When Cronbach (1970) concluded that such a
test "is giving realistic information on the presence
of a handicap," he is, of course, correct. But psy-
chologists should recognize that it is those in power
in a society who often decide what is a handicap.
We should be a lot more cautious about accepting
as ultimate criteria of ability the standards imposed
by whatever group happens to be in power.
Does this mean that intelligence tests are in-
valid? As so often when you examine a question
carefully in psychology, the answer depends on
what you mean. Valid for what? Certainly they
are valid for predicting who will get ahead in a
number of prestige jobs where credentials are im-
portant. So is white skin: it too is a valid predictor
of job success in prestige jobs. But no one would
argue that white skin per se is an ability factor.
Lots of the celebrated correlations between so-called
intelligence test scores and success can lay no
greater claim to representing an ability factor.
Valid for predicting success in school? Certainly,
because school success depends on taking similar
types of tests. Yet, neither the tests nor school
grades seem to have much power to predict real
competence in many life outcomes, aside from the
advantages that credentials convey on the indi-
viduals concerned.