Intelligence of Unmarried Mothers
- Author:
McClure, Director, The Juvenile Adjustment Ag.ency,
Toledo, Ohio
Bronett Goldberg, Psycho-Clinician, The Juvenile Adjustment Agency, Toledo, Ohio
Many unfortunate girls find refuge each year in homes where they are cared for during the period of pregnancy. Every precaution is taken to give them the best of care, and furthermore, to protect them from the altogether too unsympathetic public. Much secrecy surounds their lives while in confinement. During the past four years 87 girls from one of these homes have been referred to the Juvenile Adjustment Agency for mental examinations. Each girl was given the Stanford-Binet test by one of the psycho-clinicians on the staff of the Agency. Purpose of the Study
I. To determine the general mentality of unmarried mothers confined in a home for unfortunate girls. II. To analyze their intelligence in the light of the several mental traits measured by the Stanford-Binet Scale. I. General Mentality Three of the girls had language difficulties so their test scores are not included in the data presented in Table I.
Table I INTELLIGENCE OF 84 UNMARRIED PROSPECTIVE MOTHERS Number of girls tested 84 Range of I.Q.s 38-109 Median I.Q 76. Mean I.Q 77.09 P.E. mn 1.057 Table I shows the range of I.Q.s to be from 38 to 109, and the mean, 77. Thus, using Terman’s classification, we find these girls to range from imbeciles to normals in intelligence. Table II shows the frequency of I.Q.s at each level from imbecile to normal intelligence. This classification shows that only 16 girls (19 per cent) are normal while the remainder are subnormal.
Table II CLASSIFICATION OF THE I.Q.s OF 84 UNMARRIED PROSPECTIVE MOTHERS Classification of Intelligence I.Q. range Frequency Per cent Normal 90-109 16 19.0 Dull normal 80- 89 22 26.2 Borderline 70- 79 20 23.8 Moron 50- 69 23 27.4 Imbecile 25-49 3 3.6
Although these 84 girls may not be representative of the total number who become pregnant out of wedlock, yet the statement may be ventured that they are more or less representative of the type of unmarried mothers who come to the attention of social agencies. If a general survey were possible covering all social, economic and mental levels of population the results would undoubtedly show each class contributing its quota but with the preponderance of cases coming from the lower levels. Another important question is: At what chronological age does this problem become most acute ? Table III shows that the 87 girls range in age from 13 to 41 and the mean age is 18.37 years.
Table III CHRONOLOGICAL AGES OF 87 UNMARRIED PROSPECTIVE MOTHERS Number of girls 87 Range of Ages 13-41 Median Age 18 Mean Age 18.37 P.E. mn 265 Standard Deviation 3.672 These data indicate that this is a problem dealing largely with adolescent girls; only 11 of them (13 per cent) are above the age of 21. The standard deviation of 3.67 shows that the ages are well concentrated around the mean. The correlation (Pearson “r”) between age and intelligence of these girls is ?.21. This coefficient is too low to be very significant, yet it shows, as far as this group is concerned, that the younger girls are slightly more intelligent than the older ones. In other words, the older the girls the less intelligent they are.
II. Analysis of Intelligence One fault to be found with the I.Q. is that it hides one’s true mental picture by ironing out the irregularities of the various phases of his intelligence. It is one thing to know the general level of intelligence of a certain person; it is another thing to know how well each trait of his intelligence has developed. It is a well known fact that one may have a low I.Q. yet have an exceptional memory. In an attempt to show this irregularity of development of the various traits Dr Sullivan1 has devised what she calls, “A Psychographic Eecord Blank” to be used as a means of representing graphically the results of the tests of the Stanford-Binet Scale. She classified all the tests in this scale under 14 heads as follows: 1. Language Comprehension.
It could be said of most of the tests in the Stanford-Binet Scale that they measure language comprehension because the subject must first understand the directions before proceeding with their performance. However, Dr Sullivan assigns a few definite tests to this mental trait. The writers feel that language comprehension is not adequately measured by some of these tests because the subject may fail one or more of them as a result of immaturity of some other mental trait involved, yet understand very well the directions given by the examiner.
2. Spontaneous Interest. This includes interest in self, in numbers, and in things.
3. Motor Coordination. This includes coordination with visual impressions, with speech, voluntary motor control, and association of muscular coordination with corresponding letters and words.
4. Attention. This includes prolonged thought control and persistence of purpose.
5. Spatial ^Relations. This includes appreciation of the spatial relationships in drawing and spatial orientation in distinguishing right and left.
6. Discrimination. This includes discrimination of form, symmetry and direction, 1 Sullivan, Elizabeth T., The Use of a Psychographic Representation of the Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Tests. Jr. of Del. Vol. X, Jan., 1926, pp. 284-285. familiar names, quantity and number relations, facts or knowledge sensory impressions of weight and abstract terms.
