The Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale aimed to assess a child's mental age, which is a measure of intellectual development compared to average chronological age.
Binet's goal was to identify children who might need special education or assistance in school. The idea was that if a child's mental age was significantly below their chronological age, they might require additional support.
Binet's approach was groundbreaking at the time, as it moved away from the prevailing idea that intelligence was a fixed and unchangeable trait. Instead, Binet believed that intelligence was malleable and could be influenced by environmental factors and education. Modern assessments of intelligence focus on a range of abilities and skills rather than labeling individuals as normal or subnormal.
What tests did Alfred Binet develop to identify 'subnormal' children?