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Predicting IQ With a Simple Visual Test

New submitter trendspotter writes "Scientists at the University of Rochester found a unique way to measure high IQ and IQ of the brain in general just by studying individuals and their abilities to filter out noise in images (abstract). The results of a visual test where people were told to quickly detect movements showed similar IQ results as a classic intelligence test. 'The relationship between IQ and motion suppression points to the fundamental cognitive processes that underlie intelligence, the authors write. The brain is bombarded by an overwhelming amount of sensory information, and its efficiency is built not only on how quickly our neural networks process these signals, but also on how good they are at suppressing less meaningful information. ... The researchers point out that this vision test could remove some of the limitations associated with standard IQ tests, which have been criticized for cultural bias.'"

325 comments

  1. Popcorn time! by serviscope_minor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yay, it's an IQ thread.

    Cue bragging about IQ followed by arguments about whether IQ measures intelligence.

    making popcorn. brb.

    --
    SJW n. One who posts facts.
    1. Re:Popcorn time! by rot26 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Now that's funny, I don't care who you are.

      --



      To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
    2. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      My IQ is over 200. One of those eHarmony IQ tests told me so.

    3. Re:Popcorn time! by mwvdlee · · Score: 5, Funny

      IQ doesn't measure intelligence. I should know; I've got an incredibly high IQ. ;)

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    4. Re:Popcorn time! by naroom · · Score: 0

      Well played.

    5. Re:Popcorn time! by rebelwarlock · · Score: 2

      I was able to see them all no problem, regardless of size. I guess that means I'm really smart? Or that the test was a crock of shit. Could be that.

    6. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I have an incredibly wide IQ, I can vouch for this guy.

    7. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      ...arguments about whether IQ measures intelligence.

      Lemme guess, the winners are the ones who don't participate?

    8. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, if you bothered to read the study you would see that it in fact means you are a giant dumbass. The higher the IQ, the harder it is to see the larger image move, at least that's the correlation that seemed to hold for them.

      Something something movement filter. I see fucking mice crossing the road all the time while driving, my movement filter is apparently broken. Does that mean I have a negative IQ?

    9. Re:Popcorn time! by conspirator23 · · Score: 2

      Yay, it's an IQ thread.

      Cue bragging about IQ followed by arguments about whether IQ measures intelligence.

      making popcorn. brb.

      I'm so smart, I know better than to reply to sarcastic trolls. Oh, wait...

    10. Re:Popcorn time! by Hentes · · Score: 1

      Well if it doesn't that this finding has quite a shaky basis, so I would think that it's appropriate.

    11. Re:Popcorn time! by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 3, Funny

      But neither of your IQs are as deep, shapely or green as mine.

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    12. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mine's pretty high too, and I catch myself being stupid all the time.

    13. Re:Popcorn time! by NatasRevol · · Score: 0

      Apparently, the anonymous coward has a reading comprehension issue.

      from the article:
      "people with higher IQ scores were faster at catching the movement of the bars when observing the smallest image."

      I doubt the AC saw anything.

      --
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    14. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, just that you have a 71% chance of not having a high-IQ. You could have inefficient visual processing, but still be smart. You could also be dropping acid before you drive.

    15. Re:Popcorn time! by Black+Parrot · · Score: 2

      Yay, it's an IQ thread.

      Cue bragging about IQ followed by arguments about whether IQ measures intelligence.

      Did you expect Slashdotters to brag about penis size and whether it indicates their worth as a person?

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    16. Re:Popcorn time! by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And maybe that's part of intelligence. Catching yourself being stupid is infinitely smarter than not catching yourself being stupid.

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    17. Re:Popcorn time! by geekoid · · Score: 2

      no, it means you are average or lower. You should have read the article. Spouting off without understand is another indicator of you mediocre intelllegence

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    18. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      No, just that you have a 71% chance of not having a high-IQ. You could have inefficient visual processing, but still be smart. You could also be dropping acid before you drive.

      Either that or a really badly-infested neighborhood.

      Hint: if the mice are playing trombones, it's probably acid.

    19. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Spouting off without understand is another indicator of you mediocre intelllegence

      You're just making it too damn easy.

    20. Re:Popcorn time! by Creepy · · Score: 1

      It also says people with higher IQs have a harder time detecting movement in the larger image. I imagine someone that sees both equally is pretty average. I actually played the video first before reading the article, and the results for me were typical high IQ - small ones were far easier to see the movement on than large ones. Having also had an IQ test when I was 18 that put me in the top .1% (and I'm not trying to brag - I know people far smarter than I am - this is just where my score fell), these results are as they expect.

    21. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, I for one have a foot-long dong. Whenever I check in some code, I get a swelled head.

    22. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      intelllegence

      You missed one. DUMBASS

    23. Re:Popcorn time! by Runaway1956 · · Score: 2

      If you saw them all with no problem, you're probably not exceptionally intelligent. Smart and not-so smart people see the small ones. The very smart tend to miss the larger moving images. Reading comprehension is available at a community college near you - and you don't even have to be extremely smart to take it!

