Question

Briefly describe James McKeen Cattell's (1890) contribution to the history of psychometric testing.

a) Developed the first intelligence test
b) Introduced factor analysis
c) Invented personality assessments
d) Ignored statistical methods in testing

Answer 1

James McKeen Cattell introduced factor analysis and developed the 16PF personality assessment in the history of psychometric testing. Option b is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

James McKeen Cattell made significant contributions to the history of psychometric testing. He did not develop the first intelligence test, as that was done by Sir Francis Galton.

However, Cattell introduced factor analysis, which is a statistical method used to identify underlying factors or dimensions in a set of data. Cattell also developed a personality assessment based on 16 factors, called the 16PF.