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The intelligence quotient is the measurement of how well a person can retrieve information, resolve problems, and adapt to new ideas (Atre, n.d.).
This is the bell curve model for IQ
Important Vocab
Intelligence = The ability to retain and understand information.
Testing = The act of finding the answer or quality of the information given.
Knowledge = Actively knowing or being aware of a concept, person, or thing.
Mental Age = Having similar levels of intelligence and mental capacity to a specific age group.
Intuition = Having an immediate understanding of a concept without any prior knowledge.
Problem-solving = The ability to solve issues, such as conflicts and equations.
Eugenics = the theory that people with so called "lesser intelligence" should not be allow to reproduce.
(Oxford English Dictionary, n.d.; TED-Ed, 2020)
Types of Testing for IQ
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale*
Universal Nonverbal Intelligence
Differential Ability Scales
Peabody Individual Achievement Test
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
*The most common way of testing IQ in the U.S.
(Legg, 2018)
Facts about IQ
IQ used to be measured by mental age.
IQ was first created to test students to see if they had difficulties learning in school.
Psychologist William Stern was the first to create the term Intelligence Quotient.
The majority of people score between 85 and 115 on IQ tests.
People who have a higher IQ score have a greater possibility of living a longer healthier life.
If a person scores 75 or below on an IQ test, they would be considered special needs.
(Mensa International, n.d., Morton, n.d.)
What does IQ measure?
IQ tests were created to measure students' intelligence and how well they were able to keep up with the rest of their classmates. But in the past hundred years, IQ tests have been used as a form of testing to predict achievements on an academic level and even wealth.
(Balter, 2011)
What IQ doesn't predict
IQ can predict your health, wealth, and longevity, but there are certain things that it can't predict. IQ is not going to predict a person's happiness.
IQ is also not a good predictor of the Big Five personality traits. The only trait that IQ has been linked to is openness to experience.
(Resnick, 2017)
Nature vs. Nurture
Intelligence is a trait that is influenced by genetics and environment.
Intelligence is formed by many different genes, but it is still being studied which genes create higher levels of intelligence. Some studies have been done to test genes and how certain genes may influence our knowledge or memory.
Many environmental factors can play into intelligence, such as parenting style, home life, education level, and healthcare.
Studies have tested how environmental and biological factors play into a person's intelligence. Still, it isn't easy to separate the two factors because they are so closely related to one another.
(Medline, n.d.)
This video goes into depth about how IQ tests have evolved in history.
These are example questions for a visual IQ test
How IQ tests have been used
IQ tests have been used in many different ways throughout history:
Initially, it was used to find students who were struggling in school or to learn more about general intelligence, which is the range of scores on the IQ tests that the general public receives.
However, IQ tests have been used to discriminate against certain racial groups, as when people were denied entry into the U.S. for not scoring high on the IQ test in English.
Many times in history IQ tests have been used to "prove" that certain races were more intellectually superior.
These tests do not consider environmental factors like low income or English as a second language, which lowered the validity of the tests predicting if one race was smarter than another.
(TED-Ed., 2020)
This study suggests that people with Autism have lower adaptive IQs than people who are neurotypical.
Hansen (2016) performed a study to see if his Adaptive IQ test, the Hansen Research Services Matrix Adaptive Test (HRS-MAT), was a reliable form of testing for nonverbal IQ in individuals with Autism, against the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM). Hansen collected 3 groups of participants: 1) a national sample consisting of 11,677 participants, 2) a community sample consisting of 122 adults, and 3) 676 family members with one child with Autism, separated into 4 groups. They found that children with Autism have a greater variability than their siblings and have a lower average score. This study suggests that people with Autism have lower adaptive IQs than children without.
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