Accuracy of IQ Tests.

This topic has probably already been done to death but I'm too lazy to seach ats for old threads

Personally I believe IQ Tests are TOTALLY a waste of time, due to the fact that over the years, I have taken numerous tests, out of curiosity, something to do to kill a few minutes or whatever.

One thing I have noticed is each time I take a test, my supposed IQ increases. This to me indicates learning. Now, if an IQ test is truely an indication of a persons intelligence, surely, a persons IQ would not be able to increase drastically over time, ie: as the person learns more about life? (I'm talking about an increase from I think my worst ever score was something like 68 to 120+. The latest test I took I got a score of 137 :puz

My memory makes a seive look like an airtight container, yet apparently my intelligence has been increasing over the last couple of years?!?!?

Admittedly I do have moments of brilliance when I think of something really profound that makes people go "awwwwwwww" and solve problems that most people have been unable to solve, but...from what I've seen, EVERYONE experiences this during at least one point in their lives.

I know your mental capacity can fluctuate due to alchohol, drugs, mental state, tiredness, stress etc, but is it possible for a persons intelligence to truly momentarily zoom to normally unachievable levels? Can adrenaline or some other chemical momentarily increase your mental capacity & problem solving abilities thus what we define as intelligence? Could this be related to ADHD-like behaviour (getting REALLY into a specific topic...but getting bored of it as quickly as the person got into it)? What causes the release of this chemical and where is it stored?

Obviously if adrenaline IS the cause, then there have to be detrimental effects, the same as there are detrimental effects to adrenaline causing momentary increased speed, reaction times & strenth (overloading. The muscles & organs aren't cut out to work at such a heavy load). What would those effects be on the human mind? Short circuiting? A faster decline in the dead of brain cells due to overloading?

There's been times where I have actually finished typing a sentence before I've even completed it in my head. Now how is that possible?? When I really get stuck into programming it happens alot. I can write an entire function before I've completed working it out in my head. It's like my mind goes on overdrive and things instantanesouly go from my mind to my fingers before my brain has time to comprehend what it's just thought

I've heard it said that people who are good at IQ tests are good at IQ tests. It's probably true that they don't realy give much of an indication of a persons intelegence.
I would say that what we consider intelegence (problem solving) should be going up all the time as we learn more. If you sudently learn a new peice of information that is realy important and increases your understanding in a whole area you would have a big increase in intelegence.
When typing I don't conciously think of the individual letters anymore just the words and they kind of type automatically.

I think that's just it, TruthResearcher.

I scored in the 99th percentile for my state on the SAT and two national AP exams in high school, and have registered as high as 172 on IQ tests... but honestly, none of these reflect my actual intellectual faculties. I just test well, and, when it comes to a normal scholastic situation, my performance is average at best.

Standardized tests are meaningless, once you figure out how those people think... and I believe that I am living (and barely passing) proof of this fact.

I believe IQ tests are valid, when they are admisistered properly by a professional. I was tested when I was 8 and they immediately recommended that I be placed in MENSA. I however didn't go for it because my parents didn't want me in it for some strange reason. I did fairly poor in school as I found it way toooo easy and boring. I believe if I had been in MENSA i would have done MUCH better in school. Note I also have Asperger Syndrome(at type of Autism) that only effects the Social part of the brain so maybe I'm just naturally talented in lateral abstract thinking and reasoning which is what IQ tests for. Internet tests can be gamed easily. I scored a 182 on my last test I don't think Im THAT smart, but It may have been a different scale so it may not be as good as I think Point is IQ just tests for Lateral Abstract thought. People who are good at that will usually excel in school if put in the right situation(ie MENSA).

Odd, were you bored in school? Did you find it too easy? Maybe the reason why you were only an average student is because you weren't properly challenged. Just a thought....

Professionally administered IQ tests have a certain degree of validity and reliability, but only to a small degree. Internet based tests are neither valid nor reliable (The two true measures of a tests ability to test what it claims to test) and should not be used as an absolute measure as the sampling of questions are both relatively small, culturally biased and narrow in their scope.

Finally, the famous Binet test used to measure IQ really only measures an individuals ability to solve problems using logic and cognitive reasoning skills. It is not used to measure intelligence, wisdom, common sense, spatial abilities etc... There is clearly more than one type of intelligence. So scoring high on a preofessionally administered IQ simply indicates an indiviuals ability to solve logic-based problems and not the other countless intelligences that we possess.

Hey Lord.... www.abovetopsecret.com... Take a look here, you will not fine a better resource... And then Look a little deeper. As you have started out to do..

[edit on 21-1-2005 by jessemole]