Chapter 13. How To Use The Exercises

The exercises which follow are similar to those found in the most widely used group tests of intelligence. Again, most schools use the I Q scores made on group tests as a primary factor in grouping pupils in classes on the basis of ability; often the group test is the only factor.

These exercises are designed for two purposes. First they can increase the child's speed in doing the various types of examples. Each type is solved by utilizing a certain technique. For some, such as the vocabulary examples, the technique is very simple; for the other types it is more complex. Familiarity with the techniques needed to do these examples, and practice in using these techniques, can increase speed.

An increase in speed will raise the I Q score since that score is computed on the basis of the number of correct answers made within a given time limit. The child who completes ten examples and scores correctly on seven will have a higher score than the child who completes six examples without a mistake. The more examples a child can do within the time allotted for each subtest, the higher his score will tend to be-provided, of course, that he is not merely guessing. Practice can increase speed by making the child aware of the different types and processes of solutions used in the examples.

For instance, in a subtest such as the Number Sequence, the child becomes familiar with many different intervals that may be used in setting up a sequence. It may be an interval of +2, as in the sequence 14,16,18, 20; or an interval of -1, as in the sequence 53, 52, 51, 50; or an interval of -1, -2, -3, as in the sequence 53, 52, 50, 47; or an interval of -1, +2, as in the sequence 53, 52, 54, 53, 55, 54; or an interval of + as in the sequence 53, 53, 54, 54.

In the subtest on Analogies, the child learns techniques based on recognizing the different relationships used in the examples. Some of the analogies are based on the relationships of function, form, attitude, and action.

Second, in addition to increasing speed, the exercises are designed to increase power, which can best be defined as accuracy. Obviously, the child who scores correctly on nine out of ten examples will have a higher score than the child who scores eight out of fourteen.
Power is more difficult to increase than speed. Part of power is the child's ability to analyze and solve problems. Part of it, however, especially in a verbal test, comes from the child's grasp of the language, and here the extent of a child's vocabulary is of vital importance. The verbal exercises can and should be used as a means of increasing the child's vocabulary. In addition, practice in analyzing and solving the exercises can increase a child's special abilities and thus increase his power.

Being primarily verbal, the exercises are intended for use by children who are readers. Children who are not yet reading might be able to do some of the picture exercises. While children with reading problems should receive special help in overcoming those problems, these exercises are not designed for remedial work and should not be used in this way.

The examples, in general, are arranged in order of complexity, with the simplest coming first and the most difficult last. The intelligence tests themselves are usually made up in the same way: no child will complete any of the subtests, but each child goes as far as he can in the allotted time period.

Beginning readers will be able to use more profitably the picture exercises and the exercises in the sections "Vocabulary" and "Opposites"; they will make more limited use of the other five sections.

More advanced readers will be able to use all sections, although the extent to which they can use them will vary from section to section, depending on each child's reading ability. For example, the section of exercises on proverbs requires a high level of verbal development. Nevertheless, a child whose reading level is beyond the beginning level should be given practice in each type of exercise.

Test practice should be given as nearly as possible under satisfactory test conditions. That is, the child should not be interrupted by noise or other disturbances. He should be working in a comfortable chair, at a good desk, with proper light, and ample writing space.

The time allotted to practice will vary with the child's age, personality, and attitude, as well as the time his parents have to give to it. It is not necessary that he practice each type of exercise at every sitting: a few each time may be sufficient. Each subtest, however, should be timed, and the child should be given from five to ten minutes for each. If a parent decides that twenty minutes is the ideal amount of time that can be devoted to practice, then perhaps seven minutes can be devoted to each of three sections.

Whatever the unit of time decided upon, it should be maintained uniformly for each practice session.

When a child practices one type of exercise for the second, third, or fourth time, he should begin each time at the very beginning and proceed as rapidly as he can, as far as he can. If the earlier examples are too easy for him, he should begin subsequent practice sessions at a more advanced point. For instance, if in doing the vocabulary exercises the child scores correctly in twenty out of the first twenty examples each time, he should begin his practice with example 21 thereafter. He should continue to begin at this point each time thereafter until it becomes clear that an additional group of examples have become too easy for him. Certainly, if the child has memorized any series of answers, those exercises should no longer be used.

By starting at the same point and working for the same number of minutes each time, the child is working under conditions that permit measurement of his progress in both speed and power. After an amount of practice which will vary from child to child, there should be an increase in the number of examples done and in the number done correctly.

Incorrect answers should be used to teach the child what he has not understood, be it the meaning of a word, a relationship, or the interval in a number sequence.

For this practice and the learning that accompanies it to be effective, certain conditions must exist. The child should not be forced to practice, nor should he be made to feel his I Q is inadequate. How both of these negative factors can be avoided will depend on the age of the child and the good sense of the parent.

Older children can be interested in the exercises if parents help them understand the importance of the I Q in school and how this practice can help them.

For younger children, turning the practice into a game may be sufficient motivation. Certainly, the amount of time and interest contributed by the parents will go a long way in determining the attitude and interest of the child.

Where there are several children in the family, every effort should be made to avoid competition. They should practice at different times and on different sections. The time limits set for each child should be varied so that comparisons are more difficult.

When and how often should a child do these exercises? That will depend on how soon he is to take an IQ test. As we have seen, experiments have measured the effect of practice as long as one year after practice ceased. The greatest effect exists immediately after practice. If a child is within a few weeks of taking an I Q test, the practice should take place frequently, that is to say, from three to five times a week. If the test is from six months to one year away, he may begin practicing once or twice a week, increasing the frequency as the time for the test approaches. Again, the age of the child and his reading level will determine how much of the material is suitable for him. A beginning reader, having less material to practice with and being relatively limited in his ability to concentrate for more than a brief period, may use these exercises much less frequently and less regularly than an older brother or sister.

Common sense should be the parents' principal guide in deciding what part of the exercises constitutes useful practice material for the individual child, as well as how long he can practice each time and how often he should practice.

On the average, children are probably given three IQ tests between the first and ninth grades-that is, between the beginning of elementary school and the end of junior high school. Different school systems follow different practices in this regard. Some will give IQ tests in the first, fourth, and seventh grades; others give them in the second, fifth, and eighth grades; some may give them every other year; and a few may give them only twice, perhaps in the third and seventh grades.

Parents should find out what testing schedule is followed in their local school system. Knowing in what grades and during which part of the year the tests are given, they can arrange the child's practice exercises so that he will enjoy the maximum benefits at the moment when they will do him the most good.

The answers to the practice exercises appear at the back of the book.