Brian White
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Does a low IQ mean you won’t be able to comprehend certain subjects or does it mean it’ll take more time to understand certain subjects compared to those with higher IQ?
Both. As academic complexity increases, the number of people who can learn and use the advanced material decreases because of the threshold effect. That means each subject (think of school coursework) has a minimum IQ that will effectively filter out people below that point. Obviously, this is a sta…
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Why do IQ scores often change between childhood and adulthood, and does that actually reflect a change in intelligence?
The reason is growth. IQ = (15 x z-score) + 100, where the z-score is relative to age peers. That means a child who is ahead in maturity may be ahead in IQ (only in a statistical sense). In general, low IQ breeding groups mature faster and high IQ breeding groups mature slower. Intelligence is determin…
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How much does I.Q. vary by state across the entire United States?
The table below shows the answer in the last column: source: Toward an index of well-being for the fifty U.S. states Bryan J. Pesta, et al. Intelligence 38 (2010) 160–168.…
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How can someone raise their psychometric intelligence (g) scores?
There is no presently known practical means of increasing intelligence. Intelligence is determined by the DNA we inherit and may be reduced by encounters with the environment (disease, toxins, and head trauma). See these related answers: …
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What are practical and actionable ways to introduce emotional intelligence (EQ) in leadership training?
I suggest a realistic evaluation of expected gains and cost. Read this related answer:
What are some disadvantages of being in the top 1% of people in terms of intelligence (IQ)?
This answer addresses your question:
Is there any equipment to test for intelligence in humans?
Yes. Intelligence can be measured by scientific instrumentation. There are other ways to examine IQ than by having a person take an IQ test. Examples: Patent US8301223 - Neurobiological method for measuring human intelligence and system for the same. [This method is being improved by neurologists. The…
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Was Einstein brilliant because of his genes or because he worked his brain very hard?
Einstein was brilliant because his genes defined and created a special brain. It was not standard issue, it was amazing. For details, and pictures of his brain, see these answers:
If race is a social construct, what factors actually contribute to differences in intelligence among individuals?
Race is not simply a social construct. It is a biological classification that can be revealed with amazing accuracy by computer analysis of medical x-rays. See this answer: For a very detailed discussion of this topic see this: The Nature of Race: the Genealogy of th…
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What do the terms "saturated with g" and "non-g factors" mean in the context of IQ tests, and how do they impact the results?
The term “saturation” in the context of an IQ test was used more frequently in the past than today. “High saturation” simply means that the g loading of the test is high. A high g loading is necessary for a high predictive validity of an IQ test. This is because only the g variance contributes meani…
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What are some scientifically proven methods to reliably increase fluid intelligence?
Intelligence is determined by the DNA we inherit and may be reduced by encounters with the environment (disease, toxins, and head trauma). There is presently no practical means of increasing intelligence. The number of variants involved in determining intelligence is so large that it may never be po…
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How can I improve my emotional intelligence (EQ) in a way that genuinely helps me understand myself and others?
See this related answer:
What is the exact thing that makes an individual bright or intelligent?
The one thing: DNA Intelligence is determined by the DNA we inherit and may be reduced by encounters with the environment (disease, toxins, and head trauma). If you look into the DNA, you will find that intelligence is specifically determined by the number of single nucleotide polymorphisms that are…
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Why the colleges hiding IQ testing?
Although IQ is the best predictor of college success, they have previously relied on the SAT and ACT. These measure learned material and g. There is no way to design a psychometric test that will work without it containing a large g variance. For that reason, academic tests produce results that are…
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Is there any scientific basis to the belief that different races have different brain structures and intelligence levels, or is this just a misconception?
Yes. It has been known since the 1970s that different breeding groups have different mean IQs. Intelligence is distributed as a Gaussian function, so there is overlap between each group. That means you can find both bright and dull people in any breeding group; the difference lies in the numbers that…
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Are there other tests or methods similar to the Fagan Test that can help identify giftedness in infants?
There was a method under development that seemed to work for infants. Smyth, M., Anderson, M. and Hammond, G., 1999. The modified blink reflex and individual differences in speed of processing. Intelligence, 27(1), pp.13-35. It was developed and tested on adults, but was expected to function on infant…
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Why is the idea of measuring intelligence with just one number, like an IQ score, so controversial? What other ways can intelligence be understood?
