Is intelligence testing accurate? (IQ, parent, emotion, people)
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I guess that is one of the greatest capacities of the human mind, to plan ahead and correctly imagine the result of processes and actions before carrying them out. Basically it is also what we are teaching supercomputers to do in simulations. On a simple level it is what a basketball player does when he throws the ball, he calculates the right angle and force based on his feeling for gravity and other forces.
Also important in both pool, chess, hunting, picking a wife.....
Nothing's perfect, Nimchimpsky, but modern IQ tests are NOT culturally biased to any significant extent. That's been a criticism of such tests since the early days because they really WERE biased then, but to criticize them for that now would be like criticizing science because at one time phrenology was considered a science.
If you're legally blind, you should take an IQ test made specifically for blind people (that is, IF you are curious to know how you score, I'm sure you have no practical need for it as an adult).
Again, no one can claim absolute PERFECTION on eliminating bias, but it's not a very important point now that psychometrists have been putting so much effort into that over decades.
the mensa website admits their own biases in testing.
Quote:
This quiz is provided for entertainment purposes only; it is not an IQ test. This score will not qualify you for Mensa. The questions on the "Mensa Workout" are biased towards people whose primary language is English. Mensa offers culture-fair testing throughout the world. Many of the questions on the "Mensa Workout" require you to have a graphical browser. The test is still enjoyable for those with text-only browsers, but your overall score may be considerably lower than it might be with a graphical browser.
i don't expect perfection, but i do see the bias that is there. a lot of people put way too much stock into i.q. testing and practically brand their i.q. scores on their foreheads. 'well i have an i.q. of 145, so...' etc. my only point is that i.q. tests are like any test. most countries require driving tests but there are plenty of awful drivers on the road. in other words, there's a huge gap between a test result and reality--so those results cannot be reliably used to accurately gauge how intelligent someone is, or how capable of learning they are, imo.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nimchimpsky
the mensa website admits their own biases in testing.
i don't expect perfection, but i do see the bias that is there. a lot of people put way too much stock into i.q. testing and practically brand their i.q. scores on their foreheads. 'well i have an i.q. of 145, so...' etc. my only point is that i.q. tests are like any test. most countries require driving tests but there are plenty of awful drivers on the road. in other words, there's a huge gap between a test result and reality--so those results cannot be reliably used to accurately gauge how intelligent someone is, or how capable of learning they are, imo.
But Mensa says that particular test is not a real IQ test, and that they have true IQ tests which are culturally fair.
Yes, I agree that IQ tests don't test for all mental abilities, mainly those important for school or work in the firstworld nations.
Let me put it like this ...... a high score on an IQ test means that a person has certain mental abilities, that he is very good at certain thought processes. But a low IQ doesn't really mean much, because the person may be very good at brain talents that aren't tested for, such as ballet, fishing, remembering faces, or tracking.
another thing that's not very closely linked with actual intelligence.
Assume you mean that there are high IQ students who do not achieve commensurate with their abilities, a statement with which I concur. However, it is not also true that low IQ students achieve well beyond their intellectual abilities and fill honors and AP classes.
I assume for instance those test components dealing with language and knowledge are problematic. Also, some cultures are much more image-oriented than others. If I remember correctly in Muslim countries images are much less important than in the West, so I assume that will have consequences on anyone growing up in either culture.
Regarding language, I read that the Chinese brain is physically slightly different from the Western brain because of their language. Some aspects of linguistic IQ test components deal with synonyms etc., that can lead to completely different results depending on the language family. Also, some languages are much more logical and precise than others, which might also have an effect on people's thinking. In other cultures like many African ones numbers are not important, some only distinguish between 1, 2 and various degrees of many, but without further specification. If you grow up there, your math skills are probably not well developed.
I assume for instance those test components dealing with language and knowledge are problematic. Also, some cultures are much more image-oriented than others. If I remember correctly in Muslim countries images are much less important than in the West, so I assume that will have consequences on anyone growing up in either culture.
Regarding language, I read that the Chinese brain is physically slightly different from the Western brain because of their language. Some aspects of linguistic IQ test components deal with synonyms etc., that can lead to completely different results depending on the language family. Also, some languages are much more logical and precise than others, which might also have an effect on people's thinking. In other cultures like many African ones numbers are not important, some only distinguish between 1, 2 and various degrees of many, but without further specification. If you grow up there, your math skills are probably not well developed.
Unless, of course, you are lucky enough to attend school.
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