Social psychologist Malcolm Klein devised a test for Los Angeles that he says predicts how likely a child is to join a gang, reports the Wall Street Journal. The test, which can be found here in its entirety, asks kids questions like whether they have just broken up with a boyfriend or girlfriend and how many of their friends have used marijuana. The problem: the city won’t know for several years if the predictions are accurate. [%comments]
The Gang Test
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Analysing this in conjunction with your post on 22nd about how telling college kids the loved asparagus as a kid will make them eat more, one would think that if a kid is told he is destined to be a gangster he will work towards it. I’m not very sure of this though, I was told I would be an engineer but I’m in law school.
“Social psychologist Malcolm Klein devised a test for Los Angeles that he says predicts how likely a child is to join a gang[.]”
Presumably, this psychologist has done the clinical research necessary to establish the prediction. It would have to involve thousands — perhaps tens or even hundreds of thousands — of children, and years of observation. But then, the necessary observation itself might alter the results, since people behave differently when under observation than not.
I think the commentors are too harsh on this test.
Even if it was based on common sense and experience rather than experimental results it could have some value, as it is distilling the experience of the test creator and providing his knowledge in a very easy to reuse way.
Predicting gang-membership might not be a very difficult task. This tool could provide teachers with a structured way to review the problem before it occurs and help children in need.
I would like my child to be subjected to a yearly test by the school to detect potential problems and help the teachers focus on certain areas where he might need help.
The quality of the test is not very important, what is important is creating a ritual where the teacher allocates the time to think about these non-academic issues and communicate with the parents if necessary.
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The quality of the test is very important, since it’s trying to predict who will be in a gang and who will not.
You can’t detect potential problems accurately with this test. Saying you’re going to predict with a test when asking in the actual exam IF they are actually IN a gang already rigs the test, and predictive power.
You can create a ritual without having to take a rigged exam. That’s what good parenting is all about.