Quote:
|
Originally Posted by ARTelevision
While I don't really think it has anything to do with this thread, I'm posting one link that discusses IQ. Here it is:
http://sq.4mg.com/NationIQ.htm
If you don't like the source, try searching yourself or look up the book from which the stats derive:
IQ and the Wealth of Nations
This should not start a digression - as the thread is clearly about other matters. It's just that sometimes, posts require responses. Especially when there is no research done to back up statements that are just typed in here as if anything goes... |
ART, although I'm digressing by addressing your digression, I feel that it is my duty to provide the TFP with the other half of this National IQ silliness. First, there are only a handful of true IQ tests, The Stanford-Binet, the Wechsler (adult, children's abridged etc.) and the Woodcock-Johnson (my alltime favorite test name) are among the commonly used ones. If you haven't taken one of these tests, then you have not taken a true IQ test. These are not the online, answer 20 "if a plane crashes where do you bury the survivors" questions. Each test takes a couple hours to administer and contains many different subtests, testing various parts of intelligence. Anyway, the real point here is that the tests are only available in a few languages so it would be impossible to administer the tests to the bulk of the nations listed. Furthermore, using SAT scores to exrapolate theoretical IQ scores is absurd. I've taken the SAT's and given hundreds of IQ tests and there is a huge difference. Regardless of the fact that the scores don't translate, you also have to consider who is taking the SAT's. It's mostly people who want to go on to higher education etc., it's certainly not a random sample of the regular population. I'm sure that the same percentage of the population in NY and Miss. are not taking the SAT. With the other countries, each has a different portion of the population taking its version of different standardized tests so there is no way to accurately compare. And don't even get me started on the theories of multiple intelligence. Again, sorry for the digression, but I wanted to let people know that there appears to be substantial evidence that the Wealth of Nations is complete bosh.