Who Has The Highest IQ?

Paco Dennis said:
I would prefer that the education system used used Aptitude testing instead of IQ testing. Most people can excel and live a fulfilling life if they are encouraged and fed information about what ability/s they have. They could have an IQ of 70 and play music by ear that is magnificent, or be able to take care of nature in some way.
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Agreed!!!!
 
officerripley said:
When I was in high school in the San Francisco Bay Area (one of the prime Defense Contracting industry sites & future home of Silicon Valley), our school had done away with aptitude tests. I overheard one of the teachers talking about it saying something like, "Aptitude tests are worthless! What good would it do you to know if you were good at working with your hands for instance?! There's no way you can earn a living with your hands! The only tools anyone needs to learn to use are slide rules, calculators and the telephone. The future is everybody's going to be sitting behind a desk." And he pretty much was right, for that area anyway; even back in those days, unless your dad owned a car dealership or something, the only jobs after high school or college that you'd be able to afford a house & family were in offices. (That high school had also done away with "shop" class for the boys; we girls still had to take home economics; I guess the thinking was that we'd have to know how to make Hors d'Oeuvres for cocktail parties after we got married.)
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I wonder if those teachers think about those remarks when getting their hair and nails done at the salon...
 
pffffttt... Unless used to estimate the ability of people to independently navigate life so support can be provided to people below minimum intelligence levels, IQ and similar tests are essentially worthless.

I was tested in high school but can't recall specifically what my IQ was, though I know it fell somewhere in the average range.

My parents dismissed it was meaningless information (and my father was a scientist). We were told what we chose to do with our brains was far more important than what some test suggested our brains could do.

In my book, bragging about one's IQ is similar to bragging about other gifts from birth - athletic, musical or artistic abilities, extraordinary physical beauty, being born into wealthy or powerful families, and so forth.

We can take no credit - nor should we be given any - for what divine providence or dumb luck bestows on us.
Any credit comes from what we do with those gifts.
 
StarSong said:
pffffttt... Unless used to estimate the ability of people to independently navigate life so support can be provided to people below minimum intelligence levels, IQ and similar tests are essentially worthless.

I was tested in high school but can't recall specifically what my IQ was, though I know it fell somewhere in the average range.

My parents dismissed it was meaningless information (and my father was a scientist). We were told what we chose to do with our brains was far more important than what some test suggested our brains could do.

In my book, bragging about one's IQ is similar to bragging about other gifts from birth - athletic, musical or artistic abilities, extraordinary physical beauty, being born into wealthy or powerful families, and so forth.
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Ok well I won't bother bragging then...just take it as fact... :ROFLMAO:
 
hollydolly said:
I wonder if those teachers think about those remarks when getting their hair and nails done at the salon...
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IKR? (Although they're either all dead or in their 100s.) But their response would probably be what I heard a male, 20-something tech industry worker, who had been saying that the only thing people needed to learn was tech, computer-industry stuff, no "stupid" manual labor skills; when someone called him on it and said don't you think we need at least a few people to learn plumbing, electrical, nursing, etc. skills, he said "No, robots can and should do all that." That seems to be a more and more prevalent attitude these days, I'm sorry to say; too many seem to love the idea of living on a spaceship with only robots for companions.
 
officerripley said:
IKR? (Although they're either all dead or in their 100s.) But their response would probably be what I heard a male, 20-something tech industry worker, who had been saying that the only thing people needed to learn was tech, computer-industry stuff, no "stupid" manual labor skills; when someone called him on it and said don't you think we need at least a few people to learn plumbing, electrical, nursing, etc. skills, he said "No, robots can and should do all that." That seems to be a more and more prevalent attitude these days, I'm sorry to say; too many seem to love the idea of living on a spaceship with only robots for companions.
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...but they were saying that when I was at school in the 60's... and here we are 50 years later, and no robots are nursing, none are styling and cutting hair, none are cooking in restaurants... none are are doing plumbing.. and despite all the robots in the land, it's still a guy in a pair of overalls and grease on his forehead whose changing my tyres... :D
 
hollydolly said:
...but they were saying that when I was at school in the 60's... and here we are 50 years later, and no robots are nursing, none are styling and cutting hair, none are cooking in restaurants... none are are doing plumbing.. and despite all the robots in the land, it's still a guy in a pair of overalls and grease on his forehead whose changing my tyres... :D
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I know, that's what is so frustrating about this; the tech bro industry (and not all younguns either; there are plenty of middle-aged I could name) who seem to be positive that theirs is the only worthwhile field, that anybody who doesn't think like them is an idiot. Very unwise IMO.
 
