Final answer:
The notion of intelligence and attempts to measure it existed long before Alfred Binet, with notable early work by Sir Francis Galton and thoughts from ancient philosophers like Aristotle.
Binet developed the first practical test to assess children's intelligence for educational purposes. Subsequent advancements by Spearman, Wechsler, and controversial works by Jensen have shaped our understanding and assessment of intelligence over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept of intelligence and the efforts to measure it precede the pioneering work of Alfred Binet. Notable contributions were made by Sir Francis Galton in the late 1800s, who developed a broad test of intelligence, although his approach was not psychological.
Ancient philosophers like Aristotle also had their own views on intelligence, theorizing about human reasoning and mental capacities long before modern psychology. Binet's innovation came in the early 20th century when the French government commissioned him to develop an intelligence test for schoolchildren. Binet's work led to the creation of the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale.
In a broader historical context, Charles Spearman later introduced the concept of a general intelligence factor, 'g', while David Wechsler further advanced the field by developing the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale, which evolved into the widely used WAIS series. Wechsler's definition of intelligence was more comprehensive, encompassing both verbal and nonverbal skills.
Controversially, Arthur Jensen's work in the late 1960s sparked debate by suggesting a genetic basis for intelligence and proposing a distinction between different types of cognitive abilities, which led to accusations of racial bias. Nevertheless, the evolution of intelligence testing has been marked by efforts to create reliable, consistent measures to assess intellectual capability.