IQ

[Zetona]

Alas, there is no good numerical score for one's ability to think, or translate their thoughts into ideas.

 

[Knight Templar]

Really? You learn something new every day.

EDIT: I never trusted the IQ tests anyway, as one of the tests involves you drawing figure 8s. How are you supposed to measure intelligence with that?

I think its just a way to judge people with some form of scale, not a verey good or useful way but at least its there.

 

[jamesworkshop]

Intelligence is the ability to solve problems the first 3 have good memories but thats all so I would say the maths guy because maths is a problem solving activity

But you can just memorize that mathematical proof. Here's the real question. Who was smarter: Shakespeare, for composing all the soliloquies in the first place, or the mathematician who first proved that all infinities are not equal?

Only after someone had worked out the mathmatical proof could others memorize it,
still the mathemation is the most intelligent a soliloquie is not a logical problem shakespear is subjective, what makes a good soliloque? but the mathmatical proof is unquestionable.


Another thing to consider is that Euclid of Alexandria the famous Greek mathematician's work
The Elements is one of the most reproduced work in history much more than any of shakespears work

 

[anti_strunt]

This always gets debated to death...

IQ is a fairly valid measure of some cognitive functions related to intelligence (I could get technical, but I really don't have a clue); but it's not the perfect quantification of your worth as a human being that some make it up to be.

Another thing: there is such a thing as an IQ-testing industry. A pretty large one. Unfortunately some academics may potentially put financial gain ahead of research ethics; a fact which should be kept in mind...

 

[Cahlee]

I think IQ tests have some standing, to a degree. They work with problem solving, which is a big chunk of intelligence. I think it's safe to say, that to a degree, intelligence can be, but not exclusively, measured by how well they do at an IQ test.

There are, however, always exceptions.

 

[Ursus Astrorum]

The OP's original assertion isn't entirely true. Yes, Binet designed it to test retardation, but it does double as a loose gauge of intelligence. I've certainly found that most higher-IQ folks are much more capable of learning and adapting than others. That being said, a few points over someone else doesn't count for much, and it measures only one aspect of intelligence at that.

Anyway, on to the actual question: What is the true definition of intelligence? Intelligence is a very vague word, as it really describes the whole of several different qualities, among them being memory, logic, and perception. All of these work in unison in our heads, and it allows us to think accurately (or not, in some cases). It's quite impossible to cover all of intelligence in one test.

 

[Lazzi]

I'm Sorry, i don't like having to do this, but if i don't i think i will explode.
I was reading the "Great Intelligence brings great insanity" thread and i read a few posts implying that if you had a high IQ it meant you were smart.

The IQ scale was developed by Arthur Binet as a method to identify Mental Illness in children. If your score is higher than someone else's, it does not, i repeat, DOES NOT mean you are smarter than they are. After your score passes 80, it means nothing, if it is lower you might have mental retardation. Arthur Binet thought it would be impossible to numerically show intelligence.

That is true to a point. However it has been demonstrated that people who regularly score significantly higher IQ are in fact (as demonstrated by income, academic success, and life achievement) more intelligent.

This isn't a "110 is smarter than 108" sort of thing, but someone who scores 140 in an IQ test has been proven to be more intelligent than someone who scores 90 (excusing obvious caveats like autistic savantism).

This does have less to do with quantifiable intelligence, though, and more to do with the fact that the smarter individual would excel in any testing situation cerberus paribus.

Small differences in I.Q. are satisticly insignificant, me and my sister for exapmle are with in one point of each other (I was tested by a real psycologist when I was 5). This difference of one means absolutly nothing , nor does a difference of 5 or possibly ten.

The only time that IQ has a obovious difference in intellegnce is if there is a difference of about 30 points.

How ever we shoudl remeber that there is no connection between I.Q., Grades, or succes in life.