When I was in second grade, back shortly after the earth cooled, my grammar school administered IQ tests to the whole class. At the next school community day (when the parents were invited to visit) all the IQ test results were posted for public review. I don't remember my score but I do remember the ruckus the posted test results caused among some of the parents.
 
Llynn said:
When I was in second grade, back shortly after the earth cooled, my grammar school administered IQ tests to the whole class. At the next school community day (when the parents were invited to visit) all the IQ test results were posted for public review. I don't remember my score but I do remember the ruckus the posted test results caused among some of the parents.
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I was IQ tested twice in Grade 4 and once in Grade 6. Each time it was to allocate placements to special programs for children likely to go on to university or teachers college. I spent two years in a special class for years 5 and 6 and then went on to do 5 years at a selective high school where the curriculum was very academic, similar to the English grammar school system. The tests were pen and paper and I really enjoyed taking them because we were never told the result so there was no pressure or fear of failure.

Later, when I was a teacher myself, I would look at the IQ scores of the students and 120 was considered bright and I never saw a score above 135. The result was just given as 135+. This is because the group tests are designed for scores that are 2 standard deviations above or below the mean. For higher or lower levels an individual test is required.

My son was given one such individual test and I was told that he was 'exceptional' but to gain entry to a special class as I did he had to sit a group test. Instead of getting stuck in he fiddled around wasting time before he started. Apparently the result was that he was no longer exceptional.

It is not possible to assign a single number to intelligence because there are different categories of intelligence - nine, in fact. All of them are related to brain function.

Group IQ tests tend to focus just on linguistic and logical-mathematical. They fail to pick up people whose strengths are in other categories. Talent spotters know how to identify potential sports champions or ballet dancers without a pen and paper test. Spatial IQ is obvious in the work of artists, photographers and designers. Leadership requires interpersonal intelligence, sometimes call EQ for emotional intelligence.

I wouldn't feel too chuffed to learn your IQ score. It doesn't make you superior/inferior to others. It's what we do with our intellect/gifts that matter. Also, there is nothing more dangerous than a highly intelligent individual who lacks interpersonal IQ and has not developed morally beyond the level of an infant. This is a recipe for a psychopath.
 
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officerripley said:
IKR? (Although they're either all dead or in their 100s.) But their response would probably be what I heard a male, 20-something tech industry worker, who had been saying that the only thing people needed to learn was tech, computer-industry stuff, no "stupid" manual labor skills; when someone called him on it and said don't you think we need at least a few people to learn plumbing, electrical, nursing, etc. skills, he said "No, robots can and should do all that." That seems to be a more and more prevalent attitude these days, I'm sorry to say; too many seem to love the idea of living on a spaceship with only robots for companions.
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May I refer to my statement about common sense?
 
I was sent to a testing center for an IQ test when I was in either 4th or 5th grade. My score was 161, no lie. But the tester explained that an IQ test isn't to see how intelligent you are, it's to determine the level of your ability to learn. So unless that guy misspoke, it is a type of aptitude test - it tests your aptitude for learning. And retention, probably.

Anyway, I scored high when I was a kid, but I read that most people's IQ score declines over time unless they have a career or hobby that keeps their brain exercised and engaged, like a career in science or research.

I'd score way lower now because I had a pretty mundane work life, and when I wasn't at work I just basically goofed off. Also I sustained permanent brain injury from the terrible fall I've talked about on here. Hasn't impacted my life much, but it would definitely impact an IQ score.
 
I was tested at 150+ when I was in Elementary School. The teachers wanted to put me in special classes, but I refused because I didn't want to feel different from everyone else. As a result, I got very bored in school and got great academic grades but poor conduct grades.

Having said that, I think Emotional Intelligence is much more important than IQ to get through everyday life. I have a cousin who has very little. She can't read cues from other people and talks incessantly. It infuriates me. My mother, on the other hand, only had a high school education but she sure knew when to listen and how to ingratiate herself with other people.

