Who Has The Highest IQ?

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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For sure my dear. The only reason for a woman to go to college is to get a husband. My father insisted I study home economics and plan on spending my life caring for my family. I also have very old books that explain that reasoning. We should not bother our husbands with family matters, neither the children nor household chores, because it is in our best interest to free our husbands to devote themselves to their careers. The men earn the most money so, of course, it is in the family's best interest to support the man who then can support the family.

I am not totally against that reasoning but many in my cohort expected to return to college and have careers after the children were old enough. Unfortunately, many of us did not marry as well we thought we had, and the recession when OPEC embargoed oil to the US was a terrible time for a domestic woman to be alone to support her family.

Kind of like in 1930 when men took a terrible blow because they lost their jobs. Then the war and women taking men's jobs and them being forced out of their jobs when the war ended. Our husbands' lives were built on that history and I think that led to a high divorce rate.

But I will say, staying home with children and being a good wife, can be harmful to a person's IQ. My best friend told me I should stop reading books because my husband didn't like me reading books. That marriage did not survive. When the kids were old enough he and I went our separate ways. I have known older women who were like children because that is what their husbands wanted.
 
Genius at work

food-drink-barbecuing-genius_at_work-the_plant_kingdom-rip_eye_steak-master_of_the_grill-wwen55_low.jpg
 
Warrigal said:
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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Sorry, but I didn't intend to imply that that every person with autism is a genius -- just that autism (which need not be severe) is not uncommon among the gifted.

An opinion of a PhD in psychology ...
"Across my career, I have had one foot in giftedness and one foot in autism for over 25 years. With that unique lens, I would like to propose that perhaps not only are autism and giftedness not mutually exclusive, (I recently heard a leading expert in giftedness say that autism and giftedness were mutually exclusive at a national gifted conference), but in my opinion, families with intellectual giftedness running through them may be more likely than others to have a child who is diagnosed with autism."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...fted-and-autistic-are-they-mutually-exclusive
 
As Frank Urquhart..from (British.. "House of Cards")..would always say...

"....I couldn't possibly comment!".. 🤗
 
StarSong said:
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.
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What do we do? And therein lies the lesson. Ashkenazi Jews comprise less than 0.2% of the world's population and yet they have won more than 20% of the Nobel Prizes. And what of Taiwan, that obscure Chinese island? ... "Taiwan Semiconductor Is the Most Important Company in the World". https://investorplace.com/2020/09/tsm-stock-the-most-important-company-in-the-world/

Like it or not, that's what those gifts do for the world.
 
ElCastor said:
Sorry, but I didn't intend to imply that that every person with autism is a genius -- just that autism (which need not be severe) is not uncommon among the gifted.

An opinion of a PhD in psychology ...
"Across my career, I have had one foot in giftedness and one foot in autism for over 25 years. With that unique lens, I would like to propose that perhaps not only are autism and giftedness not mutually exclusive, (I recently heard a leading expert in giftedness say that autism and giftedness were mutually exclusive at a national gifted conference), but in my opinion, families with intellectual giftedness running through them may be more likely than others to have a child who is diagnosed with autism."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/...fted-and-autistic-are-they-mutually-exclusive
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I knew a man who fit a dx of autism (from observations of mannerisms, not divulged information) - and perhaps that of an idiot savant. He had the most incredible memory and mathematical abilities. He was living in a group home with my brother, who had Down's Syndrome. I found myself quite jealous of his abilities. I had the high IQ, but totally lacked memory and math skills. All things considered, he should have been the more successful of us.
 
The most intelligent of my grandchildren has self diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. I suspect he is correct. Although he has a degree in sound engineering he has taught himself to use a specialised keyboard so that he can be a court stenographer and record parliament for Hansard. Although he can do it in real time, he prefers to work from home from audio recordings. He can also do closed passage text in real time.

The point is he prefers to work alone and does not miss interaction with colleagues. Now his mother has decided that she has adult autism too but I question her conclusion. For one thing her greatest strength is her EQ - interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence.
 
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Em in Ohio said:
I knew a man who fit a dx of autism (from observations of mannerisms, not divulged information) - and perhaps that of an idiot savant. He had the most incredible memory and mathematical abilities. He was living in a group home with my brother, who had Down's Syndrome. I found myself quite jealous of his abilities. I had the high IQ, but totally lacked memory and math skills. All things considered, he should have been the more successful of us.
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Assuming the same skull and brain size in two individuals -- one with a considerably higher IQ than the other, I have to wonder if the higher IQ, as we measure IQ, requires more brain neurons, but at the price of giving up neurons in another part of the brain, and thereby losing something that isn't measured in an IQ test.
 