7. Comparison. This includes comparison of form, aesthetic impressions, perceptual idea and presentation, accidental distinctions, and fundamental distinctions. 8. Comprehension (of practical situations and how to meet them). This includes comprehension of food, clothing and shelter, familiar expressions; social relations; social judgments; physical relations. 9. Memory. This includes memory of words, names of familiar objects, digits, series of commands, recall of “free idea,” series of acts, rote memory, and visual span. 10. Orientation in Time. This includes orientation in time with respect to day, month and year. 11. Strength of Mental Imagery and Ability to Manipulate it. This includes those tests in which it is necessary to form a mental picture, to visualize mentally in order to pass them. 12. Maturity of Apperceptive Processes. This includes word definition and growth of meaning, and quantitative number relationships. 13. Associative Processes. This includes associations of familiar objects and names, names with perceptual images of color, abstract ideas, “free ideas” and perceptual presentation, ability to combine elements or logical quality of association and rate of readiness of association under the dominance of a guiding idea. 14. Higher Thought Processes. This includes association of ideas on the basis of difference and similarities, combinative or inventive power, critical judgment, abstract logical reasoning, logical integrity of the processes of abstraction, comparison and generalization. Concerning these divisions Dr Sullivan says, “The fourteen divisions appearing in the blank include all the tests of the scale. Under each classification are listed those tests definitely discussed by Dr Terman as being tests in whole or in part of the trait named in the heading. There must necessarily be some duplication since few of the tests can be said to be measures of any single trait. An INTELLIGENCE OF UNMARRIED MOTHERS 123 absolutely true representation, therefore, cannot be expected at the present time to secure a proper weighting of the several tests.’’ The same classification was used to analyze the intelligence of the unmarried mothers but not in the same graphical form described by Dr Sullivan. The final scoring was done only for each of the 14 main traits. The sub-traits were not scored separately. The standards for scoring the 14 mental traits are presented below.2 By this method of scoring each trait is designated as excellent, good, fair, poor, or very poor according to the number of tests passed or failed above or below the chronological age level of the subject. Standards For Scoring Mental Traits Chronological age 5 or 6 years. l1/^ years or more below very poor 1 year to iy2 years below poor Less than 1 year below fair At age to 1 year above good More than 1 year above excellent Chronological age 8 or 9 years. 2 years or more below very poor 1 year to 2 years below poor Less than 1 year below fair At age to 1 year above good More than 1 year above excellent Chronological age 10 to 12 years. 3 years or more below very poor 11/2 years to 3 years below poor Less than iy2 years below fair At age to 1 y2 years above good More than iy2 years above excellent Chronological age 13 to 16 years. 4 years or more below very poor 2 years to 4 years below poor Less than 2 years below fair 2 Devised by E B. Snow, Psycho-Clinician on the staff of the Juvenile Adjustment Agency. At age to 11/2 years above good More than iy2 years above excellent Table IV shows the frequency with which the 84 girls are classified as excellent, good, fair, poor, or very poor on each of the 14 mental traits.
Table IV FREQUENCY OF SCORES MADE BY 84 UNMARRIED MOTHERS Table IV Scores E G VP OK at OK at 10 No Test Traits 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Language Comprehension Spontaneous Interest Motor Coordination Attention Spatial Relations Discrimination Comparison Comprehension Memory Orientation in Time Strength of Mental Imagery and Ability to Manipulate Maturity of Apperceptive Processes Associative Processes Higher Thought Processes
13 2 15 3 3 10 4 9 7 17 15 16 6 16 19 1 6 19 2 15 15 15 14 20 20 24 13 22 5 16 24 20 22 14 19 22 15 34 5 49 31 23 44 38 39 40 5 35 40 35 30 37 41 33 37 42 Total 44 117 159 216 448 74 33 85
Columns 6, 7, and 8, table IV, headed “O.K. at 9,” “O.K. at 10,” and “No Test” need to be briefly explained. For example this table shows that on “Spontaneous Interest,” 37 girls have a score of “O.K. at 9,” and 41, a score of “No Test.” The highest test measuring spontaneous interest (also true of “Orientation In Time”) with the exception of XVI, alt. 2, which was not used, is located at year IX. Thus, the 37 girls who scored “O.K. at 9” passed all the tests given to them up through the IX year level, but their mental age levels are much higher. The 41 girls who scored “No Test” have basal years above IX, so were given no tests measINTELLIGENCE OF UNMARRIED MOTHERS 125 uring this trait. The assumption is, of course, that a subject is able to pass all the tests below his basal year. This being the case, these 41 girls could have been scored “O.K. at 9” instead of “No Test.”
