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Lucern · 01-09-2005, 03:44 PM

IQ Test spoiler alert

I think people take IQ, and the idea that you can quantify intelligence (or even the need to do so) too seriously.

Allow me to share a hypothesis with you: intelligence is impossible to quantify in a valid way, especially in the broader sense. How do you even define intelligence, and will it even be consistent across cultural lines? Isn't this arbitrary? As you take these tests, think about what attributes they're actually testing, and determine for yourself whether it encompasses the range of human mental capacity (much less your own!).

For example..is the test timed? If so, they're stating that speed of thought is important.

Are they asking word associations? Does your mind associate objects, actions and ideas with more than their strict denotative meaning?

How about math?

Logic? Logic, like math, can be a learned skill, as many of us painfully realize lol.

Is it important to see more than one side of a situation? How about the implications of each answer to the question? Is this still timed?

Is critical reading important? mental arithmetic? auditory interpretation?

Ask yourself if there are parts that explore memory, detail recognition, philosophical [left frontal cortex] kind of stuff. Strategy, planning, and organization? The brain is a complex thing...so which parts of it count towards intelligence?

And what about those questions that are painfully obvious, but as adults we have learned to analyze at a much more complex level and miss it completely (unless we know to look for the literal interpretation)? You know the ones that make you feel stupid afterwards? Well, 6 year olds are great at those. Are they smarter than you? lol

Moreover, if they do not ask you for your age and other questions about your personal history/geography, etc, then they're abusing an already flimsy quantitative tool. Now, it's important to identify pockets of genius or inability, those differently developed mental areas in some individuals, in younger people so that they don't grow up maladjusted. Cognitively, the difference between a so-called idiot-savant and a genius is overall functionality - the ability to live on one's own. I'm not convinced that there is an overall genius quality, an ability in all things on a higher level, but rather areas of special ability.

Believe me...I am no genius. lol.

So sit back and check out what's telling you what your abilities are.

01-09-2005, 03:44 PM	#8
Lucern Quintesson Join Date: August 28, 2004 Location: the middle of Michigan Age: 42 Posts: 1,011	IQ Test spoiler alert I think people take IQ, and the idea that you can quantify intelligence (or even the need to do so) too seriously. Allow me to share a hypothesis with you: intelligence is impossible to quantify in a valid way, especially in the broader sense. How do you even define intelligence, and will it even be consistent across cultural lines? Isn't this arbitrary? As you take these tests, think about what attributes they're actually testing, and determine for yourself whether it encompasses the range of human mental capacity (much less your own!). For example..is the test timed? If so, they're stating that speed of thought is important. Are they asking word associations? Does your mind associate objects, actions and ideas with more than their strict denotative meaning? How about math? Logic? Logic, like math, can be a learned skill, as many of us painfully realize lol. Is it important to see more than one side of a situation? How about the implications of each answer to the question? Is this still timed? Is critical reading important? mental arithmetic? auditory interpretation? Ask yourself if there are parts that explore memory, detail recognition, philosophical [left frontal cortex] kind of stuff. Strategy, planning, and organization? The brain is a complex thing...so which parts of it count towards intelligence? And what about those questions that are painfully obvious, but as adults we have learned to analyze at a much more complex level and miss it completely (unless we know to look for the literal interpretation)? You know the ones that make you feel stupid afterwards? Well, 6 year olds are great at those. Are they smarter than you? lol Moreover, if they do not ask you for your age and other questions about your personal history/geography, etc, then they're abusing an already flimsy quantitative tool. Now, it's important to identify pockets of genius or inability, those differently developed mental areas in some individuals, in younger people so that they don't grow up maladjusted. Cognitively, the difference between a so-called idiot-savant and a genius is overall functionality - the ability to live on one's own. I'm not convinced that there is an overall genius quality, an ability in all things on a higher level, but rather areas of special ability. Believe me...I am no genius. lol. So sit back and check out what's telling you what your abilities are.