      Next question - does this mean that the assholes who tend to pull out in front of other vehicles - especially motorcycles - are the SMART ONES? Alright - I can see that, maybe. Very intelligent dumbasses. Yep!

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    24. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right, my mom says I am incredibly inteligent but all IQ tests I have taken shows value about 70.

    25. Re:Popcorn time! by hairyfeet · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You are being funny but I've known guys with a couple of degrees that get taken by used car salesmen. The problem is there is "book smarts" and "street smarts" and just because you have one does NOT mean you have the other and in today's society you really do need both.

      Now as far as the test in TFA? You'd probably need to give them an eye exam before giving them this "test" as that would be hard as hell to do if you didn't have 20/20 or an up to date prescription on your glasses, but on a positive note at least its not as irritating as the stupid word questions on the IQ test. The one I remember went something like "your neighbor cuts down a tree limb which then falls and damages your brand new car" and every single response they had was just so opposite compared to how any normal human being would ever act I just had to sit there and think what kind of person writes those tests because obviously they had never dealt with other human beings in their entire life.

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    26. Re: Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That means you have had an IQ overflow.

    27. Re:Popcorn time! by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 2

      Have you considered a career in congress?

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    28. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Book smarts and street smarts are both acquired, being based on experience. IQ is supposed to be a measure of inherent logic and problem solving ability.

    29. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was able to see them all no problem, regardless of size. I guess that means I'm really smart? Or that the test was a crock of shit. Could be that.

      Um, no. Hopefully you can find someone to explain this plot to you. If says if you could see them equally, you're about 75 IQ. I had a harder time with the full screen ones, before I knew that was a sign of a higher IQ.

    30. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That sounds like an excuse to me. It is never a good thing if you can't see motion where it exists.

      I think the person who came up with this test simply had trouble seeing movement, so he decided to use his own handicap as the benchmark rather than admit he has a problem. It's The Emperor's New Clothes effect.

    31. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So is the inability to master your native language.

    32. Re:Popcorn time! by Adult+film+producer · · Score: 1

      I had just the opposite reaction to the images. When they started flashing quickly I wasn't able to see any movement. I'm not sure how anybody could see movement when they were on the screen for a less than a split second.

    33. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Well my IQ is longer and thicker than your IQ.

      I happen to know some astoundingly smart but blind folk. They are swapping one bias for another. Not that the idea is not interesting and without use.

    34. Re:Popcorn time! by lgw · · Score: 2

      I have this problem in spades. I couldn't detent any motion in any of the clips in the second half of that vid. I also take forever to detect unexpected motion in first-person shooters (I really hate that - I love games like counterstrike, but I have at least 100ms of "brain lag" when someone I wasn't expecting of appears, and consequently I'll never be good at the game).

      I also can't see those "magic eye" images - never seen one, despite trying a bunch of them. I've always suspected some key part of the vision center of my brain just doesn't work as expected, but still, I'll take it over being colorblind.

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    35. Re:Popcorn time! by budgenator · · Score: 1, Insightful

      People who use the term "street smarts" are usually referring poorly educated urban black males of above average intelligence by elitist liberal white males hoping not to have their bigotry exposed.

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    36. Re:Popcorn time! by tibit · · Score: 1

      I think you're just being silly, sorry.

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    37. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Magic eye images require you to refocus your eyes as if you were looking past the image. It has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with practice.

    38. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      32 and still here.

    39. Re:Popcorn time! by pspahn · · Score: 2

      Ah yes... the old confusion over what an IQ value represents.

      I have heard the story numerous times. Of course, it always gets a chuckle... A special education teacher, as part of their own continuing education, was given an IQ test at a state school known for its solid teaching program.

      Upon returning to work the following week, the principal (who had known about the test) asked the subordinate, "So, how did you do?"

      The teacher, slightly smug and obviously not concerned at all, responds, "Oh I did alright. Not great though, it was a tough test! I managed to get a 70% though, so I passed."

      (this is a true story)

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    40. Re:Popcorn time! by dinfinity · · Score: 2

      I have a theory: playing football outside trains your peripheral motion perception (1) and reading trains your foveal motion perception. I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to figure out how these activities might correlate with intelligence.

      Full text, btw: http://www.bcs.rochester.edu/people/Duje/papers/13_Melnick_IQ_CB.pdf

    41. Re:Popcorn time! by flayzernax · · Score: 1

      No you may just parse your visual data into sub blocks and use smaller sections to detect movement. A little like an advanced algorithm so your brain is not continually overloaded by the whole picture moving. It's probably why you can spot the mice.

    42. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Book smarts and street smarts are both acquired, being based on experience. IQ is supposed to be a measure of inherent logic and problem solving ability.

      Well actually that's the problem- nobody can even agree on what "intelligence" really means. The best definitions I've seen are that Intelligence is a measure of how fast you're able to learn to solve new problems, Knowledge is a measure of raw accumulation of facts, Recall is the ability to access Knowledge, and Wisdom is a measure of how well you can apply any of the above. Collectively, they make up how "Smart" a person is.

      As for the article, it's an interesting idea but I imagine that you'd have to have perfect vision in order for it to be a valid comparison against other people. Consider someone who is blind, has cataracts, astigmatism, color blindness, etc. they would most likely perform much worse on this type of test than a "dumber" person who has perfect sight.

