Question

The British scholar who was the first to argue that a tendency toward high intelligence is hereditary was

a) Sigmund Freud
b) Charles Darwin
c) Francis Galton
d) Alfred Binet

Answer 1

The first British scholar to propose the idea of intelligence being hereditary was Francis Galton. His work was foundational for the field of behavioral genetics and set the stage for future research on intelligence, from which Alfred Binet developed the first practical intelligence test that later evolved into modern IQ assessment tools.

Step-by-step explanation:

Francis Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin, was instrumental in the early study of heredity and its effects on human behaviour and intelligence. His work set the stage for the future field of behavioral genetics. Galton's theories on heredity and intelligence were controversial but influential, laying the groundwork for subsequent psychological research.

Not a psychologist himself, his interests were varied and his methods sometimes unorthodox, yet his impact on the study of intelligence is undeniable. It was Alfred Binet in partnership with his colleague Théodore Simon, who later developed the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale at the request of the French government. This scale is the basis for modern IQ tests, which are used to assess individuals' mental capacities. The idea of measuring intelligence has been refined and debated over the years, especially in relation to factors like environment and genetics.