Shortly before the outbreak of World War I, psychologists in the United States began to use paper-and-pencil tests to evaluate such human characteristics as intelligence, manual dexterity, work skills, and academic achievement. The new methodology was used by the U.S. Army during World War I to test the intelligence of recruits. After the war, it spread widely in American schools, offices, and industry.
David Gold worked as a personnel officer from the 1920s into the 1970s. In this capacity, he accumulated a variety of paper-and-pencil tests which he donated to the Smithsonian in 1989. The tests date from 1920 to 1947 and are numbered in rough chronological order from 1989.0910.01 through 1979.0710.78.
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