Irving Daniel Lorge (April 19, 1905 – January 23, 1961) was an American psychologist known for his work in

psychometrics Psychometrics is a field of study within psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. Psychometrics generally covers specialized fields within psychology and education devoted to testing, measurement, assessment, and rela ...

. His research focused on a wide variety of topics, including the measurement of giftedness,

human intelligence Human intelligence is the Intellect, intellectual capability of humans, which is marked by complex Cognition, cognitive feats and high levels of motivation and self-awareness. Using their intelligence, humans are able to learning, learn, Concept ...

, and readability. While working at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Teachers College Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

with his mentor Edward L. Thorndike, he helped develop what became known as the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Tests.

Biography

Lorge was born on April 19, 1905, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He joined the faculty at

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

in 1927 to work with Edward L. Thorndike. In 1938, he became Associate Professor of Education at Teachers College, and he continued to work there for the rest of his life, save for two years working as a consultant to the

United States federal government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Specifically, from 1942 to 1944, he was a consultant to the special training division of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, where he significantly changed the way in which the Army trained illiterate soldiers. He was promoted to Professor of Education at Teachers College in 1946, and became executive officer in the Institute of Psychological Research there in 1947; he held both of these positions until his death. He was a founder of the Psychometric Society, and later served as its president. He died unexpectedly on January 23, 1961, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

References

1905 births 1961 deaths Scientists from New York City 20th-century American psychologists Psychometricians Teachers College, Columbia University faculty City College of New York alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Fellows of the American Statistical Association {{US-psychologist-stub