Brain scan or brain scam? Shenzhen authorities investigate school’s use of ‘IQ machine’
- Parents furious after being told their children had been hooked up to a machine capable of testing their intellectual potential
- Device’s developer makes results of spurious research, which involved over 2,800 pupils, available online at US$30 per child
Education authorities in southern China are investigating reports that a privately run school in Shenzhen used a pseudoscientific “brain scanner” to measure its pupils’ intellectual potential.
The incident caused uproar among local parents, some of whom feared the tests might have been a ruse to steal their children’s fingerprints, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Thursday.
Others questioned the scientific credentials of the company – Shanghai Aotian Information Technology – that created the machine and conducted the tests, a father surnamed Liu was quoted as saying.
“First, the school is suspected of collecting students’ fingerprints,” he said. “Second, is this kind of test scientific? Third, the school works with a commercial organisation and charges money for detailed results. Is it some kind of trade-off?”
Liu said that parents were told after the tests had been conducted that they could view a summary of the results online free of charge, but would have to pay if they wanted a complete breakdown.
“We could see a report telling us our children’s strengths and weaknesses, but if we wanted more detailed information we had to pay 198 yuan [US$30],” he said.