Estimating Intelligence by Means of Printed Photographs

Abstract

The purpose of the investigation was to determine the reliability of photographs for indicating the intelligence of strangers, and to seek out differences in the ability of various persons to judge intelligence by this means. Sixty-nine persons were given an adaptation of the army intelligence test. Photographs of these persons who were buyers, managers, etc., in a department store company were printed in the company annual. Twelve judges were selected from students and instructors of psychology and asked to estimate the intelligence of the people by a careful study of their photographs. The photographs were placed in four groups--the seven most intelligent, the seven least intelligent, the fourteen who were superior but not as good as the best seven, the fourteen who were inferior but not as poor as the worst seven. It seems doubtful that intelligence can be gauged by a study of a man's photograph. There was a correlation of .27 between assigned ratings and intelligence measured by the tests. There are considerable individual differences shown in ability to make ratings on intelligence from photographs. From Psych Bulletin 18:08:00511. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)