Question

Do you think IQ scores tell how smart a someone is? Why or why not?

Answer 1

WHAT IQ TESTS CAN TELL
Although most people hate IQ tests, few psychological findings are as conclusive as the correlation between IQ test scores on one hand and academic performance, job performance, and career success on the other.
Scoring highly on an IQ test can forecast significantly higher success levels in all areas of life. In fact, even though IQ tests were initially designed to predict only school achievement, more than a century’s worth of scientific research has shown they’re also predictive of other, seemingly nonintellectual achievements, like better, longer, and happier romantic relationships, creative and artistic talents, socioeconomic status, and even health and longevity. IQ tests have even been found to predict a person’s life expectancy as well as personality traits like self-control, prudence, and risk taking.
It only takes a few minutes after meeting someone for most of us to judge how smart, competent, or quick-witted we think they are.So while environmental and other factors play a role in all these things–and correlation doesn’t mean causality–there’s still arguably no single better way to measure someone’s adaptability potential (especially relative to others in similar circumstances) than through an IQ test.
>> An IQ score doesn't measure your practical intelligence: knowing how to make things work, says Richard Nisbett, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. It doesn't measure your creativity. It doesn't measure your curiosity.
It doesn't tell your parents or teachers about your emotional readiness. Maybe as a 5-year-old, you can read and understand The Economist. But are you prepared to deal with stories about war-torn countries or prisoners on death row?
It would be a mistake, Van Gemert says, to look at a child with a high IQ as nothing more than a brain. Like any trait -- blue eyes, big feet -- their IQ is just one part of who they are.
>> A lot of factors can affect your IQ score over time. Poverty. Nutrition. Stress. How familiar you are with standardized tests. Nisbett's research has shown that children from lower socioeconomic levels adopted into a middle-class family often increase their IQ scores by 15 to 20 points.
"Heritability is not as great as some people (believe)," Nisbett said. "Environmental factors are very potent.