ElCastor said:
Assuming the same skull and brain size in two individuals -- one with a considerably higher IQ than the other, I have to wonder if the higher IQ, as we measure IQ, requires more brain neurons, but at the price of giving up neurons in another part of the brain, and thereby losing something that isn't measured in an IQ test.
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Well, it doesn't really apply to my circumstance and that of the gentleman (Assuming we both have skulls filled with brains.) He had a very large head and mine is child-sized (I'm small boned). It's just a shame that we both have deficits that hold us back. )-;
 
Em in Ohio said:
I knew a man who fit a dx of autism (from observations of mannerisms, not divulged information) - and perhaps that of an idiot savant. He had the most incredible memory and mathematical abilities. He was living in a group home with my brother, who had Down's Syndrome. I found myself quite jealous of his abilities. I had the high IQ, but totally lacked memory and math skills. All things considered, he should have been the more successful of us.
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Curious how that works. Makes IQ testing look like a fool's game because it is not a good predictor of an individual's future and what really distresses me is, we focus education of all children on those who will go to college, pushing millions of children through a terrible experience of failure to receive an education that does nothing to help actualize their full potential. Children who are not college material have become the throwaways of society. When a public commentator announced teachers should not have to waste their time on those children, I began researching education to argue against that popular notion.

How schools judge children today is not the same as how we judged them in the past. Equal did not mean the same and there was more appreciation of individual differences. There was an idea that there was a place in society for everyone. But this was not perfect because it went with sexism and racism. However, producing children to be products for industry is not my idea of perfect either.
 
Vida May said:
,,,When a public commentator announced teachers should not have to waste their time on those children (not college material), I began researching education to argue against that popular notion...
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I don't believe that commentator had any credibility. If you can, please provide a name/reference/link.
 
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Em in Ohio said:
Well, it doesn't really apply to my circumstance and that of the gentleman (Assuming we both have skulls filled with brains.) He had a very large head and mine is child-sized (I'm small boned). It's just a shame that we both have deficits that hold us back. )-;
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Individuals vary, but brain size in general seems to be important. East Asians as a racial group test higher than other races, and apparently have the largest brains.

"The world’s largest survey of brain sizes, conducted by American scientists three decades ago using more than 20,000 modern human skulls from around the globe, found that the average cranial volume among East Asians was 1,415 cubic centimetres, compared with 1,362 for Europeans and 1,268 for Africans."
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/art...ians-have-bigger-brains-europeans-or-africans
 
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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The problem lies in the tests. My kids had aptitude testing in high school. The whole family had a good laugh about the results, and still tease my two autistic sons. One had a high aptitude for being a florist, and the other, a taxi driver. The high school knew they were autistic, but at the time anyway, there were no specialized aptitude tests for autistic people. One is an excellent writer, and the other is an expert in Old English, baseball, and German. The latter, I always thought, should have been a baseball announcer because he is so interesting to listen to on that subject. He said no, because the announces are supposed to be great at delivering the ads and should confine their conversation to the game at hand. I guess the days of old-time announcers are over -- I've listened to several who were very interesting when they talked about games in the past, and baseball history.

Need I mention that one has no interest in flowers and the other has the poorest sense of direction I've ever seen? Neither kid could figure out the reasons for those results. I think part of the problem was those pesky questions like "Would you rather ride a horse or read to a blind person?". Doesn't that depend on the day, time, and circumstances? Both sound quite worthwhile to me, so you can see I had trouble with those questions, too, but not to the extent my sons did.

Mind you, my kids went to a high school at which there was a notice on the front door that all sophomores would read at grade level within 5 years. The first question the other kids asked them was what was their criminal record! The school came up first in the results when I googled "heroin high". They had armed guards, and students had to pass through metal detectors and often have their backpacks searched in case they had guns or other contraband. This is not the inner city, it is a small town in the middle of nowhere. I was scared to send the kids there, but nothing happened that involved my kids.

