR, Tanenbaum GJ.Modern assessments of intelligence must be fair and equitable.J Intell. 2023;11(6):126. doi:10.3390/jintelligence11060126National Human Genome Research Institute.Eugenics and scientific racism.

Michell J.Alfred Binet and the concept of heterogeneous orders.Front Psychol. 2012;3:261. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00261

Silverman W, Miezejeski C, Ryan R, Zigman W, Krinsky-mchale S, Urv T.Stanford-Binet & WAIS IQ Differences and Their Implications for Adults with Intellectual Disability (aka Mental Retardation).Intelligence. 2010;38(2):242-248. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2009.12.005

Teive HAG, Teive GMG, Dallabrida N, Gutierrez L.Alfred Binet: Charcot’s pupil, a neuropsychologist and a pioneer in intelligence testing.Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2017;75(9):673-675. doi:10.1590/0004-282X20170097

Becker K.History of the Stanford-Binet intelligence scales: Content and psychometrics. Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition Assessment Service Bulletin No. 1.

Holden LR, Tanenbaum GJ.Modern assessments of intelligence must be fair and equitable.J Intell. 2023;11(6):126. doi:10.3390/jintelligence11060126

National Human Genome Research Institute.Eugenics and scientific racism.

Fancher RE, Rutherford A.Pioneers of Psychology. New York: W.W. Norton; 2016.Fancher RE. Alfred Binet. InPortraits of Pioneers in Psychology, Volume 3. GA Kimble & M Wertheimer (Eds.). Washington DC: Psychology Press; 2014.

Fancher RE, Rutherford A.Pioneers of Psychology. New York: W.W. Norton; 2016.

Fancher RE. Alfred Binet. InPortraits of Pioneers in Psychology, Volume 3. GA Kimble & M Wertheimer (Eds.). Washington DC: Psychology Press; 2014.

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