"The only thing IQ tests prove is how good you are at doing IQ tests"?

Question

Did the person who said it mean that modern IQ tests are biased or have little value? Is an unrealistic claim?

Answer 1

I think he meant that IQ tests have little value. In a way, he's right. I have nothing against IQ tests, and I have scored nicely myself. Let's just remember that IQ means 'intelligence quota.' The test is simply meant to give an idea of an individual's capacity to learn. It does not mean he/she is Yoda! Not all educated people are bright, and not all bright people are educated.

Answer 2

They have some value but they are not fully accurate. They can vary 10 points in either direction depending on the person and the person's current life style, mood, basic needs being met, etc.

Also there could be two children born with the same IQ, one who has parents that care for them, teach them new things, allow them to explore, give them the chance for experiencing things, feeds them nutritional meals, creates a stable environment etc. where the other may plop the kid down in front of the tube and feed them junk food. The first child will have a higher IQ because they have been exposed to various thing and been properly cared for. The same can happen as you get older. The old saying "if you don't use it you loose it" holds true in most cases. For example people "smoke themselves stupid".

Even if someone has a high IQ it doesn't mean they will be successful. They have to put fourth effort as well. The same could be reversed. A person with a low IQ could become successful as a result of their effort....not their IQ.

I think they are okay, but I would not judge someones intelligence simply based on their IQ.

Answer 3

This is random and not really answering your question but I'm bored: I took an "official" IQ test when i was tested for adhd. I did really well on it but it doesn't mean anything in the end. I still ended up almost failing high school and def. failing on the SAT's & ACT's. It's more of a logic testing thing. People who do well in school "book-smart" could do poorly on an IQ test while others like me might a terrible student yet have a great IQ score. I also think they are biased & have little value. ex. David Sedaris wrote in 'Me Talk Pretty One Day' how he repeatedly failed an IQ test ...& i still think he's brilliant!

Answer 4

It's very clear from the answers to this question that they have several uses, one of which would be to measure ones self worth and that of others against a test score.

People can be extremely talented without scoring well on IQ tests, and those who have exceptional IQ scores do not necessarily meet with great academic success, but scoring well on an IQ test is correlated with academic success.

I think the person making the claim is seeking to reassure those who perhaps don't score so well that there is a whole lot more to life than a number on a test score, and in the end, it's what you do that matters, not the result of a one hour sit down test.

Answer 5

Yes he (or she) did. And yes, it does not hold up.

The liberal left has long put IQ tests pretty much in the same basket as social Darwinism, nazism and eugenics for the better half of the last century. Unfortunately IQ at least on a group level (individual level only partially) is an excellent predictor of scholastic achievement, employment, income and so on. I mean it's only common sense that if some people have a better physical predisposition towards various physical activities (e.g. few short people play professional basketball) that also some people have a better predisposition towards intellectual work.

Now for some VERY uncomfortable facts about IQ:
1) IQ is partially affected by the enviroment, but ALSO by the genetic make-up of the individual.
2) IQ correlates with head size.
3) Different races and ethnicities have significantly different averages from each other (of course PLENTY of overlap). The worst off are African Blacks, followed (going up) by American Blacks, Hispanics, European Whites and Asians and Jews are at the top. This difference is at least somwehat genetic.

Answer 6

It's been proven that people who are familiar with the format of IQ tests score higher. I'm not sure if that's what was meant, but that's what I gather.

Of course IQ tests are culturally biased. If not why, on average, do the people of Holland score higher than the people of France?

Edit: what is fascinating to me is when those who tout men's superior mathematical intelligence base that conclusion on the findings of a test that was designed by a social scientist! In other words, a charlatan, a guy who made his living peddling useless fluff. They'll defend the compliments, then return to dismissing social science. Funny how that works.

Answer 7

IQs don't mean anything except to educators trying to get a handle on a child's learning potential. IQ is no predictor of an adult's success in life.

Mensans know that gaining entrance into the group just proves you like taking tests. I'm thinking of taking the law boards for fun.

Answer 8

Some people believe that IQ tests aren't a good measure of intelligence at all. If you've taken one, you can do them all with little to no effort. But this quote might be referring to standard Internet-based tests whose credibility is questionable.

Answer 9

IQ tests are biased toward white men, they were written by and for white men.

Answer 10

Intelligence is the ability to learn and to adapt. Until a test measures that, then it's going to be inaccurate.