I had two aptitude tests at work,in 1978. I remember being shocked that the company would pay $600 for the second test because I was a lowly accounting clerk. Too lowly to muster up the courage to ask why. The results were amazingly accurate, even with the horse/blind person questions.One of the results made me laugh: I would be great at being the CEO of a large company, but terrible at the jobs leading up to that post! No aptitude for clerical work of any kind. Now I did lots of restaurant and clerical work while I was working on my degree (at night), and I did it well. Both types of jobs gave me the motivation to finish my degree, because I didn't like them one bit. I think, based on my experience, that work ethic and diligence trump aptitude, except in the happiness with one's work arena.

Don't read my posts if I am too loquacious for you. Can't help it; it happens every time I am near a keyboard, and sometimes in real life too.
 
Warrigal said:
The most intelligent of my grandchildren has self diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. I suspect he is correct. Although he has a degree in sound engineering he has taught himself to use a specialised keyboard so that he can be a court stenographer and record parliament for Hansard. Although he can do it in real time, he prefers to work from home from audio recordings. He can also do closed passage text in real time.

The point is he prefers to work alone and does not miss interaction with colleagues. Now his mother has decided that she has adult autism too but I question her conclusion. For one thing her greatest strength is her EQ - interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence.
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Is your grandsons' mother, your daughter ?
 
ElCastor said:
Individuals vary, but brain size in general seems to be important. East Asians as a racial group test higher than other races, and apparently have the largest brains.

"The world’s largest survey of brain sizes, conducted by American scientists three decades ago using more than 20,000 modern human skulls from around the globe, found that the average cranial volume among East Asians was 1,415 cubic centimetres, compared with 1,362 for Europeans and 1,268 for Africans."
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/art...ians-have-bigger-brains-europeans-or-africans
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Perhaps that's why I lack a good memory - not enough room in my little cranium... hmmm...
 
Vida May said:
Curious how that works. Makes IQ testing look like a fool's game because it is not a good predictor of an individual's future and what really distresses me is, we focus education of all children on those who will go to college, pushing millions of children through a terrible experience of failure to receive an education that does nothing to help actualize their full potential. Children who are not college material have become the throwaways of society. When a public commentator announced teachers should not have to waste their time on those children, I began researching education to argue against that popular notion.

How schools judge children today is not the same as how we judged them in the past. Equal did not mean the same and there was more appreciation of individual differences. There was an idea that there was a place in society for everyone. But this was not perfect because it went with sexism and racism. However, producing children to be products for industry is not my idea of perfect either.
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I'm a big believer that everyone should be taught a technical skill in high school, regardless if they are college bound and planning to get a degree in art history. We are a long way from the time when we do not need construction workers, auto mechanics, cooks, barbers, etc. And, males and females are both capable of all these skills.
 
Em in Ohio said:
I'm a big believer that everyone should be taught a technical skill in high school, regardless if they are college bound and planning to get a degree in art history. We are a long way from the time when we do not need construction workers, auto mechanics, cooks, barbers, etc. And, males and females are both capable of all these skills.
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Yes, when I was in high school, we had to take at least one semester of a "shop" program. I took woodworking, and learned a lot. Many of todays younger folks have little or no repair skills, and anytime something around the house breaks, they have to call an expensive repairman....if they can even find one anymore. There are all sorts of good paying "blue collar" jobs going unfilled....while there are legions of college grads working for marginal wages....and struggling to pay off student loans.
Somehow, over the past few decades, people have become convinced....or brainwashed....into believing that a college degree is necessary.
 
Vida May said:
Curious how that works. Makes IQ testing look like a fool's game because it is not a good predictor of an individual's future and what really distresses me is, we focus education of all children on those who will go to college, pushing millions of children through a terrible experience of failure to receive an education that does nothing to help actualize their full potential. Children who are not college material have become the throwaways of society. When a public commentator announced teachers should not have to waste their time on those children, I began researching education to argue against that popular notion.

How schools judge children today is not the same as how we judged them in the past. Equal did not mean the same and there was more appreciation of individual differences. There was an idea that there was a place in society for everyone. But this was not perfect because it went with sexism and racism. However, producing children to be products for industry is not my idea of perfect either.
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I agree with you @Vida May. I had a high IQ and went to college. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Very little of what I learned helped me to be successful in my career. I did have an analytical brain and a good memory, but it was my Emotional Intelligence (a video I posted earlier) that helped me succeed.

I managed a large team of people, and the ability to appreciate their struggles, care about them, identify their best qualities so as to put them in the right positions and motivate them helped me be successful. IQ and most courses in college don't teach you that.

Now, if I had been an engineer, scientist, etc... that would be a very different story.
 
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