Historicizing Intelligence: Tests, metrics and the shaping of contemporary society
How did intelligence tests and the concept of IQ develop, and what ideas about intelligence have such tests contributed to creating?
What is intelligence?
What is meant by intelligence? There is still significant disagreement about what this concept actually means.
Why is intelligence tested?
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What function do intelligence tests serve? The tests are used in many different contexts for various purposes
How is intelligence tested?
How does one proceed when calculating an IQ score? The methods for measuring intelligence vary.
Articles
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Identifying "Slow Learners": Intelligence Testing in Interwar Schools Apr. 2, 2025 10:00 AM
In the 20th century, IQ testing was introduced in Norwegian schools to assess students' learning abilities and determine who should be transferred to special schools. The goal was to create an inclusive public school system, but in practice, social, economic, and practical considerations also played a significant role.
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Why did the use of a poorly translated American intelligence test become so widespread in post-war Norway? Mar. 30, 2025 10:00 AM
Lack of quality, low interest from authorities, and commercial considerations surprisingly gave it a place in Norwegian schools and research.
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IQ testing and forced sterilization: Eugenics, psychiatric expertise, and legal protection in Norway in the 1950s Mar. 24, 2025 10:00 AM
In 1942, a woman was sterilized after being deceived into believing that the operation was related to menstrual pain. Eleven years later, she filed a lawsuit against the state and against the psychiatrist Augusta Rasmussen, demanding 100,000 NOK in compensation. The case received significant attention and sparked a newspaper debate about IQ testing, eugenics, and the power of experts. What was the background for this lawsuit? Why was the woman sterilized, and how were the state, psychiatry, and IQ tests involved?
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Tests, Measurements, and the Development of the Norwegian School System 1950-2025 Mar. 21, 2025 10:00 AM
Tests and measurements of students have played an important role in the development of the Norwegian school system.
Exhibition: Inside the box. Over a hundred years of measuring intelligence
How did IQ tests come about? What does an IQ test consist of? How have tests affected our perceptions of intelligence? The exhibition shows various IQ tests that have been used in Norway over the past hundred years. It has been displayed at the University of Oslo, Blindern, since January 2023, and is now being relocated to the Faculty of Educational Sciences. In the summer of 2025, an expanded version will open at the Historical Museum in Oslo.
Research
The research project "Historicizing Intelligence" examines the historical development of intelligence tests, IQ scales, and the concepts of intelligence that such tests are based on and have contributed to creating.