People who do not understand how intelligence testing is done and how it it interpreted like to guess outcomes, based on how they imagine science, not reality. Intelligence is determined by the DNA we inherit and may be reduced by encounters with the environment (disease, toxins, and head trauma). int…
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If IQ tests don't measure knowledge, what exactly are they measuring, and how can someone score high yet have gaps in certain areas?
First question IQ tests measure the variances in g, non-g broad ability residuals, and uniqueness (specificity plus measurement error). The sum of these must equal 100%. At the present time, there is no practical way of increasing intelligence. intelligence = psychometric g That means the g variance in…
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What is the definition of reliability in psychological testing? What is the definition of validity in psychological testing?
Reliability is a measure of the consistency of the test score. It can be measured by administering the test twice, or by the split-halves method. [If you are not familiar with this method, you can find detailed explanations of it by searching the web.] 1.0 minus the reliability coefficient is test me…
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Does a low score on the Kohs cubes test merit a diagnosis of mild intellectual disability?
This question is appropriately addressed by the psychologist who administered the test. He can make an informed observation of “low” based on the test result. He, or a neurologist, can determine if there is an intellectual disability or not. Keep in mind that intelligence naturally varies over a ver…
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What are some real traits of highly intelligent people, and which common stereotypes about them are just myths?
First question — My list of traits often found in intelligent people: * high working memory capacity, facilitating math ability, rapid learning, and ability to stay on task * mental speed is high, allowing the high WMC to be used efficiently * learns quickly * can learn by self-instruction * can block out stimuli…
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What is one book you've read about intelligence or IQ that significantly changed your understanding of the topic?
Jensen, A. R. (1998). The g factor: The science of mental ability. Westport, CT: Praeger. This is an extensive coverage of virtually every aspect of intelligence as it was understood in 1998. For readers who are interested in other books, here are some I have read: Probably the best starting point: Haie…
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How does the quality of education and socio-economic factors in predominantly black neighborhoods influence the opportunities available to these communities, and what impact does this have on the crime narrative?
Educational outcomes and SES outcomes are primarily the result of group level intelligence. While crime may relate to various factors, one is low IQ. However much people may want different breeding groups to have the same mean IQs, they do not, just as they do not have the same physical ability outc…
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How can someone tell if their intense thinking patterns are a sign of intelligence or a potential mental health concern?
If there is any concern that someone has a “mental health concern,” that person should be seeking professional help from a local source. Quora is not the place to diagnose or treat medical or mental conditions.
How can someone with a high IQ deal with the frustration of feeling like they never reached their potential due to lack of challenging opportunities?
Bright people can find challenges without help and without luck. They seldom display the sorts of feelings you imagine, although the statistical nature of life sciences tells us that you can find some people who display any emotion you can imagine. If the person you have in mine (or people) is really…
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Why do people with high IQ scores tend to show stronger correlations with academic success compared to those with average scores?
Intelligence is highly predictive of learning rate, retention of learned material, grades in school, and the ability to reason. The most central reason for this appears to be that working memory capacity and mental speed are strongly associated with intelligence and with academic ability. Measures of…
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What factors might lead someone to think of neighborhoods in terms of race rather than socioeconomic status, and how can these perceptions be changed?
Anyone can easily see (just walk around a bit) that neighborhoods are reflections of both race and SES. This is partly the result of social preferences and partly the result of economics. Let’s look at the base cause—intelligence. First, we can easily find countless peer reviewed studies of race and…
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What kind of careers or paths do people with an IQ around 148 typically excel in, and why?
Answer: STEM 148 is high enough for a person to work in physics, astronomy, or mathematics. These are the most demanding career paths. Of course, other STEM areas are not far behind. The underlying cause of the levels of difficulty in various careers is in learning the major and that is largely differ…
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Does a higher IQ mean you're less likely to experience unemployment or social issues, and why might that be?
Yes. Higher IQ statistically predicts higher levels of education and education correlates positively with being employed. The figure below shows statistical examples of related factors as a function of IQ level: source: Linda S. Gottfredson - Why g matters: The complexity of everyday life; Intelligenc…
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How does a high IQ influence things like income, health, and happiness over the course of a lifetime?
Answer: favorably IQ is socially important in an academic sense because it explains a large number of behaviors and conditions that we see around us. It is common for sociologists, journalists, and various academics to try to explain the things they see around them using every possible guess, while d…
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