See the following video on Emotional Intelligence. I think most of us in SF have it, and it is essential. It is mostly about being "aware".

 
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Murrmurr said:
I was sent to a testing center for an IQ test when I was in either 4th or 5th grade. My score was 161, no lie. But the tester explained that an IQ test isn't to see how intelligent you are, it's to determine the level of your ability to learn. So unless that guy misspoke, it is a type of aptitude test - it tests your aptitude for learning. And retention, probably.

Anyway, I scored high when I was a kid, but I read that most people's IQ score declines over time unless they have a career or hobby that keeps their brain exercised and engaged, like a career in science or research.

I'd score way lower now because I had a pretty mundane work life, and when I wasn't at work I just basically goofed off. Also I sustained permanent brain injury from the terrible fall I've talked about on here. Hasn't impacted my life much, but it would definitely impact an IQ score.
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I absolutely believe it, Frank. And I don't think you've declined very much. One can tell a lot by someone's posts. ;)
 
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A software truism...Garbage In <> Garbage Out

You are what you do.
What one does and experiences is what our minds become because of the way neuroplasticity re-enforces repeating mental activity through dynamic neuron cell wall chemical feedback and inhibition processes and also interconnects to complex idea/concept neural thought networks, creating new pathways of ways of understanding. Also what one no longer uses withers away slowly on the vine. So practice and repetition re-enforces.

Neuroplasticity science today considers how a raw child educated human mind is filled up over adult years to be more important than some innate genetic mental tendencies like IQ. And not just thru early adult years but across decades of living. A person of average innate IQ intelligent can become more if they fill their mind wisely. Finding wisdom and understanding is beyond raw IQ.

Thus fill a high IQ adult mind without much science, or worse with bad science or dogmatic religious beliefs and poor logical mental habits and the result may be disappointing. Conversely exposure to a proper education, experience, problem solving exposure, communication skills, and study can over an adult lifetime make one more intelligent. Personally, filling up my own mind in this information era with science has been of great benefit to the quality and value of this earth monkey's life. The Earth can be so wonderful. How lucky we are! (oh... and do you have a banana?)
 
dseag2 said:
I was tested at 150+ when I was in Elementary School. The teachers wanted to put me in special classes, but I refused because I didn't want to feel different from everyone else. As a result, I got very bored in school and got great academic grades but poor conduct grades.

Having said that, I think Emotional Intelligence is much more important than IQ to get through everyday life. I have a cousin who has very little. She can't read cues from other people and talks incessantly. It infuriates me. My mother, on the other hand, only had a high school education but she sure knew when to listen and how to ingratiate herself with other people.

See the following video on Emotional Intelligence. I think most of us in SF have it, and it is essential. It is mostly about being "aware".

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Same here..and my Mom really wanted me to. I skipped 4th grade and went to an Accelerated Learning class at a Junior High School. I didn't know anyone, and was very intimidated. No grades/pass or fail, and very strange/different teaching methods. When I reentered regular High School I got so bored I basically dropped out my senior year, getting my diploma by threatening the art teacher I would take all my elective classes in HER class! :) She passed me. Later on I realized that at the time they were trying to cultivate great minds to "make America great again". Ha!
 
142? A test (Stanford Binet?) was administered to the student body (approx 2,000) of my high school. A friend who worked in the principal's office volunteered (without being asked) that I scored 142. Not long after, a class for the "gifted" (130+?) was established -- about 25 of us. I suppose membership in that group confirmed the truth of the 142. Lest the members of this thread get too smug, it seems that mild Autism is often associated with higher IQ. I recall doing a lot of rocking as a very young child.

I've always been interested in IQ. The Internet is profuse with info on IQ as it pertains to race and nationality, so who scores the highest? Western European Caucasians? No. Ashkenazi Jews and East Asians -- mainly China, Japan, and Korea.
 
@ElCastor, it is not uncommon for children to be recognised as gifted and at the same time to be labelled as disabled. My lecturer in the Gifted and Talented post graduate course was emphatic about this point. She herself, an Associate Professor, was profoundly deaf. As a child it was the deafness that was obvious and the intellectual potential was more easily overlooked.

There is no reason why a person with autism cannot also be highly intelligent but equally there is no reason to assume that every person with autism is a genius.
 
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