    43. Re:Popcorn time! by Hognoxious · · Score: 0

      Did she also tell you that you're big boned rather than fat?

      --
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    44. Re:Popcorn time! by cyberchondriac · · Score: 1

      Let's throw in dick size for good measure!

      Brain like Einstein
      Hung like a horse
      But these aren't important
      Unless it's me, of course ..

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    45. Re:Popcorn time! by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Given my immense IQ score, I feel I am qualified to state that the current IQ measurement tests are highly accurate.

    46. Re:Popcorn time! by PRMan · · Score: 4, Funny

      He's too smart!

      --
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    47. Re:Popcorn time! by PRMan · · Score: 1

      You're assuming the average person getting multiple degrees is smart when in reality, the average person getting multiple degrees is in the 110-120 range (read it a long time ago, don't have a link). After working in mortgage for many years and watching the agents (who are typically in this range), they fall for every scam and "latest thing" that comes around.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    48. Re:Popcorn time! by cyberchondriac · · Score: 1

      It also says people with higher IQs have a harder time detecting movement in the larger image. I imagine someone that sees both equally is pretty average. I actually played the video first before reading the article, and the results for me were typical high IQ - small ones were far easier to see the movement on than large ones. Having also had an IQ test when I was 18 that put me in the top .1% (and I'm not trying to brag - I know people far smarter than I am - this is just where my score fell), these results are as they expect.

      Yeah, this. I personally didn't notice any difference between the larger and smaller ones. My IQ was tested/measured in High School at 114, which is only a hair better than "average", but it does seem to match the test claims here. (and yeah, I'll be honest, I was disappointed I didn't even break 120, but that was back when more weight was given these things in popular culture )
      The first 5 "blips" or so though, regardless of size, were difficult due to their very short duration. I wasn't sure they were moving at all (I'm still not), then oddly, the rest got slower and really easy to discern. I would think that would mean something too.

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    49. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The first "no" should be "No".

      "understand" should be "understanding".

      "of you mediocre" should be "of your mediocre".

      There should be a period at the end of the second sentence.

      This is an article centered around IQ, right?

    50. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      of course IQ measures intelligence. If you think IQ measures intelligence, you're an idiot.

    51. Re:Popcorn time! by Dominare · · Score: 1

      Cue bragging about IQ followed by arguments about whether IQ measures intelligence.

      Neither of those subjects interests me as much as the question of what exactly is the inherent value in obtaining an IQ score for a given person, even assuming for a moment that we had a perfectly accurate way to do so. To be quite honest, I think if you give it a few moments thought you will quickly conclude, as I have, that we're all really quite fortunate that it isn't possible to do so. Human nature being what it is and all that, nothing good would come of it.

    52. Re:Popcorn time! by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I understand that the hallucinations are perception overload, that you're simply perceiving more than your brain can handle and thus hallucinations are the result.

      I've done a lot of acid (and other hallucinogens) and have read quite a bit about the subject but I don't know the truth to the above. *gasp* I'm not an expert and I admit it. I'm not even sure where I got that from though I think it was a book about drugs.

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    53. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no, it means you are average or lower. You should have read the article. Spouting off without understand is another indicator of you mediocre intelllegence

      Once again we were wondering if you were a fucking idiot. Once again you couldn't help yourself but to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

    54. Re:Popcorn time! by kaatochacha · · Score: 1

      There's a simple trick to magic eye.
      They're really similar to earlier "3D" images, that required you to look at two slightly different images, then cross your vision until you created a third image between the two that is an overlap.When you first start crossing your eyes, you will see four images. Make the moving middle ones overlap perfectly, and that image will be in 3D. Make sure you're facing the screen straight when you try. Those magic eye photos just hide this with gibberish backgrounds.
      See this page for example: http://aidavdbrake.deviantart.com/art/Cross-Eyed-stereoscopic-3D-146914737
      Just try doing that with the magic eye images, it should work.

    55. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where did I say it was, nigger?

    56. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Street smarts is exactly the same thing as wisdom.

    57. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, they make you believe that your perception is enhanced. In reality, you are intoxicated and imagining things. It's the same way that marijuana makes you believe that you are thinking deeply or how alcohol makes you believe that you are tougher.

    58. Re:Popcorn time! by professionalfurryele · · Score: 1

      He said 70, not 7.

    59. Re:Popcorn time! by bogjobber · · Score: 1

      In my experience it's been the exact opposite. "Street smart" is usually used by less educated people to describe a skill that some dumbass with a fancy degree very obviously lacks.

    60. Re:Popcorn time! by hairyfeet · · Score: 2

      Wow...racist much? I've known book smart and street smart of EVERY race, and what most of us call "street smarts" is being able to interact with the world with common sense and an eye to the possibility of being scammed, you can call it common sense or cynicism if those words make you happy.

      But just because some douchebag in Hollywood uses a common phrase as "shorthand" to pitch an Eddie Murphy movie doesn't give them ownership of the phrase and where I grew up there wasn't hardly any black folks but you had street smart and book smart, sometimes in the same person, more often times not.

