Compare and contrast standardized tests of mental abilities with free play assessments as a

Question

viable way to study cognitive competence and development in infants.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Perhaps a chief advantage of standardized tests of mental abilities, such as the Bayley
Scales of Infant Development, is that these tests have been administered to thousands of
infants; thus, these tests are norm-referenced and standardized. Their precision as a
viable dependent or outcome measure is backed by the fact that the test scores are
typically used to guide eligibility decisions for state-supported assistance. A weakness
is that the test scores often do not forecast long-term intellect in children. Play
assessments, unlike standardized tests, do not require a trained examiner and the play
materials naturally elicit behaviors from infants that may be difficult to elicit by a test
examiner. Play assessments could be considered somewhat culture free, in the sense
that play is a behavior that all children engage in. Also, play behaviors of toddlers and
preschoolers have been tied to intellectual development in children. Of course, a down
side to play assessments is that someone must be trained to code the play behaviors,
and as yet, none of these assessments have been normed-referenced and standardized.