Table IV shows that on “Spatial Relations,” 33 girls scored “O.K. at 10.” The highest test measuring this trait is located at year XVIII, but the next highest is at year X. These 33 girls passed all the tests given them which measure this trait up through the X year level, but did not reach the XVIII year level. It is assumed in this study that if the highest test within the range of tests given which measures a certain mental trait is located in a year level below the mental age, and if all the tests measuring that trait are passed, the maturity of that trait may be considered “at age.” Furthermore, if the basal year is above the year level containing the highest test measuring that trait, thus causing the subject to be given no tests which measure that trait, the maturity of that trait may be considered “at age.” This interpretation, which may be open to criticism, is the result of a careful study of the way in which the Stanford-Binet Scale is constructed. As long as the I.Q. is the only result desired, such an interpretation is not necessary. But when one attempts to analyze the intelligence of a group of subjects into separate mental traits, some kind of an interpretation is needed.
On the basis of this interpretation one is led to the conclusion that Terman believes that the traits “Spontaneous Interest” and “Orientation In Time” reach their maturity at the age of 9 years since no more tests measuring these traits are found on the scale at a higher level except one alternate for “Spontaneous Interest” which is not given except on rare occasions to substitute for another test of this same year level.
It follows from the above discussion that the score “Good” should be substituted for the scores in columns 6, 7, and 8, Table IV, which are “O.K. at 9,” “O.K. at 10,” and “No Test” respectively. This is true because the STANDARDS FOR SCORING MENTAL TRAITS show that “Good” is the score for all traits with “at age” maturity. The data in the following tables are based upon these substitutions.
The scores made by the unmarried mothers range from “Excellent” to “Very poor” on nine of the traits and from “Good” to “Very poor” on the rest, according to Table IV (after transferring the scores in columns 6, 7, and 8, to Column 2). On motor coordination 13 girls scored “Excellent,” while 15 scored “Excellent” on spatial relations. It should also be noted from Table Y that the standard deviations for these two traits are greater than for any of the other traits.
Table Y shows the mean score for each trait. In computing the mean the mid-point of the lowest interval was represented by the score “Yery poor,” the mid-point of the next was represented
Table V MEAN SCORES OF 84 UNMARRIED PROSPECTIVE MOTHERS Traits Mean Score Standard Deviation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Language Comprehension Spontaneous Interest Motor Coordination Attention Spatial Relations Discrimination Comparison Comprehension Memory Orientation in Time Strength of Mental Imagery Maturity of Apperceptive Processes Associative Processes Higher Thought Processes 1.011 .706 1.479 1.121 1.512 1.060 .975 1.169 1.209 .142 1.305 1.159 1.023 1.241 .078 .054 .114 .086 .117 .082 .075 .090 .093 .011 .101 .089 .079 .096
by “Poor,” etc. If the true mean fell anywhere within the class interval represented by “Good,” then “Good” was considered to be the average score for the group on that praticular trait. Table V shows that these girls average “Good” (normal maturity) on only two traits, “Spontaneous Interest” and “Orientation In Time.” This results from the fact that the Stanford-Binet Scale contains no tests which measure either of these traits above the 9 year level. On the trait’’Spatial Relations” the average score is “Fair” while on each of the remaining traits it is “Poor.” The score “Poor” represents a mental retardation of from 2i/? to 4 years according to the STANDARDS FOR SCORING MENTAL TRAITS. The average mental age of these girls is 12.32 years which is a mental retardation of about 3.68 years. Thus, these data indicate that the degree of maturity of 11 of the 14 traits is the same as the maturity of the average general intelligence, e.g., from 3 to 4 years retarded.
Table VI shows the average maturity of traits for each mental group from the normal to the feebleminded.
Table VI Classification 16 nor 22 Dull nor. 20 Bdr. line 26 F. M. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Language Comprehension Spontaneous Interest Motor Coordination Attention Spatial Relations Discrimination Comparison Comprehension Memory Orientation in Time Strength of Mental Imagery Maturity of Apperceptive Processes Associative Processes Higher Thought Processes
F G G G G F F F G G G G F G P G P F G P P P P G F P P F P G VP P F VP P P VP G P P VP P VP F VP VP P VP VP VP VP F VP VP VP VP
Summary of Findings and Conclusions 1. The mean I.Q. of the unmarried prospective mothers is 77.09 and their median is 76. They range in intelligence from normals to imbeciles. 2. Their mean C.A. is 18.37 and their median is 18. Their C.A. range is from 13 to 41. 3. Most of them are adolescents, 87 per cent being below the age of 21. 4. The coefficient of correlation between their C.A.s and I.Q.s is ?.21 which shows that the older girls are slightly less intelligent than the younger girls. 5. Their average score on each of 11 traits out of the 14 (Table V) is “Poor” which shows a retardation in maturity of from 2]/2 to 4 years. 6. This study does not reveal any highly developed trait common to the group.
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