Psychologist Russell T. Warne is currently developing an IQ test that can be used for children age 3 to 11 anywhere in the world, regardless of the language they speak. The test has been designed to be given by someone who speaks the child’s language. The instructions for giving the test do have to be translated into the local language. However, the test prompts and responses are independent of the language.
There is an unmet need for this kind of test, since the tests that work well in one geographic area do not necessarily work well elsewhere. Warne’s new test, once validated, will be particularly valuable in the developing world, since it will be useful for monitoring public health. (Problems such as malnutrition or lead poisoning can reduce average IQ.) The test will also be useful for identifying gifted children who will benefit from an accelerated education. Of course, before you use a test, you must test the test itself, to show that it reliably measures what you want it to measure. To test the test, he needs to raise some money. He already has testers lined up for three samples:
- English speakers
- Spanish speakers
- Turkish speakers
It will cost somewhere between $22,000 and $36,000 to do the testing for each of these samples. Mensans, let’s put our heads together and figure out where he can get funding for this project!
About the test
Plan for research
Russell T. Warne is the creator of the Reasoning and Intelligence Online Test (RIOT).
Email Dr. Warne at: russwarne@gmail.com