Théodore Simon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Théodore Simon
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Simon in Brazil in 1928
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| Born | 10 July 1872 |
| Died | 4 September 1961 (aged 89) Paris, France
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| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Psychologist |
| Scientific career | |
| Influences | Alfred Binet |
| Influenced | Jean Piaget |
Théodore Simon (1873–1961) was a French psychologist. He is famous for working with Alfred Binet. Together, they created the Binet-Simon scale. This scale helps measure a person's intelligence. It became one of the most used tools worldwide. The scale was updated in 1908 and 1911. It also helped create many newer intelligence tests. Simon worked in several hospitals across France. He also started the first nursing school for psychiatry in 1946. Today, a training institute is named after him.
Contents
About Théodore Simon
Early Life and Education
Théodore Simon was born in Dijon, France, on July 10, 1873. His father worked as a railroad engineer. Simon faced sadness early in his life. He lost many family members. After becoming an orphan, he lived with his uncle. His older brother also died when he was only 23.
From a young age, Simon was very interested in the work of Alfred Binet. He often read Binet's books. Simon became a medical doctor. He was curious about both philosophy and psychology. His interest in psychology grew a lot. This happened as the need for hands-on experience in the field became less important.
Working with Alfred Binet
In 1899, Simon started an internship at a hospital called Perray-Vaucluse. Here, he began his important work with children who had learning difficulties. This work caught the eye of Alfred Binet. Binet was studying how physical growth connects to how smart someone is.
Binet came to the hospital and continued his research with Simon. This teamwork led to Simon's medical paper in 1900. From 1901 to 1905, Simon worked in different hospitals. In 1903, Simon and Binet worked together in a group. This group was called the Free Society for the Psychological Study of Children. They wanted to find ways to help children with learning challenges. They also wanted to improve their education.
This work led Binet and Simon to create a special test. They wanted a way to identify children who needed extra help. In 1905, Simon and Binet released the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale. This scale became the most widely used tool for measuring intelligence. It was first shown in L'Année psychologique, a journal Binet started in 1895.
Later Career and Legacy
Théodore Simon believed the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale was being used too much. He thought other experts were not using it correctly. He felt this stopped them from understanding people better. Binet's main goal was to understand human nature and how people grow.
The Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale was updated in 1908 and again in 1911. After Binet passed away, Simon kept the scale the same. He did this to honor Binet, who he saw as a great psychologist.
After 1905, Simon worked as a head psychiatrist at Saint-Yon hospital. In 1920, he returned to Perray-Vaucluse as a medical director. He stayed there until 1930. From 1912, Simon was also the president and editor for the Bulletin of Société Alfred Binet.
In 1946, Simon started the first special nursing school. It was first called Ecole des Bleues. Later, it became L'Ecole d'Infirmières de Maison-Blanche. Today, it is known as the Institut de Formation Interhospitalier Theodore Simon. He worked as the technical director there for 11 years. Théodore Simon passed away in 1961.
See also
In Spanish: Théodore Simon para niños
