The person credited with launching the testing movement is

The person credited with launching the testing movement is

• A. B. F. Skinner
• B. Noam Chomsky
• C. Sir Francis Galton
• D. Wilhelm Wundt

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how psychology began systematically measuring people to compare abilities. Sir Francis Galton is credited with launching this testing movement because he turned attention to measuring individual differences and using data to understand them. He pioneered psychometrics, developing instruments to quantify sensory, motor, and cognitive traits, and he collected data from large groups to see patterns. He also introduced early statistical ideas, like correlation, to explore how different abilities relate to one another and to overall performance. This emphasis on measurement and standardization laid the groundwork for the development of standardized tests and the widespread use of quantitative scoring in education, clinical work, and research. In contrast, the other figures contributed in different ways. B. F. Skinner is central to behaviorism and learning theory, Noam Chomsky is known for his work in linguistics and critiques of behaviorism, and Wilhelm Wundt founded experimental psychology and the first formal psychology lab. Their work shaped theory and methods, but the explicit move toward measuring and comparing people with standardized tests—the testing movement—originated with Galton’s emphasis on measurement and statistics.

The main idea here is how psychology began systematically measuring people to compare abilities. Sir Francis Galton is credited with launching this testing movement because he turned attention to measuring individual differences and using data to understand them. He pioneered psychometrics, developing instruments to quantify sensory, motor, and cognitive traits, and he collected data from large groups to see patterns. He also introduced early statistical ideas, like correlation, to explore how different abilities relate to one another and to overall performance. This emphasis on measurement and standardization laid the groundwork for the development of standardized tests and the widespread use of quantitative scoring in education, clinical work, and research.

In contrast, the other figures contributed in different ways. B. F. Skinner is central to behaviorism and learning theory, Noam Chomsky is known for his work in linguistics and critiques of behaviorism, and Wilhelm Wundt founded experimental psychology and the first formal psychology lab. Their work shaped theory and methods, but the explicit move toward measuring and comparing people with standardized tests—the testing movement—originated with Galton’s emphasis on measurement and statistics.