Politics and naturalism in the 20th century psychology of Alfred Binet.

Abstract

Alfred Binet is internationally recognized as the "father" of the first intelligence test as well as the most faithful French representative of laboratory experimentalism. A historical analysis of his work is therefore necessary to get to a thorough comprehension of 20th century psychology. The present article, starting from Binet's intellectual path and from the suggestions of the previous historical literature, aims at providing fresh insights into Binet's work by trying to capture the intersections between Binet, his naturalistic culture and the political context in which he worked in the early 20th century, when he actively tried to apply experimental psychology to the pedagogical area. In fact, it is possible to underline, with reference to those years, an evident turn towards applications in Binet's psychological production. The article reconstructs the political and institutional background of Binet's research and shows how the naturalism and experimentalism he promoted were complementary to the solidarist conceptions that were particularly prevalent among those who supported his work during the Third Republic.

Making up intelligence scales: De Sanctis’s and Binet’s tests, 1905 and after.

“…For similar reasons, the Roman psycho-pedagogical experience of De Sanctis was favored in Italy and represented the tip of the iceberg of a myr iad of independent initiatives for child institu tions and cooperatives that operated at least until 1911-the year in which public education was nationalized-mainly within the territory of the municipality of the city of Rome (AA. VV" 2013; Alatri, 2001;Carson, 2007;Ciani, 2007;Foschi, 2008Foschi, , 2012Foschi & Cicciola, 2006Genovesi, 2006;Guamieri, 2001;Sante di Pol, 2005;Wolf, 1973).…”

“…Binet, on numerous occasions, underlined the fact that his scale was designed only for clinical purposes, as a way to compare the individual's mental age with their chronological age on the basis of a structured study of a sample of individuals of the same age. Along these lines, the intelligence of an abnormal child could also be "educated" and transformed by means of exercises suitable for the reentry of the abnormal child into society, beginning with the institutionalization of the "abnormality" by means of "classes de perfectionnement" or "differential classes," in which the reeducation process would take place (Binet & Simon, 1907; see also Foschi & Cicciola, 2006). It remains true, however, that of the test's three categories of abnormalities-idiot, imbecile, weak of mind-in the end, only the last category, characterized by the mildest dis turbances, could effectively benefit from psy cho-pedagogical interventions.…”

“…Binet and Simon's prefer ence for the psychological method, and specif ically for the Metric Scale of Intelligence, was thus made evident. For them, it was the only method able to objectively establish the intel lectual level of abnormal children and to iden tify "certain" signs of mental retardation on the basis of the deviation from a statistically con structed norm (Binet, 1910; for discussion of the other methods, see Cicciola, 2008;Foschi & Cicciola, 2006;Nicolas, 2004;Nicolas & Andrieu, 2005). We should note here two items.…”

“…Likewise, in France, in the last decades of the 19th century, new social needs emerged, including the need to establish com pulsory and secular education, available free of charge to all children (Foschi & Cicciola, 2006.…”

Escape from the dark forest: the experimentalist standpoint of Sante De Sanctis' psychology of dreams

“…From that moment on, educational psychology in Rome was characterized, thanks to the organizational ability of De Sanctis and Maria Montessori (1870Montessori ( -1952, by extraordinary growth on the basis of a progressive and scientific approach to research (Babini, 1996;Foschi, 2008;cf. Foschi and Cicciola, 2006a, 2006b.…”