      Hell I know a guy with half a dozen degrees that gets ripped off more often than not and while I'm sure an IQ test would show that he is a genius that doesn't give him even a drop of street smarts and in this world you really do need both.

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    61. Re:Popcorn time! by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      You can also say its common sense, an often used phrase where I live is "He doesn't have the common sense God gave a goose" and if there is one thing I've learned? Its that you can have a guy with a dozen degrees that kicks ass at going to class and taking tests but IRL is lucky if they can tie their shoes while you'll often find someone who was self taught just because they truly love the subject and learning all they can and they'll actually KNOW the subject as opposed to just passing the tests. Frankly I'd MUCH rather have the latter than the former, if the latter doesn't understand something they can usually pick it up while the former is useless in that situation.

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    62. Re:Popcorn time! by Optali · · Score: 1

      well, I don't need to brag about my IQ: We people with a value above 500 don't need i, specially those of us who have a penis size or 30cm to match.

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    63. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I have told you once I've told you a thousand times. Discussing IQ is racist and /. is increasingly a politically correct forum so stop this at once.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AverageIQ-Map-World.png

    64. Re:Popcorn time! by swalve · · Score: 2

      I think this is correct- intelligence is about how one approaches a new problem. The cat that sees his reflection in a mirror and loses his shit is not as intelligent as the cat who checks behind the mirror. And that's the problem with intelligence tests- how do we come up with a way to present everyone with unique problems to solve?

      Book smarts and street smarts are both really just having good memories.

    65. Re:Popcorn time! by DirtyLiar · · Score: 1

      IQ doesn't measure intelligence. I should know; I've got an incredibly high IQ. ;)

      Are you sure that you're not just incredibly high?

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    66. Re:Popcorn time! by lgw · · Score: 1

      I do understand the trick. Either my eyes or my brain doesn't cooperate. But then, I also have real problems with 3D movies (I can see the 3D, but it's quite fatiguing, to the point where I just don't wear the glasses).

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  2. Hmmm by lightknight · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Wouldn't visual defects, such as myopia, or an excess of floaters, impact the results of this exam?

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    1. Re:Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if that's the case, you lost darwin's game anyway and are no longer relevant.

    2. Re:Hmmm by ArsonSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, they just point out that only stupid people get those problems. Obviously. It's Science, don't question it.

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    3. Re:Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, as do lots of things. I wouldn't be surprised at all if accidental eye damage correlated (negatively?) with IQ.

      Also, nutrition during development has major impact on IQ, and likely vision.

      The effect strength looked too strong big to be explained by that, but its hard to tell.

      The real surprise here is that IQ correlated positively with tracking motion of small things, but negatively with tracking motion of large things. This is interesting, and currently unexplained. It could merely be detecting a bias in IQ exams: maybe they focus on little details too much?

    4. Re:Hmmm by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      If only there was some kind of way to adjust the results of a study for various kinds of effects.

      Now where's my sarcasm test?

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    5. Re:Hmmm by Entropius · · Score: 2

      I have moderate myopia.

      My ancestors were quite intelligent and figured out geometric optics -- and thus won Darwin's game.

    6. Re:Hmmm by gandhi_2 · · Score: 1

      Not that the real test is administered over youtube, I'm sure.

      But the fun little sample test? Some people are going to get the wrong idea.

      flash versions / or html5, codecs, monitor quality, machine speeds.

      And if smart people are so good at seeing fast stuff, why are they usually so bad at sports? Hey, don't look at me like that. Stereotypes are a great time-saver!

    7. Re:Hmmm by dubbreak · · Score: 3, Informative

      Well yeah, but the test is a predictor of IQ not an IQ test (i.e. it's not supposed to directly measure IQ). They found a strong correlation between certain results (total reaction time, difference between large and small image reaction time etc) and IQ. It won't work in all cases but appears to be a good predictor. Hence the term predictor.

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    8. Re:Hmmm by alexander_686 · · Score: 1

      Yes it would. The test measures the ability to process inputs. If you have faulty inputs, no amount of processing will overcome.

      So this would be a poor test for somebody who is blind. That being said, any IQ test that requires you to read plain text (i.e. not braille) would fail for blind people. However, there are other tests that do work for the blind.

      However, it would work for somebody who has myopia (if corrected with glasses). It may affect somebody with floaters depending on the (I have not heard anybody who has floaters who can't read due to them, but I don't know for sure.)

    9. Re:Hmmm by Antipater · · Score: 1
      Floaters generally don't affect acuity by themselves, but they can be symptoms of something else that would, like keratoconus.

      For the purposes of a motion-detection test, though, having moving objects in your field of vision could be a problem.

      --
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    10. Re:Hmmm by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      or an excess of floaters

      Apparently, that's actually a sign of a healthy diet (no, seriously)...

    11. Re:Hmmm by ceoyoyo · · Score: 2

      Then presumably you can use those geometric optics to do well on this test.

    12. Re:Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      We are REALLY good at pointing out nanosecond violations of obscure rules that the referee apparently does not care to enforce.

