DailyDirt: Measuring Human Intelligence
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
The measurement of human intelligence is far from a settled science. IQ tests are very misleading, and unfortunately, some people assign far too much importance to IQ scores. There’s plenty of room for improvement, but brain scans or a battery of cognitive skill tests probably shouldn’t be used for employment or educational opportunities — no matter how advanced we might think the tests might be. Still, there will probably be plenty of other misguided ideas for any data we have on people’s intelligence.
- Human intelligence may be difficult to measure quantitatively, but fMRI brain scans might be able to capture “brain fingerprints” that could serve to estimate various cognitive abilities. Obviously, there would be ethical issues surrounding a brain scan for predicting any individual’s talents or lack thereof — but imagine instead of taking an SAT exam, just sitting for an fMRI scan. That wouldn’t be as stressful as making sure you had no.2 pencils at all, would it? [url]
- The whole idea that there’s a single test for general intelligence is flawed. The IQ myth persists because it’s a simple-sounding way to gauge intelligence, but IQ scores are very rough estimates of a particular kind of cognitive ability. [url]
- How much of a brain does a person really need to function normally? Doctors have discovered a few people with hydrocephalus or other conditions where patients have lost brain matter volume who were still able to lead regular lives. [url]
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Filed Under: brain fingerprints, brains, cognition, fmri, human intelligence, iq
Comments on “DailyDirt: Measuring Human Intelligence”
no Brains
Just look at any Gov. official, of ANY Gov.
Cyborg world
What’s interesting to me is how will the internet and computers change/enhance our intelligence.
Re: Cyborg world
What’s interesting to me is how will the internet and computers change/enhance our level of knowledge & ignorance.
ftfy
IQ is a joke...
IQ tests only one part of intelligence. The concept was put forth originally by a bunch of scientists, who then decided that the smartest people in the world must be them, so they skewed the results to those who are good at the sciences.
It doesn’t take into account someone who is a great artist, writer, athlete, etc. All of those require intelligence in a very different way from a scientist, but they are still very smart in what they do well.
I put no faith in the IQ tests… I happen to have a high number… but I’m good at the sciences… couldn’t paint my way out of a paper bag, or play a sport well to save my life… so what does it really mean?
Re: IQ is a joke...
You’re good at the sciences. I’m terrible at them, but a good writer, so I’m told.
You’re therefore more intelligent than me because your scientific capabilities lend you a greater tendency towards a livable salary. Writers make shit; therefore I’m not “smart” enough to do something that puts bread on my table independently of others. I call this $Q, or dollar quotient. Really the only thing that matters in our society is whether you have the chops to provide for yourself without the taxpayers artificially supporting your existence. As someone who has zero STEM ability, I don’t meet that criteria. Therefore, you’re smart and I’m dumb, according to the $Q model.
Kim Kardashian is a complete moron otherwise, but clearly has enough $Q savvy to go above and beyond in sustaining herself economically. By contrast, someone who is a gifted writer or artist whose work doesn’t sell because the market just isn’t buying the life of the mind is actually dumber than Kim Kardashian, even if he or she is the next Picasso or Chekhov.
It’s sad, but intelligence clearly doesn’t matter when you take the all-important $Q into account. I envy you, but not enough to vote for confiscation of your attained wealth through your gifts of having marketable skills in order to keep myself alive (aka welfare). If the market craves scientists, let it have scientists. I won’t make the market eat its vegetables and take on the arts if it clearly isn’t interested in subsidizing them. Onward and upward.