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Elrakis



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 PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 4:40 pm Reply with quote        
IQ tests, what do you think about them?

(I'll let you know my opinion on it once we get the talking started...)

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Chu
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 PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:40 pm Reply with quote        
Hm... Very hard to work off of this.

I personally have pretty bad test anxiety, so obviously I don't like the idea of IQ tests too much. xP Honestly I've never really looked into the methods of scoring or creating such tests. I don't know much about the subject, other than the fact that it is widely controversial and (considered by most to be) pretty inaccurate in regards to actual intelligence.


At any rate, I think that it's very risky to try to judge a person based upon intelligence alone. But that's pretty much common sense, hehe.

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Elrakis



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 PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:41 am Reply with quote        
I consider IQ-tests to be a measurement of logical thinking, nothing more. I've done several IQ-tests during my time (moste of them I've been forced to do, by friends, family, military, etc.) and I've found that many of the questions have been bias in some way. Some questions are like: "What does the word guffawed mean?" or "If Henry has twenty apples and Eve has twelve...". That's not logic nor intelligence, it's knowledge. So a person in a developing country, who might not have an education or even is illiterate, might score badly, just because he lacks some knowledge. You get me right?

But then we had MENSA's IQ-test. In my opinion, a really good and honest quest. Nothing you have to read, nothing you have to know, nothing you have to count. It's just based on pure logic, seeing patterns and connections on images. A test I approve!

All in all, I think the words "intelligence quotient" is a bad name for what ever they try to measure.

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Maeve
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 PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:26 am Reply with quote        
Elrakis wrote:
So a person in a developing country, who might not have an education or even is illiterate, might score badly, just because he lacks some knowledge.


Well, not exactly. Although IQ tests are based a lot on knowledge, those parts are often calibrated according to country (or region) and age, since the cultural factor can widely influence the results. Or at least the well-made/scientific tests are supposed to be calibrated, and they include other tests to check logical thinking, memory, etc. to make them as accurate as possible. But in the end, it's still just a test, with a lot of potential bias.

I consider IQ to be a simple statistical tool. There's an average score, and people under it and over it. It should never be considered alone, but it can still be an indicator of potential problems (not that there's something wrong with not being normal (i.e average), but since the world is built for the majority of people, if you're too far from that majority, you could have trouble fitting in).

I always had a problem with the word "intelligence" (not with the quotient part, that simply refers to the mathematical formula behind IQ). Intelligence is just too vague, and doesn't seem appropriate to designate what an IQ test is about.

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Elrakis



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 PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:42 am Reply with quote        
Ah, well, if it's calibrated, then I guess it's better. Which means that I maybe might score better on a swedish test than an american? Anyway, I shouldn't complain, I've got quite a good score, yet, the score doesn't mean much to me.

So what is "intelligence"? Skill and knowledge? Logical thinking?

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 PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 11:30 am Reply with quote        
Maybe. I'm not sure how much the calibration thing affects the end result, but I guess it's still important, otherwise nobody would bother calibrating them.

I... don't know. Or, I know, but that's the kind of thing I can hardly define in words. Let's check what the dictionary says and see if it helps:
Merriam-Webster wrote:
1
a : the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations
b : the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria (as tests)
2
: mental acuteness


Hm, yeah. I'm kinda more inclined toward the first definition. I kinda consider intelligence like your abilities to gather knowledge (or information), integrate it into your thinking process, and then use it effectively (sorta like def.1). Sort of "learn, think, apply/solve problem", or the ability to use your brain.

Skills and knowledge are a part of intelligence, but there are some many different skills and so many different fields of knowledge that one can hardly be good at everything (plus all those things may not be related, so being good at one task doesn't mean you'll be good at something else). Logical thinking... I guess is an important part of intelligence, but considering it as being a synonym of intelligence would take out many aspects (creativity, etc.).

Ever heard of the theory multiple intelligences? It basically divides intelligence into categories based on cognitive abilities, each of them having little to do with the others. It's not a perfect theory, but I kinda prefer the idea of many intelligences versus one general intelligence that governs everything.

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 PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:05 pm Reply with quote        
Yes, I agree with the multiple intelligences theory. That's why I don't much agree with the IQ tests. Of course, if someone scores very low, that's a bad sign. But there are so many different types of intelligence. Creativeness, emotional intelligence, etc. It doesn't help much if you want to know what a person is like.

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 PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:45 pm Reply with quote        
It's a pretty good theory, in my opinion. There's the normal things, like factual and logical, then there's athletic, so it's about how you know your body and can make it do things, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence. IQ tests only test the first two.

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Zillah



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 PostPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 10:01 pm Reply with quote        
A measure of logical thinking is what they should be. When semantic-based questions are included, it's a measure of knowledge, and not really a good IQ test.

I'd love to take a real IQ test. I have never taken besides the ones I hunt down from the internet when I get bored. :P
Fayh



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 PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 1:44 am Reply with quote        
I would like to take a proper IQ Test once. I have taken a few online and all the results were completely different. (Well, at least the lowest I ever got was a straight 100, so I didn't feel that bad lol)

I believe most IQ tests are not very accurate, though.
Every single one I took so far relied on the person having a good school education. That shouldn't be the case...
neomattlac



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 PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 11:57 am Reply with quote        
Actually, in my studying of psychology, I found that many psychologists found the IQ tests to be unreliable as the definition of IQ is too much or a controversy.
Not to mention, online tests can be way off. I just took a test and it told me I have a 139 which, why flattering, isn't true. I'm actually probably hovering in the low to mid 120's. I don't know, I've never had an official test taken. I could probably get a student from the psych department to do one if I wanted.

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Zillah



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 PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 2:07 pm Reply with quote        
My average from probably several dozen tests over the course of six or so years is somewhere around 130 to 135. But since all the tests were online and likely not very reliable, that number could be very inaccurate.

That's a good point though. Do IQ tests really mean anything more than any test would take at school? Is the ability to quickly pick up on mathematical patterns a skill a person could train, or isn't it? I am studying psychology as well. ^^ Also mathematics for education.
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