    13. Re:Hmmm by Creepy · · Score: 1

      I imagine with moderate to severe myopia (like me) you wouldn't see the lines at all. With corrective lenses, the results were as expected for me, so I don't think this is a factor (with vision correction).

    14. Re:Hmmm by Reverand+Dave · · Score: 1

      The industrial revolution flipped a bitch on evolution.

      --
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    15. Re:Hmmm by Reverand+Dave · · Score: 1

      Are you suggesting that they look at on the big picture? Oh snap!

      --
      I got here through a series of tubes
    16. Re:Hmmm by joe_frisch · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yes, as would any sort of issue with ability to focus, or eye irritation that makes you blink more often than average.

      Then look at the graph (the one in the article with blue and red dots). That is a TERRIBLE correlation. It might be significant from a purely statistical argument, but the correlation is so weak that it would be difficult to eliminate other factors.

      The lower graph in the article shows a stronger correlation of IQ vs suppression of moving objects. On more thinking though, that is a HUGE range of IQs and still only a modest correlation. . Isn't it likely that people with an IQ of 140 will understand the instructions better than those with an IQ of 80. Even if there is a real correlation, it looks like the error bars on predicting IQ will have a 40 point spread! Useless.

      All this assumes IQ is a good measure, something I question since intelligence appears to be a combination of factors (memory, 3D visualization, quick thinking, abstract math etc) and probably needs to be represented by a vector, not a scalar measurement.

    17. Re:Hmmm by lightknight · · Score: 2

      That I am alive would imply that I'm still relevant. ;-)

      --
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    18. Re:Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      According to this test, blind people are total dimwits.

    19. Re:Hmmm by nitehawk214 · · Score: 1

      Sarcasm detector? Yeah, that's a useful machine.

      --
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    20. Re:Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      So I guess you did poorly?

    21. Re:Hmmm by rafpayen · · Score: 1

      Isn't it likely that people with an IQ of 140 will understand the instructions better than those with an IQ of 80

      That's an interesting objection. You also need to take into account the ability/willingness to focus, the fact that high IQ people might be more invested in a test like this (they rely more on performing well in this type of situation for their social status). Actually, I suppose all IQ tests also measure some kind of "obedience ability" of your brain... It reminds me of the difference between cats and dogs: you can teach a dog complex tricks, but you can't teach a cat anything. The cat teaches you. Which one is the more intelligent? :)

    22. Re:Hmmm by atamido · · Score: 1

      Then look at the graph (the one in the article with blue and red dots). That is a TERRIBLE correlation. It might be significant from a purely statistical argument, but the correlation is so weak that it would be difficult to eliminate other factors.

      I think you might be looking at the graph the wrong way. The correlation isn't how long it takes to spot the direction. The correlation is the difference in time that it takes to see the small vs large. They certainly need a lot more data points, but it looks like they could nail down an IQ score to about 20 points within a couple of minutes with a high degree of confidence. That's pretty impressive. It might give a better starting point for tests to give a more accurate measurement.

      Of course, then you have the question as to if an IQ score correlates to anything useful in life, or provides any useful information.

    23. Re:Hmmm by Moses48 · · Score: 1

      That is a TERRIBLE correlation. It might be significant from a purely statistical argument, but the correlation is so weak that it would be difficult to eliminate other factors.

      I'm not sure what a "terrible" correlation is in your book, but to me it's all about the numbers. Correlations of this nature tell you nothing about an individual, but about a population. That's why women have lower car insurance than men, even though a specific woman might be much riskier than a specific man. It is only at after looking at past data can we tell which individuals are more costly.

      Even if the correlation was 95% there are still outliers. You still DON'T want to use it to judge a person's IQ. it just becomes an even better metric for populations. But again, it should not be used on an individual level.

    24. Re:Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It said that smart people are good at suppressing less meningfull information. So, in sports they might filter out "unneccesary" things like, a ball hurtling towards their face.

    25. Re:Hmmm by joe_frisch · · Score: 2

      I should have been more clear on "terrible". It is possible to show that 2 effects are statistically correlated with a low probability of an accidental correlation, but still have the error bars on the measurements so large that one measurement cannot be used to predict the other. For example it is possible (I think) to correlate ocean current patterns in the pacific with the average amount of rain on any day in California. This correlation is important in that it shows that ocean currents are correlated with (and based on physical arguments likely effect) weather in California. You cannot however make an accurate prediction of whether it will rain TODAY based solely on ocean currents.

      In this case it may be that IQ scores are statistically correlated with the vision tests. The difficulty of doing human experiments makes the analysis much more difficult. Even if it is true, it looked to me from the graph that the vision tests can only predict the IQ of an individual to 10s of points. That is such a wide range that I cannot think of a useful application. Maybe if you could show that there are very few outliers this could be used to find under-achieving children, but based on nature of the test I would expect a lot of outliers.

    26. Re:Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is a TERRIBLE correlation. It might be significant from a purely statistical argument, but the correlation is so weak that it would be difficult to eliminate other factors.

      So the math says it's highly significant, but when you look at the scatterplot, your gut says otherwise.

      Some advice: trust math. Even the experts' guts are consistently wrong.

