| Q. Can you really tell anything about | | | | |
| someone's intelligence by having them take an | | | | The IQ quiz, or IQ test, was developed as a |
| IQ quiz? | | | | way of determining the MA:CA ratio of any |
| | | | person at any age. |
| A. The answer to this question requires a bit | | | | |
| of background information, so let me put my | | | | So, what (if anything) can be deduced about a |
| professor hat on and tell you a story. | | | | person based upon the results of an IQ quiz? |
| | | | |
| An IQ quiz measures a person's Intelligence | | | | According to an article "The General |
| Quotient (IQ). IQ is calculated using this | | | | Intelligence Factor", Scientific American |
| formula: IQ = 100 MA/CA where MA = Mental Age | | | | Presents "Exploring Intelligence", pg. 24, |
| and CA = Chronological Age. | | | | 1999, author Linda Gottfredson writes: |
| | | | |
| The IQ test was originated back in 1905 by | | | | "Adults in the bottom 5% of the IQ |
| French psychologist Alfred Binet and his | | | | distribution (below 75) are very difficult to |
| physician research partner Dr. Theodore | | | | train and are not competitive for any |
| Simon. These two guys came up with the "Binet | | | | occupation on the basis of ability. Serious |
| Simon Test". This test's purpose was to | | | | problems in training low-IQ military recruits |
| measure the intelligence of retarded | | | | during World War II led Congress to ban |
| children. | | | | enlistment from the lowest 10% (below 80) of |
| | | | the population, and no civilian occupation in |
| The test was based upon several observations: | | | | modern economies routinely recruits its |
| | | | workers from that below-80 range." |
| 1. Children grow more mentally capable as | | | | |
| they grow older | | | | "Current military enlistment standards |
| | | | exclude any individual whose IQ is below |
| 2. Some children perform at higher grade and | | | | about 85." "Persons of average IQ (between 90 |
| age levels than their actual grade and age | | | | and 100) are not competitive for most |
| level. While other children are just the | | | | professional and executive-level work but are |
| opposite. | | | | easily trained for the bulk of jobs in the |
| | | | American economy. By contrast, individuals in |
| The mental age (MA) portion of the formula is | | | | the top 5 percent of the adult population can |
| the age level that the child is found to | | | | essentially train themselves, and few |
| perform at. For example, a 6-year-old who | | | | occupations are beyond their reach mentally." |
| performed at the level of an 8-year-old, is | | | | "People with IQs between 75 and 90 are 88 |
| assigned a MA of 8 and, of course, a CA of 6. | | | | times more likely to drop out of high school, |
| Conversely, an 8-year-old, who performed at | | | | seven times more likely to be jailed, and |
| the level of a 6-year-old, is given a CA of 8 | | | | five times more likely as adults to live in |
| and a MA of 6. With me so far? If you are | | | | poverty than people with IQs between 110 and |
| then you've already passed my IQ test because | | | | 125. The 75-to-90 IQ woman is eight times |
| I'm starting to get confused and I'm the one | | | | more likely to become a chronic welfare |
| who is writing this article! | | | | recipient, and four times as likely to bear |
| | | | an illegitimate child than the 110-to-125-IQ |
| 3. Binet and Simpson also discovered that | | | | woman." |
| these gaps between MA and CA grew wider as | | | | |
| the children aged. Our child who had a MA of | | | | Wow, those are some pretty dramatic |
| 8 when he was 6, was found to have a MA of 12 | | | | conclusions that are based solely upon IQ as |
| by the time that he reached age 8. | | | | determined by an IQ quiz. If you believe what |
| Conversely, the child who had a MA of 6 when | | | | Ms. Gottfredson writes, then the answer to |
| he was 9, had a MA of 8 when he reached 12. | | | | your question of "Can you really tell |
| | | | anything about someone's intelligence by |
| 4. They also noticed that although the MA/CA | | | | having them take an IQ quiz?" is: It would |
| gap widened as the children grew older, the | | | | appear so. Like any quiz, however, don't feel |
| ratio of MA:CA remained constant. This | | | | too bad if you "fail" an IQ Quiz. Some people |
| constant ratio was called the "Intelligence | | | | just suck at taking tests! |
| Quotient". | | | | |