 

[JamminOz07]

I judge intelligence by the threads people start on internet forums... and the replies

 

[Zac_Dai]

I don't have access to all the facts but IQ tests probably are the best indicator of problem solving intelligence. But if its anything like the test I had to take for entry into grammar schools I reckon with practice you could get very good scores.

Anyway to me none of that matters, what I do feel is the issue though is that it seems to be used as a way to divide people into an "us and them" and impose false limits on what a person thinks is achievable.

Is knowing your IQ that important? Could we go as far as to say that some people wished they hadn't known in the first place?

EDIT: MENSA is the people who deal with IQ tests right and to join you have to have a certain IQ but I'm not sure if thats worth getting tested for.

 

[Jharry5]

There are different types of intelligence. For example, I'm good at writing but can't do maths at all...
Intelligence can't be accurately shown numerically at all in my opinion...

 

[s0denone]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences#Other_intelligences

There is your answer. Gardner's seven intelligences.

 

[Pimppeter2]

erased

 

[kiwisushi]

Already mentioned something along these lines in the other thread. There are 9 different intelligences (Look up Howard Gardner for details). I do agree that high IQ does not define intelligence.

 

[hippo24]

I took a certified I.Q. test once when I went to a psychiatrist (after a friends death)

I have spatial reasoning skills off the charts, but because Im lacking in other areas It brings it down. This is a very peculiar feat to have in a test that's supposed to measure your intelligence.

What it does end up doing is giving you an average of proficiency in several classes of skills, a thing that is a fairly hard to connect to actual intelligence.

 

[PsykoDragon]

...I can't say that i even believe that you can measure intelligence. What is intelligence? Knowledge?

It's really impossible to measure "who is smarter" based on completely different areas of science, art and so forth, or at least that's my opinion...

& this is the major reason that proper Sci-Fi-Quality AI's haven't been created yet. What is intelligence? It definitely isn't the amount of knowledge you've acquired. Many of the things you do daily tend to be out of experience, therefore it could be compared to a program that has slightly flexible variables... & creativity doesn't really represent intelligence, does it? it's something different altogether.

 

[defcon 1]

I believe the nature of intelligence is the ability to understand and use the nature of the information precived. The criteria should be some combination of analytical skills, thinking speed, memory, and perception. By analyzing, I mean deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning and the overall ability to wield logic. Given a scenario, how many conclusions, possibilities, or patterns can you draw from it. I have seen people capable of memorizing capitals of countries/states, country locations, all the presidents, peoples names and so forth but can't figure out how things work together, or be able to use all this information to solve simple problems.

Thinking speed is important as well (It's a problem of mine). You may be able to analyses but it may take you a long time to do so. I have a friend who can solve simple math problems and read at light speed but when it comes to learning new concepts he's very slow. Often times he will need directions repeated to him, and he'll need an example of a relation between the concept concept to something that he's familiar with and works in a similar way.

I believe a good memory is not only how much information you can retain, but for how long you retain it for. Perception is the ability to sense, observe and simply pay attention to your surroundings using your five senses. and can be measured in how much you can perceive in what amount of time. Someone with great powers of observation can be shown a picture of a building for a second and he'll tell you everything he saw such as ?number of windows, number of floors, number of cars, model and colors of the cars, parking lot size, and number of trees in the background.? Someone like me would have to look at it for a bit longer in order to ?notice? the same amount of information the other guy did.

Intelligence is a system that uses these traits together. You perceive information, remember it, then use it to conclude new information and understand the nature of what you have just precived. How smart you are could be expressed in how many inferences you can make in a rate of time.

 

[Scarecrow38]

I'd say Intelligence is both the amount of knowledge you possess and the way you're able to use it to solve problems.. but you need both.

 

[101194]

True Intelligance is Seeing a Promblem and knowing from experiance what must be done.

 

[LewsTherin]

Wisdom > Intelligence.

 

[Labyrinth]

I've gotten over the IQ test as a be-all and end-all to intellectual standing. I've found that the idea of multiple intelligences is much more fluid and encompasses some things which the IQ test does not.