    27. Re:Hmmm by KGIII · · Score: 2

      Correlation does not imply causation. ;)

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    28. Re:Hmmm by KGIII · · Score: 1

      The effect strength looked too strong big to be explained by that, but its hard to tell.

      ?

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    29. Re:Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You see a tortoise on its back in the blazing hot sun, and you're not helping.... Why is that?

    30. Re:Hmmm by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      As if they are always in the dark about everything.

      Is that wrong? Any blind people reading this? OK good.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  3. Right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    In my books, you're a genius if and only if you've proven yourself to be one; tests like these don't matter. Do something amazing and innovative and I'll at least consider you intelligent. I'm tired of tests that don't test real-world ability or real skills.

    1. Re:Right... by Virtucon · · Score: 1

      But then how will you find the next batch of Jedi knights? Intuition you must use.

      --
      Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    2. Re:Right... by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      Thank you Captain Hindsight!!

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    3. Re:Right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Proving your worth is nothing new.

    4. Re:Right... by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Well, people like to have simple numbers to score complex factors. The reason is that most people are stupid and do not understand complexity at all. Of course, this routinely fails, as complex things are, well, complex and most things in this world are complex.

      In particular politicians like this simplification, as there will always be some oversimplified numbers that they can use to show they are doing a good job. Anybody smart already knows basically no politician has ever done a good job, so they cater only to those non-smart anyways.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    5. Re:Right... by erroneus · · Score: 1

      You're right... I'll just go back to studying my Cisco and Microsoft exam books...

    6. Re:Right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cause I'm sure we're all highly worried about whether you consider us intelligent or not. How many kindergarten age children do you know that have done something amazing or innovative? They are who IQ tests are aimed at, to determine where they should be placed in school.

    7. Re:Right... by Hatta · · Score: 1

      So Einstein was a dumbass until 1905, when suddenly he became a genius?

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    8. Re:Right... by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      And also not very useful when trying to find people who may prove their worth in the future.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    9. Re:Right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are many people are *very* smart. Many are *very* dumb.

      If you do not do anything with your 'smarts' then who cares?

      You need to act as well as have know-how. The good ones start to act (and that may just include planing) then realize they are missing the know how and get it.

      I have seen 'stupid' guys with tons of money. I have also seen very smart people living in squalor. The difference is usually the ability to act. You may know what to do but have no idea when to apply it. Basically 'seize the day'. Also analysis paralysis is very real.

    10. Re:Right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it was unknown. Are people here seriously incapable of grasping the concept of proving oneself?

    11. Re:Right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cause I'm sure we're all highly worried about whether you consider us intelligent or not.

      I knew someone would respond in such a way; that is, foolishly. My point is not that you should care what I believe, but that actions are usually louder than words (or IQ scores, as the case may be).

      How many kindergarten age children do you know that have done something amazing or innovative?

      None. There are also no kindergarten age children I'd consider truly intelligent. More intelligent than their peers, sure, but not amazing by any means. They must grow.

      to determine where they should be placed in school.

      Considering how terrible most schools are, I'm not sure it matters. What have they accomplished? Nothing. They haven't done anything but achieve a certain score on a silly test. They might as well administer one of those awful multiple choice tests that many schools are so fond of.

    12. Re:Right... by geekoid · · Score: 1

      people understand complexity very well and deal with complexity extremely well...if it's something they are really interested in.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    13. Re:Right... by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 1

      That seems rather unlikely if you're saying that that applies to most people.

      --
      Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
    14. Re:Right... by s.petry · · Score: 1

      Microsoft exam books? Seriously? Just answer "C" for every question and you pass as long as you paid them the money.

      --

      -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

    15. Re:Right... by HeckRuler · · Score: 2

      No, he was merely gifted until he published those four groundbreaking papers in 1905 that took the world by storm. Prior to that he had certainly proved himself to be smart enough to warrant, you know, college tuition. Even at the age of 5 he had shown that he could handle the advanced classes.

      The argument is that he wasn't genius until he did something at a genius-level. Before that he was sub-genius, but still damn smart, because he had proved said intelligence through schoolwork and such. You can argue till you're blue in the face about him (or you) being a "potential genius", but the counter-argument that the coward and I would make is that we don't care about potential (or raw-intelligence), only results. If you don't do anything with that super-brain, it doesn't count.

  4. Autism? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I wonder how well this correlates with the IQ of people with Autism. Or with schizophrenics? Both have trouble filtering out stuff, but neither condition lowers IQ.

  5. No no ... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's eye-Q, not IQ. :-P

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:No no ... by gweihir · · Score: 2

      I thought today it was "iQ"??? Or is that just for Apple-disciples?

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    2. Re:No no ... by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      Well, we can expand it to cover everyone if you prefer -- e-Q, Q 2.0, social-Q, cloud-Q ...

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    3. Re:No no ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eye eye, Captain, it's Q again.
      (Picard facehug)

    4. Re:No no ... by CannonballHead · · Score: 1

      you're thinking of the iPad pool shark game, iCue.

    5. Re:No no ... by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Fuh Q?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  6. This explains why intelligent people prefer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This explains why intelligent people prefer glossy screens. They can filter out the reflectiions unlike their stupid peers.

