Aptitutde tests are accurate reflectors of potential?

Question

Are aptitude tests such as SAT, IQ ests, and others accurate predictors of a person's potential? I am only asking for opinions. If anyone has any facts or statistic about this subject, kindly state the fact or statistic, and

Are aptitude tests such as SAT, IQ ests, and others accurate predictors of a person's potential? I am only asking for opinions. If anyone has any facts or statistic about this subject, kindly state the fact or statistic, and the source of the statistic

Answer 1

Convential IQ test questions are charachterized by shallow answers, requiring nothing more than bland or 'bookish' solutions. Indeed, my childhood assumptions were correct.....Iq tests have always been speed biased.

Although neurons cannot be ignored in their role, evidence mounting from Glial cell research implies that individuals do not develop at a linear rate, so the whole g model collapses. In fact, one can argue that IQ tests are "backwards" (at least with respect to there use in the education system) in there construction, because they test for regurjitation over creativity. In my mind creativity is obviously more synonymous with genius and intelligence. Unfortunately, creativity is nearly useless for working towards practical accomplishments. But most of us falsely assume that a person's 'intelligence' should coorelate well with real world accomplishments.


Before understanding what glial cells do for us, I will first introduce IQ's role. Imagine IQ as dictating how many particles of information (words, numbers, colors, names, sounds, images) one has stored in the brain at any given point in time. People with higher IQ's, indeed, have more of these particles, and can readily perform simple (common) thought calculations, which their lower IQ peers cannot. IQ theory follows this line of reasoning: If you don't have the relevant knowledge to solve a problem, you cannot solve the problem. Well, the problem with IQ theory is that it is biased towards certain types of problems. Namely, problems with KNOWN solutions (which arguably, should not be considered PROBLEMS at all).

Glial cells help us to solve problems with UNKNOWN solutions. These types of problems are more reminicent of real world problems. Glial cells have recently been found to accelerate the rate of synaptic transmission, and provide a path for seperate neural circuits to communicate. Put simply, they assist in communication both between remote ideas (For example, they allow for us to provide mathematical insight into a programming problem).AND closely related ideas. This essentially implies, glial cells, help a person tick not only faster, but provide an ability for higher abstraction. This is of no surprise since RT/ reaction time (essentially IQ) has long been known to lose correlation with g, as problem complexity increases (SEE E.L. THORNDIKE). My line of reasoning is - If your mind can't search efficiently for the solution, you cannot solve the problem.

It is important to recognize our natural tendency to ignore that TIME is necessary to seek and attack complex problems, and that there are MANY different individual forms of complex problems. Proponents of IQ, often make the conveniant assumption that learning is enough to be 'intelligent'. But in reality , we have no consiousness of what we've learned until we've realized it. More importantly, not everything everyone learns is used brilliantly.


But all this is irrelevant if I can't tell you what it means for the laymen and how it answers your question. Well, the immediate implications of the glial cell evidence, is that a slower learner (less IQ) may indeed hit a point in which they exceed the intelligence (defined as creativity applied to problem solving, art, music, dance) of individuals of higher IQ. But when and where glial cells will effect us the most, cannot be predicted.


To answer your Question, NO. SAT's, IQ tests, ect. are should not be trusted. We simply do not know when and where we will hit our intellectual peak.

Answer 2

My opinion is that these tests are only an indication and not a prediction. Personality sure has a big part to play. And remember, it's WHO you know, not WHAT you know!