Alfred Binet
- Born:
- July 8, 1857, Nice, France
- Died:
- October 18, 1911, Paris, France
- Nationality:
- French
- Profession(s):
- Psychologist, Psychometrician
Early Life and Education
- Initially pursued a law degree but transitioned to the study of natural sciences.
- Self-taught in psychology, developing his own research methods.
- Earned a doctorate in natural sciences from the Sorbonne in 1878.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked at the Salpêtrière Hospital under Jean-Martin Charcot, studying hypnotism (though later moved away from this field).
- Director of the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology at the Sorbonne (1894).
- Key figure in the development of experimental psychology in France.
- Collaborated with Théodore Simon to develop the Binet-Simon Scale in 1905. This scale was a practical method for assessing the intellectual abilities of children.
- Revised and improved the Binet-Simon Scale in 1908 and 1911. The 1908 version introduced the concept of "mental age".
- His work laid the groundwork for the development of IQ tests.
- The development and validation of the Binet-Simon Scale involved considering various features of a biography test for children of different ages, carefully calibrating the difficulty of questions.
Notable Works
- Animal Magnetism (1886)
- La psychologie du raisonnement (1886)
- Les altérations de la personnalité (1892)
- Introduction à la psychologie expérimentale (1894)
- L'âme et le corps (1905)
- Les Idées modernes sur les enfants (1909)
- Co-authored the Binet-Simon Scale (1905, 1908, 1911)
Legacy and Impact
Alfred Binet's most enduring legacy is the Binet-Simon Scale. His work revolutionized the field of psychology and profoundly influenced the development of intelligence testing and special education. His focus on the practical application of psychological research made a significant contribution to educational practices.