    1. Re:This explains why intelligent people prefer by Virtucon · · Score: 1

      No, we just like the pretty, vibrant colors..

      --
      Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
    2. Re:This explains why intelligent people prefer by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Hmm. I must be far less intelligent that I thought. I always buy non-glossy. Or maybe I just have low narcissism and do not need to see myself all the time.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    3. Re:This explains why intelligent people prefer by erroneus · · Score: 1

      Oh that's an insulting conclusion.

      The fact is, when I use a glossy laptop screen, all I see is myself. It's annoying. Also, I see whatever is going on behind me which is also annoying at times. Being distracted by random events is a sign of lower intelligence? I don't know about that. I tend to be a bit hyper-aware... especially of tiny details. I can't STAND to see a mobile phone with cracks in the the display, for example, while other people seem to have no problem with it as long as it works.

    4. Re:This explains why intelligent people prefer by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 2

      Interestingly enough, my subjective and anecdotal evidence suggests that stupid people "see" things that aren't there, don't see thing that are there, and generally are governed by that which is immediate in front of them, but are easily distracted by things in the periphery. . Conversely, smarter people are able to see more because they do filter out meaningless things, and the "Squirrel" effect is very brief if at all.

      Again, all of that is completely subjective and anecdotal.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    5. Re:This explains why intelligent people prefer by geekoid · · Score: 1

      ". I tend to be a bit hyper-aware"

      So? Oh, right you believe that means you are smart.

      However, it's actually irrelevant to the test. DId you read the article and watch the test?

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    6. Re:This explains why intelligent people prefer by Daetrin · · Score: 0

      This explains why intelligent people prefer glossy screens. They can filter out the reflectiions unlike their stupid peers.

      Almost. That's why arrogant people who think they're more intelligent than their peers prefer glossy screens. They'd rather by seen coping with unnecessary distractions rather than just eliminating the distractions. Like people who wastefully spend their money to show off rather than investing it wisely. It's conspicuous consumption of "intelligence."

      --
      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
  7. Great a new way to measure IQ by srobert · · Score: 2

    Now if we could just find a correlation between IQ and intelligence, we'd easily be able to sort out which humans are worth saving.
    A visual test eliminates the cultural bias ... except the one against the blind.

    1. Re:Great a new way to measure IQ by erroneus · · Score: 2

      We need additional measurements... not just IQ and intelligence. We need maturity, wisdom and sociopathy measurments as well.

      These days we put a lot of weight behind a person's "success" however that may be measured (most often in dollars) and presume it is a sign of superiority -- ostensibly intelligence or ability. But then I see those same people and often see them as failures as they lack some truly important qualities that would make them great people.

    2. Re:Great a new way to measure IQ by i+kan+reed · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Oh yes, if only IQ predicted economic, academic, or social success with any degree of accuracy...

      Wait? It does?? With a substantial but not perfect correlation? Well, who could've guessed.

    3. Re:Great a new way to measure IQ by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      Being blind is a cultural thing now?

    4. Re:Great a new way to measure IQ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, it's no more of a disability than religion, and that counts.

    5. Re:Great a new way to measure IQ by PRMan · · Score: 2

      Yes. This is an excellent. I can't wait to see the sociopathy test:

      You see a rabbit get hit by a car in the street. You immediately:

      1. Check to see if the rabbit is OK.

      2. See if the rabbit is owned by a small child and try to comfort them.

      3. Free rabbit stew!

      4. See if anyone caught it on video and immediately send them DMCA takedown notices.

      5. Pull out a gun and shoot the driver of the car.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    6. Re:Great a new way to measure IQ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now if we could just find a correlation between IQ and intelligence, we'd easily be able to sort out which humans are worth saving.
      A visual test eliminates the cultural bias ... except the one against the blind.

      Intelligence is but one dimension, populated by the evil and the good alike.

      I'd suggest that none of us is worth saving... but I might be proven wrong.

      Oops, time for my meds...

    7. Re:Great a new way to measure IQ by witherstaff · · Score: 2

      I've been playing far too many FPS. I was reading #2 "See if the rabbit is owned by a small child" and before finishing the sentence started wondering why a little kid would be out there teabagging a dead rabbit corpse.

    8. Re:Great a new way to measure IQ by DaveGod · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure that intelligence helps in any way to sort out which humans are worth saving.

  8. Sorry, I am stupid... by Takatata · · Score: 1

    ..therefore I have to support my limited brain power with an adblocker.

    1. Re:Sorry, I am stupid... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is what I thought... then I realized it's just part of filtering the noise. We can conclude that adverts and busy GUIs are only for stupid people.

  9. Blind people are dumb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In such a test, blind people would be dumb? Oh wait, that's deaf people who are dumb....

    1. Re:Blind people are dumb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some deaf people have the ability to speak, you insensitive clod!

  10. Try it first by hammeraxe · · Score: 4, Informative
    1. Re:Try it first by Deflagro · · Score: 4, Informative

      I did as you instructed and felt pretty dumb because I realized the big ones were hard to figure out. Smaller ones were simple but I didn't even notice any movement on the first big one. Then I read the article and realized what it was testing. Those who read the study before taking it would definitely be biased I think.

