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The Past and Future of the IQ Test

The intention of the IQ test was to identify kids who most need remediation. And indeed, experts today recognize that it is a useful tool for measuring a child’s educational progress. But soon after its introduction, the IQ test became used to simplify a person’s overall intelligence into a single number. Not only was this interpretation a far cry from the more nuanced scientific understanding of human intelligence, but it enabled fields well outside education to apply IQ scores in inappropriate and often discriminatory ways. Over the years, IQ scores would be used to justify the exclusion of certain immigrants from the U.S., the sterilization of racial minorities, and the hiring practices…

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Articles of Interest

What’s the Point of I.Q. Testing?

Are gifted and talented programs discriminatory? Why do so many adults still remember their SAT scores? And how did Angela transform from a party girl to an Ivy League psychologist?

Education: Beating the I.Q. Test

From first grade to college, and in industry and the military as well, the intelligence quotient is the chief U.S. measuring rod for separating the bright from the dull. But to a growing body of angry critics. I.Q. tests are unfair. They argue that too many teachers peg children by one I.Q. test. Yet many of the challenges —typically, picture puzzles, number games or scrambled sentences—do not measure native intelligence so much as cultural advantages such as familiarity with vocabulary and material objects. Thus I.Q.s. instead of being fixed for life, can be raised by training. Then why not train children to do so?

How Do I Know My IQ? IQ Ranges & Average Scores

IQ tests are standardized assessments used to evaluate reasoning skills and other cognitive abilities. However, although there are many online IQ tests, only those administered by a trained psychologist can provide reliable results.

IQ Tests Aren’t Just Bad Science—They Favor the Privileged, Scientists Say

“The tests turn out to correlate very highly with socioeconomic status and it’s sort of a way of laundering that,” an expert tells us.

IQ tests: are humans getting smarter?

From the algorithms that make our social media accounts function to the sleep-tracking technology in our smartwatches, the world has never seemed so technologically advanced and developed. Which is why it would be easy to assume that with each generation, humans are getting smarter. But is this the case?

IQ tests: can you improve your score by practising?

Most adults never have to take an IQ test. But tests for assessing students’ cognitive abilities, such as the cognitive ability test (Cat), are used in schools around the world. These tests are very similar to IQ tests. Taking them may be a pain for kids. Possibly, it’s an even bigger pain for parents.

IQ tests: the danger of reading too much into them – and the crucial cognitive skills they don’t measure

Many people object to intelligence tests. Some say IQ test scores are too often abused. They says it’s unfair that when children “fail” these tests it can mean they receive a worse secondary education than their more successful peers – sentencing them to a lifetime of disadvantage. Some object to IQ tests for quite personal reasons and remember how stressed they were by sitting a test. Many doubt their result was a fair reflection of their future potential. But how useful are IQ tests really – and what skills and qualities do they miss?

Resources

CDC Health IQ

You can now ask Alexa to “Launch CDC Health IQ” and then play a fun health trivia game. Choose from three levels of difficulty, Easy, Medium, or Hard…or be surprised by selecting a Random mix. Race against the clock to earn more points or use hints when you are stumped. Each quiz delivers a mix of 5 questions.

IQ Tests Initiative

IQ Tests Initiative™ (ITI™) is an international collaborative project devoted to the development of high quality, intelligence and personality assessment tools.