August 13, 2008
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The Flynn Effect, or fun with IQ
I once had my IQ tested; well, actually I took several online tests, but I only once had it actually done by a trained psychiatrist. It was several years ago.
My score was 135. I think this is too low, as it would make me just slightly over 2 standard deviations from the mean. I ran myself through a formula based on my SAT score, and it said 165; so I guess I’m somewhere between 2 sds (quite smart) and 4 sds (total genius).
But anyway, here’s why I think the whole IQ testing shenanigans are pretty silly.
The Flynn Effect shows a steady increase in IQ scores over time, as much as 3% per decade. This may not sound like a lot, but it’s actually huge.
If this persisted through history:
An average person contemporary with Albert Einstein (born 1879) had an IQ of 74, or “severely mentally retarded.” Actually this is about what the gorilla Koko herself scored. Einstein would have been a genius if he had an IQ of 110—which roughly 40% of people do today.
William Shakespeare (born 1564), if he was normal, had an IQ of 28. Not accounting for literacy, that’s roughly the intelligence of a smart dog.
Thomas Aquinas (born 1225), even if he was 3 standard deviations above normal, had an IQ of 15. We are now in squid territory.
Julius Caesar (born 100 BC), even if he was a complete genius, had an IQ much less than 1; that’s roughly the intellect of a stick insect.
The designer of the Great Pyramid (born circa 2600 BC) had an IQ that is essentially 0; he may as well have been a grapefruit.
On the other hand, IQ scores correlate well across different tests, and tend to persist throughout one’s life, so they presumably measure something… but there’s something very fishy about all this.
Comments (4)
as far as i know (and according to MENSA?), the current SAT tests have no correlation to IQ. i personally think that if the SAT did correlate to an IQ test, you wouldnt be able to study for it.
@LN_M -
MENSA acts like IQ scores are a universally recognized and precise measure of innate intelligence, a statement for which there is no support. That said, the correlation between IQ scores and SAT scores is not particularly strong; there is a correlation, but it is clearly naive to suppose that you could predict one from the other.
Do they take time into consideration when calculating IQ?
@ComtedelaFere -
How do you mean?