Question

The study of intelligence is important to psychologists, in part because our brains are the command centers for our bodies and our personalities. Measuring intelligence is one way of determining how well our brains are functioning. However, a person's intelligence level (or "IQ") often ends up defining their entire capability as a person (or even their worth as a person.). Knowing this, please respond in writing to the following: "How accurate do you think IQ tests are? Do you think that someone's IQ score is a good reflection of their ability to function in the world? Explain. (Would your answer change if you knew that the person's IQ score was very high or very low?)

Answer 1

We often make judgments about how intelligent a person is. Can we really measure intelligence? The answer must be yes or no. No one really knows what intelligence is, and so in that sense we cannot directly tap it. However, we can certainly measure something that has something to do with intelligence. IQ tests have been severely criticized; but if used very judiciously they have some value. Remember that IQ is not an absolute score, it is a relative measure, and it is compared with the average population. IQ is also strongly influenced by Culture and education and other environmental factors. Also remember that IQ is not intelligence. IQ is an index of intelligence (as narrowly defined by a particular test). Change the test and you change the score.

IQ is not a measure of success. Although IQ predicts school performance, it does not predict later career success (McClelland, 1994). In this regard, - street smarts, or what psychologist Robert Sternberg calls practical intelligence (Stemler & Sternberg, 2006), may be seen by minority cultures as more important than ―book learning, or what Sternberg calls analytic intelligence.

Remember that a high IQ reveals potential. It does not guarantee success. Marilyn vos Savant, with an IQ of 230, has contributed little to science, literature, or art. However Nobel prize–winning physicist Richard Feynman, whom many regarded as a genius, had an IQ of 122 and also James Watson, Nobel Prize winner for co-discovering the structure of DNA, says he has a tested IQ of 115, which just bright or normal.