The Psychology Behind the Wason Selection Task

Number of words: 392 People aren’t good at dealing with the uncertainties or missing information in a puzzle. Here’s a neat little example that’s been tested in psychological studies and widely discussed. You’ve got four cards on the table. Each card has a letter on one side and a number on the other side. Naturally,you … Read more

The Controversy Surrounding Terman’s IQ Test Adjustments

Number of words: 407 One of the reasons for the popularity of Terman’s test was that the scores were expressed as a catchy number — the intelligence quotient, or IQ. Psychologist William Stern had earlier proposed dividing a child’s “mental age” by the chronological age to get a “mental quotient” that would tell how smart … Read more

The Evolution of Interview Questions in Hiring Practices

Number of words: 438 Human resources experts categorize interview questions with terms such as “traditional” and “behavioral.” Traditional questions include the old standards that almost any American job seeker knows by heart. Where do you see yourself in five years? What do you do on your day off? What’s the last book you’ve read? What … Read more