I'm leaning towards a pre-dertermination. Possibly genetic?
2006-10-10 02:47:18 · 6 answers · asked by Rick 7 in Social Science ➔ Other - Social Science
Scientists don't have any data that definitively establishes that IQ is genetic. And in fact, nobody agrees on the definition of intelligence or the best way to measure it. I think it is a function of both nature and nurture. At least that's what I think after reading scientific studies and teaching in grade school and high school. Looking at children's and teenager's school records, I found that when their grades went up, so did their IQ that year. When their grades dropped for the year, so did their IQ. So possibly, the more you use your mind the more intelligent you get. Then again, I've met people who don't do well academically, who are a whiz when it comes to mechanics or music or some other specialty. I've met kids who can barely read letters and put the sounds together and yet they can do advanced mathematics. Go figure. A study I read indicated that the more experiences you had as a child and the more you were exposed to as a child, the higher the IQ. Gardner et al came to the conclusion that people have many different types of intelligence ( the theory of multiple intelligences). Intelligence is very enigmatic. It certainly is an interesting area of study.
2006-10-10 03:34:38 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Every peer-reviewed article which I have seen on learning and intelligence indicates that environmental influence is the number one determinant of IQ. Much of this influence happens during early childhood and some of the variables include enriched environments and the presence or absence of certain chemicals and pollutants (such as leaded paint).
Parental influence over the environment of their children seems to have a much greater impact than genetic contributions. Many lack the resources or knowledge to deal with suboptimal conditions, which can perpetuate a problem on a nonhereditary basis.
2006-10-10 03:01:11 · answer #2 · answered by almethod2004 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my humble opinion it is both. I looked in an encyclopedia a couple of years ago about IQ to determine if one of my children needed to be in the advanced program at school. Her IQ in 3rd grade was 136, and according to the information I had she should have been placed and her IQ will continue to increase until she is 25 years old as long as she is challenged and continues to learn. This did not surprise me as my brother and my maternal grandmother have both tested in the Genius IQ range. Both still regularly attend some higher learning courses and continue their education....FYI my Grams is 91 and loves to learn.
2006-10-10 02:59:06 · answer #3 · answered by Barbiq 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My freshman year psychology professor explained it best by saying:
Each of us is born with a predetermined length of rubber band. Your environment helps to either stretch the rubber band or to keep it at its existing length.
That applies to IQ in that a person born with a low IQ cannot go beyond the range he/she was born with. There is only so much that environment/nurture can do in shaping someone's IQ.
2006-10-10 02:58:18 · answer #4 · answered by siuasoto 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think it is determined by the environment we grow up exposed to..e.g take a child from a poor family and one from a rich family,similarly rural people and urban people you will find that there is a margin between their IQs as per the environment they were exposed to.
2006-10-10 02:52:24 · answer #5 · answered by Fantasia 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some born with, some developed, some both, I have none of these..
2006-10-10 03:00:15 · answer #6 · answered by Drone 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