Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Internet Explorer Users Have Low Risk Intelligence

Posted by Unknown on from the lemmings-browsing-the-web dept.

First time accepted submitter benne2011 writes "A hoax report earlier this year claimed that people who used Internet Explorer had a lower IQ than those using other browsers. Inspired by this bit of fun, Projection Point decided to carry out a real study comparing the risk intelligence (RQ) of people using different browsers. We found that Internet Explorer users performed worse than everyone else; they had lower RQ scores and were grossly overconfident."

4 of 264 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Salt in the wound? by pipingguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Perhaps many IE users are at work and don't care...

  2. Where's the test? by cowtamer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This study would be a lot more believable if they didn't use phrases like " users of monopoly software" and actually linked to the test they gave.

    (For the record, I'm not an IE user either. But the article isn't too far from spelling Microsoft with a dollar sign)

  3. Not fair. by slackware+3.6 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Most of your Window users are technologically illiterate. IE is there it works why fart around with it. To use a sort of car analogy how many people look under the hood of their car? Never mind improve it beyond stock. Now I bet the guys that heavily modify their cars have higher intelligence than the average stiff. Any person inclined to tinker with or improve things most likely is smarter than the average Joe. Average Joe is most likely to push the largest shiniest button with a flashing red light whatever the case may be, especially is the button say "Do not touch".

  4. Is this a case of hoax 2.0 (a hoax of a hoax)? by UBfusion · · Score: 5, Insightful

    From their website: "We define Risk Intelligence as the ability to estimate probabilities accurately."

    Are they not aware of the pioneering and Nobel prize awarded studies of Tversky and Kahnemann in the 70's which demonstrated beyond any doubt that humans are terrible at estimating any kind of probability (especially risk-related ones)?

    What about the 10-step percentage scale they used? Seriously, is any person able to differentiate between being "70% sure" and "80% sure" regarding any statement?

    What about latent variables like the OS used? How can one possibly compare any feature of a Windows user with features of Mac or Linux user?

    I can't locate any samples of the questionnaire used and I don't need to see any, because I'm 89.345943% sure they don't know what they're talking about.