Black Measurement: The Contributions of People Racialized as Black to the Field of Psychometrics

Abstract

Psychometrics is a branch of psychology concerned with the measurement of mental attributes, behavior, and performance, in addition to the design and analysis of tests and other instruments. The origins of this field are rooted in the explorations of 18th century scientists concerned with capturing phenomena in empirical ways. Less discussed is the use of tests and assessments to validate racialization, which thrusts persons racialized as Black into the early discourse on psychometrics. Scholars, scientists, and psychometricians racialized as Black have long engaged psychometrics providing two major contributions: infrastructure via personnel and training programs built by persons racialized as Black; and interdisciplinarity, which include disciplinary standards and knowledge production. This commentary names these important figures and describes their contributions to the field of psychometrics.