Terman Merril Test: what is it and what parts and tests does it contain?

A summary of the characteristics of the Terman Merril Test, an instrument for measuring intelligence.

The Terman Merril Test (1916) is a tool for measuring intelligence, created by the American psychologist Lewis Madison Terman (1877-1957).created by the American psychologist Lewis Madison Terman (1877-1956) and the American psychologist Maud Amanda Merrill (1888-1978). It is a revision of the Binet and Simon test.

In this article we will see what this test consists of, what its origin is, what it evaluates and which are the 10 subtests that make it up.

What is the Terman Merrill Test?

The Terman Merrill Test was born in 1916, by the two American psychologists mentioned at the beginning. This test is divided into 10 subtests, which include different types of tasksThe test is designed to measure both verbal and non-verbal intelligence.

In turn, the test can be divided into 6 major areas into which general intelligence is also divided:

• General intelligence
• Quantitative reasoning
• Fluid reasoning
• Visuospatial processes
• Working memory
• Knowledge

The activities of the Terman Merril Test that make up these 6 areas are of different types, and through them two values are obtained two values are obtained: the IQ and the degree of learning of the subject examined..

Thus, the activities that make up the test include concentration tasks, analogies, judgments, abstract reasoning, memory, language, etc.

Origin

To understand a little of the history of the Terman Merril Test, let us go to the origin of intelligence tests. These tests, also called intelligence tests, originated at the end of the 19th century, originated at the end of the 19th century, with authors such as Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon. (Binet was a psychologist and Simon was a psychiatrist).

Binet and Simon developed the first intelligence test, which made it possible to determine the strengths and weaknesses in the subjects' cognition (i.e., in their intellectual abilities).

The Binet and Simon test was used in numerous public schools, and many years later, Terman and Merril came along, came Terman and Merril, who revised the Binet and Simon test and adapted it to make it easier and more effective to use..

Characteristics of this intelligence measurement tool

The Terman Merril Test consists of a psychometric test that evaluates intelligence and allows to determine the IQ of the subject. allows to determine the intelligence quotient of the subject testedIt consists of a series of subtests with different tasks, with a total duration of between 40 and 50 minutes (the complete test).

Its use is intended for the evaluation of people who have a minimum level of schooling, enabling them to understand the problemsThe test consists of 10 subtests that measure different skills, all of them related to intelligence.

As mentioned above, the test consists of 10 subtests that measure different skills, all of them related to intelligence. Specifically, the test allows two measures to be obtained: intelligence and learning ability. In addition, it also interpretation of the scores and a diagnosis of the subject examined..

From each of these measures (intelligence, learning ability, interpretation and diagnosis) different scores are obtained, which allude to four values or ranges and which allow us to "classify" the subject in question. These values are five:

• Deficient
• Below average
• Medium term
• Above average
• Above

Target

The objective of the Terman Merril Test is to measure a series of abilities and skills of the person, all of them related to general intelligence.. These abilities have to do with human cognition, and are intellectual capacity (general intelligence), analytical capacity, synthesis capacity and organizational capacity.

On the other hand, speaking of skills more related to practical intelligence, the test measures general culture, planning and decision making.

Finally, and in a more academic sense, the test allows for the evaluation of skills such as numerical ability, verbal skills, comprehension and academic performance/achievement..

Subtests

We have seen that the Terman Merril Test evaluates intelligence through 6 major areas (or specific factors), already listed. The test makes this evaluation through 10 subtests, which in turn include tasks and activities of different types; these consist of tests that evaluate both verbal and non-verbal intelligence.

Recall that verbal intelligence includes activities that require reading and language comprehension, and non-verbal intelligence does not (this second type of intelligence is more abstract reasoning, evaluated through exercises such as "following the numerical series"). In other words, non-verbal intelligence does not require the subject to know how to read.

Now, let's see what 10 subtests make up the Terman Merril Test.

1. Information

The first subtest of the Terman Merril Test is the information subtest. This measures the subject's long-term memory, as well as the level of information that the subject is able to grasp from his or her environment..

Its score indicates the person's capacity for association when using data, as well as his or her capacity to generate information through his or her knowledge.

2. Judgment or comprehension

The second subtest evaluates the subject's judgment or understanding. Thus, it measures the person's common sense, measures the person's common sense, as well as his or her handling of reality.. Its score indicates the presence or absence of understanding and ability to solve practical (everyday) problems.

It also reflects the degree to which the person adjusts to social norms, and how he/she uses life experiences to learn.

Vocabulary

Also called verbal meanings subtests, evaluates the presence or absence of abstract thinking as well as the subject's cultural level.. Specifically, it measures the subject's knowledge of language, as well as the subject's analysis of different concepts.

4. Synthesis or logical selection

The next subtest of the Terman Merril test is the synthesis subtest, which measures the subject's reasoning, abstraction measures the subject's reasoning, his or her capacity for abstraction and the deductions he or she makes through logic..

Thus, through this subtest we can know the subject's ability to interpret and evaluate reality objectively. It also analyzes the ability to summarize (synthesize), relate ideas and generate conclusions.

5. Arithmetic or concentration

This subtest evaluates to what extent the subject handles information, concentrates and resists distractions.. In short, it indicates the degree of concentration (attention) the subject has when he/she must concentrate (especially under pressure).

6. Analysis or practical judgment

The following subtest evaluates common sense, foresight and the ability to identify inconsistencies. It determines whether the subject is able to break down the information in a problem. and explain their underlying causes.

7. Abstraction

The abstraction subtest of the Terman Merril Test, also called the analogies subtest, measures two fundamental aspects: the comprehension of information and the ability to generalize..

That is, it allows analyzing whether and to what extent a person is able to relate different ideas to reach a certain conclusion.

8. Planning

Also called the sentence ordering subtest, it evaluates the following skills: planning (i.e., planning), organization, anticipation, attention to detail, and imagination..

Thus, it determines whether the person is able to foresee the consequences of certain actions, and also assesses the ability to attend to the details and the comprehensiveness of a given situation.

9. Organization

The subtest of organization, also called classification, measures the subject's ability to discriminate and follow the processes .. It also evaluates whether an individual is able to detect failures in certain processes, and to solve those failures.

10. Anticipation, attention or seriation

Finally, the last subtest of the Terman Merril test is the anticipation, attention or seriation subtest.

It measures these abilities, and its score indicates whether the subject is able to interpret and verify certain numerical calculations.. It also assesses the subject's ability to concentrate, especially under pressure.

Bibliographical references:

• Ballesteros, J. (2010). A critical review of the Terman scale. Why we should not use the Third Edition Stanford-Binet Form L-M. Psicología Educativa, 16(1): 23-30.
• Ortiz, P. (1989). Intellectual Assessment in the Clinic. In A. Avila Espada (Ed.): Evaluación psicológica clínica (Vol. II). Madrid: UCM.
• Pueyo, A. (1997). Manual de Psicología Diferencial. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
• Valdez, A., Cortes, G., Vázquez, L. y De la Pena, A. (2018). Terman-Merril Application for Intelligence Measurement. (IJACSA) International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 9(4): 62-66.