Possibly, but what I was pointing out was that I “gamed” the IQ tests. Since they are usually constructed such that it’s extremely difficult to finish answering all the questions and do all the math within the time limits. The amount one DOES finish is an indication of one’s IQ. Since I had prior knowledge and had even worked out the math ones at home, the fact that I finished very early gave a false view of my capability (which didn’t bother me. 
). So, whatever IQ the tests showed were certainly far higher than my real IQ.
Even in my seventh grade test, since I have a very good memory, when I went home that day I got to look up about a dozen words I had never heard as as a 12 year old like syzygy and proclivity, two I recall, and work out the math and progression problems. In other words, each time one takes such a test, if they are motivated, they raise their apparent IQ for the next time they happen to run into those problems.
Occam
Heres a great youtube about IQ. Worth watching. Its about lowering your IQ.
Be careful, it might change the way you vote.
Possibly, but what I was pointing out was that I "gamed" the IQ tests. Since they are usually constructed such that it's extremely difficult to finish answering all the questions and do all the math within the time limits. The amount one DOES finish is an indication of one's IQ. Since I had prior knowledge and had even worked out the math ones at home, the fact that I finished very early gave a false view of my capability (which didn't bother me. :) ). So, whatever IQ the tests showed were certainly far higher than my real IQ.I understand that Isaac Asimov had a hobby of breaking IQ tests. Sure, he was a sharp guy, and judging from his career output, a very driven, hard working man, but he considered the concept of IQ testing to be highly flawed, and liked to demonstrate it by taking IQ tests, studying them, and scoring around 200-250, just to show the ridiculousness of the concept. Speaking of musicians, I remember reading somewhere that there was a high correlation between IQ scores and the ability of a person to beat a rhythm with a stick in steady time. :-/ That must mean that the best drummers really are geniuses. Alas, that I play trombone.
I think you should listen to real experts instead of sci-fi writers. Like Pinker, for example.
I think you should listen to real experts instead of sci-fi writers. Like Pinker, for example.What has Stephen Pinker said about IQ tests?
They work.
So do kids wagons, but I’d rather use an automobile for my trips. I see a correlation between IQ and vitamins. Both are quite real, however, hucksters manage to come up with all sorts of fancy vitamin mixtures that they can sell for a high price but which do nothing special. Similarly, many test production companies write up tests that they don’t bother really verifying as very good matches for real IQ, but they sell them to all sorts of schools, interviewers, etc. who think they are getting something that will give accurate results.
Occam
I think you should listen to real experts instead of sci-fi writers. Like Pinker, for example.To try to be clear, I don't think that IQ is complete bullocks. I think it's an interesting idea, and that the concept of having several different kinds of intelligence is probably a better way of describing peoples' brains' abilities than one overall number. And I think that the implementation of IQ testing is severely problematic because education and test preparation can play such a huge role in the scores that for any one individual, that one overall number as a measure of intellectual potential may not really mean that much. I think that the more productive kind of testing doesn't measure intelligence directly, but just the results: how much mastery of a specific skill has a person attained?
I think you should listen to real experts instead of sci-fi writers. Like Pinker, for example.George, you're missing about half his body of work. :-) He wrote a lot of science books as well. Check out this list here: http://www.asimovonline.com/oldsite/asimov_catalogue.html Take care, Derek
I think you should listen to real experts instead of sci-fi writers. Like Pinker, for example.George, you're missing about half his body of work. :-) He wrote a lot of science books as well. Check out this list here: http://www.asimovonline.com/oldsite/asimov_catalogue.html Take care, Derek Thanks Derik, I have been looking for the tittle of one of his math books "Quick and Easy Math." It got me through my college math courses. :-) Now a nephew of m,ine needs it.