Terman Merril test: what it is and what parts and tests it contains

The Terman Merril Test (1916) is a tool for measuring intelligence, created by the American psychologist Lewis Madison Terman (1877-1956) and by the psychologist, also American, Maud Amanda Merrill (1888-1978). This is a revision of the Binet and Simon test.

In this article we will see what this test consists of, what is its origin, what it evaluates and what are the 10 subtests that make it up.

• Related article: "Types of psychological tests: their functions and characteristics"

What is the Terman Merril Test?

The Terman Merrill Test was born in 1916, by the hand of the two American psychologists mentioned at the beginning. This test is divided into 10 subtests, which include different types of tasks., aimed at measuring both verbal and non-verbal intelligence.

In turn, the test can be divided into 6 large areas in which general intelligence is also divided:

• general intelligence
• quantitative reasoning
• fluid reasoning
• visuospatial processes
• Work memory
• Knowledge

The activities of the Terman Merril Test that make up these 6 areas are of different types, and through them

two values ​​are obtained: the intellectual coefficient and the degree of learning of the subject examined.

Thus, the activities that make up the test include concentration tasks, analogies, judgments, abstract reasoning, memory, language, etc.

Origin

To understand a bit the history of the Terman Merril Test, let's go to the origin of intelligence tests. These tests, also called intelligence tests, originated at the end of the 19th century, by authors such as Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon (Binet was a psychologist and Simon a psychiatrist).

Binet and Simon were the ones who developed the first intelligence test, which made it possible to determine the strengths and weaknesses in the cognition of the subjects (that is, in their abilities intellectuals).

The Binet and Simon Test was used in numerous public schools, and many years later, Terman and Merril arrived, who revised the Binet and Simon test and adapted it to make it easier and more effective to use..

• You may be interested in: "theories of human intelligence"

Features this intelligence measurement tool

The Terman Merril Test consists of a psychometric test that evaluates intelligence and that allows to determine the intelligence quotient of the subject examined, through a series of subtests with different tasks, with a total duration of between 40 and 50 minutes (the complete test).

Its use is intended for the evaluation of people who have a minimum educational level, which allows them to understand the problems raised throughout the test.

As mentioned before, the test consists of 10 subtests that measure different abilities, all of them related to intelligence. Specifically, the test makes it possible to obtain two measures: intelligence and learning ability. Also, also allows an interpretation of the scores and a diagnosis of the subject examined.

From each of these measures (intelligence, learning capacity, interpretation and diagnosis) we obtain different scores, which allude to four values ​​or ranges and which allow us to "classify" the subject into question. These values ​​are five:

• Deficient
• below average
• middle ground
• above average
• Superior

Aim

The objective of the Terman Merril Test is to measure a series of capacities and abilities of the person, all of them related to general intelligence. These capacities have to do with human cognition, and are intellectual capacity (general intelligence), analytical capacity, synthesis capacity and organizational capacity.

On the other hand, speaking of skills more related to practical intelligence, the test measures general knowledge, planning and decision-making.

Finally, and in a more academic sense, the test allows evaluating skills such as numeracy, verbal skills, comprehension, and academic achievement/achievement.

subtests

We have seen that the Terman Merril Test evaluates intelligence through 6 large areas (or specific factors), already listed. The test makes this evaluation through 10 subtests, which in turn include tasks and activities of different types; These consist of tests that assess both verbal and non-verbal intelligence.

Remember that verbal intelligence includes activities that require reading and language comprehension, and nonverbal intelligence does not. (This second type of intelligence is more of abstract reasoning, evaluated through exercises such as "following the number series"). That is, nonverbal intelligence does not require that the subject know how to read.

Now yes, we are going to see what 10 subtests make up the Terman Merril Test.

1. Information

The first subtest of the Terman Merril Test is information. This measures the long-term memory of the subject, as well as the level of information that the subject is capable of capturing from their environment.

His score indicates the association capacity that the person has when using data, as well as his ability to generate information through his knowledge.

2. judgment or understanding

The second subtest assesses the subject's judgment or understanding. So, measures the common sense of the person, as well as their handling of reality. Your score indicates the presence or absence of understanding and ability to solve practical (everyday) problems.

It also reflects the degree of adjustment of the person to social norms, and how they take advantage of life experiences to learn.

3. Vocabulary

Also called subtests of verbal meanings, evaluates the presence or absence of abstract thought, as well as the cultural level of the subject. Specifically, it measures the subject's knowledge of language, as well as the analysis that he makes of the different concepts.

4. Synthesis or logical selection

The next subtest of the Terman Merril Test is that of synthesis, and measures the reasoning of the subject, his capacity for abstraction and the deductions that he makes through logic.

Thus, through this subtest we can know the subject's ability to interpret and evaluate reality objectively. It also analyzes the ability to summarize (synthesize), relate ideas and draw conclusions.

5. Arithmetic or concentration

This subtest evaluates the extent to which the test subject handles information, concentrates, and resists distractions. In short, it tells us what degree of concentration (attention) the subject has when he must concentrate (especially under pressure).

6. Analysis or practical judgment

The following subtest assesses common sense, foresight, and the ability to identify inconsistencies. Allows to determine if the subject is able to break down the information of a problem and explain its underlying causes.

7. Abstraction

The abstraction subtest of the Terman Merril Test, also called the analogies subtest, measures two fundamental aspects: comprehension of information and the ability to generalize.

That is, it allows us to analyze whether a person is capable of relating different ideas to reach a certain conclusion, and to what extent he can do so.

8. planning

Also called the sentence ordering subtest, it assesses the following skills: planning (i.e. planning), organization, anticipation, attention to detail, and imagination.

Thus, it determines the fact that the person is capable of foreseeing the consequences of certain acts, and also evaluates the ability to attend to the details and the globality of a certain situation.

9. Organization

The organization subtest, also called classification, measures the subject's ability to discriminate and follow processes. It also evaluates if an individual is capable of detecting failures in certain processes, and of solving said failures.

10. Anticipation, attention or seriation

Finally, the last subtest of the Terman Merril test is that of anticipation, attention or seriation.

Measure these abilities, and their score indicates whether the subject is able to interpret and verify certain numerical calculations. It also assesses the subject's ability to concentrate, especially under pressure.

Bibliographic references:

• Ballesteros, J. (2010). A critical review of the Terman scale. Why we should not use the Third Edition Stanford-Binet Form L-M. Educational Psychology, 16(1): 23-30.
• Ortiz, P. (1989). Intellectual Evaluation in the Clinic. in a. Ávila Espada (Ed.): Clinical psychological evaluation (Vol. II). Madrid: UCM.
• Pueyo, a. (1997). Differential Psychology Manual. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
• Valdez, A., Cortes, G., Vazquez, L. and De la Pena, A. (2018). Terman-Merril Application for Intelligence Measurement. (IJACSA) International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 9(4): 62-66.