Quote:
Originally posted by tedrlord
That reminds me. My mom told me about a friend of hers that took an IQ test and didn't like his results, so he went to the library, read a couple of books on the IQ, then tried again and got a 200. Basically, most of the tests show how well you test.
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Exactly. IQ tests test your ability to perform well on IQ tests. There is no single useful measure of intelligence. We no longer think dyslexics are unintelligent, although they would perform badly on verbal sections of the tests. Nor are the blind stupid just because they can't see the paper.
IQ tests have their roots in US immigration policies of the 19th century, and were used to "prove" the pre-conceived idea that there was a hierarchy of races, with European whites at the top (oddly enough) and African blacks at the bottom. I urge anyone who still thinks that IQ is a worthwhile measure to read
The Mismeasure of Man by Steven Jay Gould.