Is inteligence due to a persons IQ or memory?

Question

It has to be both. In psycology the other day our teacher argued that if a guy sits and revises his notes and gets all A* then it does not automatically make him more intelligent than the guy who gets D's. It could just mean he has a better memory than him/her. What you think?

Answer 1

Your teacher's argument is correct. All the memory guy has done is learned how to pass the test, it is not an indicator of intelligence. By the same argument parrots can actually converse! Sadly, virtually every piece of official paper you will ever receive (Me included) is only an indication of a good memory. Almost none of our "educational" tests actually test intelligence - SATs, GCSE, A Level, Degree, Masters - all are inherently memory not intelligence.
My degree proved I could remember stuff about English Literature, that's all!

Answer 2

Intelligence is dependant on the individuals IQ.
it's not an exact science but if you give anyone a test paper on any subject and they had an average memory then they would be able to study the answers, memorise them and regurgitate, parrot fasion therefore passing the test with flying colours.
A good memory does not equal higher intelligence......
I have had this argument with an accountant friend of mine many times..she considers herself more intelligent than me because she has a professional qualification and, to give her due respect, she knows an awful lot about money and adding up. However, ask her a question about anything else or get her to try to solve a crossword and she's worse than useless. The acid test came when i got hold of a MENSA test and we both did it. I have an IQ of 129 (superior) and she got 111 (high average). She was devastated and hasn't mentioned it since.
Cut a long story short, memory has very little to do with intelligence.

Answer 3

I agree with that to a certain extent. I don't think that exams are the best way of testing someones intelligence. Just because someone can memorise a load of information does not actually mean that they can then put this information to use afterwards. where as someone that doesn't perform so well in exams may have a better understanding of how to actually use the information in the work place. However i think that the difference between A* grades and D grades is to big to be just about someone having a better memory. I personally suffer really badly from nerves in exams and although i did very well in them i know that i could have done better if i hadn't been so nervous. So that is another factor that affects peoples grades.

Answer 4

By definition of IQ it is a measure of intelligence. However that is a very narrow view of what intelligence means. Is intelligence really about choosing the next shape in a sequence?

I do not believe that memory is a good test of intelligence as it is merely recalling information and does not show any reasoning.

To throw another question in the pot, is IQ really that important. Tests have shown that once leaving the education establishment and joining the real world that Emotional Intelligence is a much better measure of success.
The work of Daniel Goleman in this area is interesting,

Answer 5

An intelligence quotient or IQ is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests attempting to measure intelligence. IQ tests are generally designed and used because they are found to be predictive of later intellectual achievement, such as educational achievement. IQ also correlates with job performance and income, although in all cases other factors explain most of the variance. Recent work has demonstrated links between IQ and health.
The average IQ scores for many populations were rising rapidly during the 20th century: a phenomenon called the Flynn effect. It is not known whether these changes in scores reflect real changes in intellectual abilities (if not, then this raises questions about what IQ tests do measure).

Answer 6

I think intelligence as commonly defined is more closely related to IQ than memory, although elements of both come into it.

In the example you gave, yes it could just mean he has a better memory than they guy who gets Ds. Ability to pass exams and 'intelligence' aren't the same thing, so memory comes into it more due to the need to remember things from the course.

At the risk of saying something unpopular, I think that for various political reasons intelligence as measured by IQ has been devalued in the last 20 or 30 years. I think this is a great shame. It's intelligence not 'emotional intelligence' that has allowed humans to invent and create many of the things that we all take for granted, such as modern medicine, computers and so on. To continue to make progress as a species we should keep recognizing its importance.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Answer 7

"You never will he get anywhere", Einstein's grammar school teacher.

IQ is supposed to be a measure of intelligence. It seems clear to me that insight and problem solving skills should rank above plain memory. However, without memory some complex tasks become difficult, if not impossible.

Emotional intelligence is underrated. Humanity needs emotionally intelligent people to work in teams effectively. I've met some pretty robotic people who on the surface have classic intelligence.

I think I am an exam retard. I remember getting a runny nose and streaming eyes at every exam I've ever sat. I'm much better at doing complex stuff outside of the exam hall. My memory is average, but I like to think I can get outside the box when it comes to the other thing.

Answer 8

I.Q Maths, I.Q Literary, Recall, Eye ball co-ordination, Mechanical intelligence, Social intelligence (Empathy), Spatially, Aesthetic intelligence, literary intelligence and I would think, a few more.

Intelligence is the efficiency with which we process information and their are many types of intelligence.

Your tutor is potentially right or wrong. If learning has taken place and you have become more efficient then you have become more intelligent in that one area. If, on the other hand, you have memorised, but not learnt, then you will not be able to apply the knowledge "more intelligently" generally.

Answer 9

The problem here is that there is no clear definition of intelligence - in fact, the current belief is that there are as many as 12 kinds of intelligence. But if we go with the tabloid-level idea that it's the ability to act correctly in unfamiliar situations, then it would be a combination of both. Namely, no situation is entirely unfamiliar and new - then you recall (so, memory) something that contains patterns (so, depth of insight and quick-thinking based pattern recognition) of acting and reacting that will be relevant.

Answer 10

i would imagine it to mean iq and not memory. u can memorise something without understanding it, doesn't mean u have a clue whats it about and therefore how could u call that intelligence. however doesn't mean becoz u have one, can't also have the other. for eg some people have great memories which contributes to enhancing their iq.