      --
      Der Tod ist der einzige Weg hier raus!
    2. Re:Try it first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think that just means you're dumb

    3. Re:Try it first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Having read the linked article, the current dogma seems to be that IQ is the ability to ignore things. I can think of over a dozen organizations that would be very happy if they could convince people that the ability to ignore everything except their current task is a sign of superiority.

      I don't know which way I would result on a full evaluation of the test, because I stopped caring about the video entirely less than halfway in. Either I have superior ignoring abilities, or I failed completely because I couldn't keep my attention where I was told to.

    4. Re:Try it first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      when the 'quick' ones came up i couldn't figure out movement in neither the small or large ones.
      could only get it on the second pass.

      with that in mind though it may be my computer. at one point there was visible tearing in the video
      pretty sure if this was a proper test it wouldn't have tearing

    5. Re:Try it first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      **SPOILER ALERT**

      This is the test:

      If you click the youtube "like" or "dislike" buttons you are an idiot. If you vote on a comment you are a complete moron. If you actually leave a comment you are totally retarded.

      It's youtube. How did you think it worked?

    6. Re:Try it first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As far as I could tell, the white lines were moving down, while the black lines were moving up at about half the speed of the white lines.

      And since I'm on /. I won't be RTFA.

      So what does that say about my IQ?

    7. Re: Try it first by nbritton · · Score: 2

      The test video on youtube is biased against people who have short term memory problems or who are otherwise inattentive, such as kids with ADHD. However the traditional test is likely to be bias against ADHD children as well.

  11. Smartphones by sunderland56 · · Score: 1

    So, over the past 5+ years, people have been migrating away from high quality cameras, and high quality TV sets, to the crappy photo sensors and highly compressed tiny screens of your average smartphone.

    Does that mean that people are getting smarter?

    1. Re:Smartphones by kevkingofthesea · · Score: 2

      Does that mean that people are getting smarter?

      No, just their phones.

  12. bad day to be blind. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    bad day to be blind.

    1. Re:bad day to be blind. by lxs · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Is it International Naked Supermodel Day again?
      And here I am with nothing to wear for the occasion.

    2. Re:bad day to be blind. by Black+Parrot · · Score: 0

      Is it International Naked Supermodel Day again?
      And here I am with nothing to wear for the occasion.

      If you're a supermodel, you don't need anything to wear for the occasion.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    3. Re:bad day to be blind. by robot256 · · Score: 0

      He meant Naked Supermodel Watching Day, which is in fact every day. A bunch of naked dudes in their basements watching supermodel videos on the internet.

    4. Re:bad day to be blind. by Culture20 · · Score: 2

      No no, that's a very good day to be blind. They're exempt from the societal rule of "look, but don't touch" because touching is their looking.

  13. Oh Professor by jasper160 · · Score: 1

    I wonder how well the researchers did?

    --
    No good deed goes unpunished.
  14. Interesting by The+Wild+Norseman · · Score: 4, Funny

    The brain is bombarded by an overwhelming amount of sensory information, and its efficiency is built not only on how quickly our neural networks process these signals, but also on how good they are at suppressing less meaningful information. ...

    Hrm.

    I don't follow reddit or twitter, so that obviously means I'm quite a bit intelligent already, but on the other hand I do post to slashdot, so maybe my IQ isn't as high as I first thought.

    --
    "A government is a body of people usually -- notably -- ungoverned." -Shepherd Book
    1. Re:Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The brain is bombarded by an overwhelming amount of sensory information, and its efficiency is built not only on how quickly our neural networks process these signals, but also on how good they are at suppressing less meaningful information. ...

      Hrm.

      I don't follow reddit or twitter, so that obviously means I'm quite a bit intelligent already, but on the other hand I do post to slashdot, so maybe my IQ isn't as high as I first thought.

      I hve been here since the late ninties and I can telll you that I am M-o-o-n - that spells smart.

      And I can count to potatoe!

    2. Re:Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We're all super smart here. No one reads the article, few read the summary. A select brilliant few don't even read the comment they are responding to!

  15. Nice! Shows that IQ is quite limited. No surprise. by gweihir · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Something I have been saying for a long time.

    IQ as measured today is intelligence applied to details, core structures, _small_ puzzles, etc. It does not measure whether people can identify context, make fuzzy trade-offs, find what is important and what not in complex structures, etc. The testing is also fundamentally broken as it is done under time pressure. In practice, somebody that can figure out a complex problem in 1 week is about as capable as somebody that needs 2 weeks and not far behind is somebody that needs 10 weeks. People really fall into the classes "can do it in reasonable time" and "cannot do it, regardless of time available". Those that can do, but need a lot longer than others that can do are quite rare.

    I also have met quite a few people with high IQ, but really low "wisdom" scales that could not use their intelligence effectively as a result. This also explains why the IQ is not a reliable predictor of future success in life, as for example Mensa found out.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  16. Similar results = similar bias (or lack thereof) ? by flibbidyfloo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the test "showed similar IQ results as a classic intelligence test", and the classic test is "biased", wouldn't that mean that this test is biased? Or would it have to mean that the classic test is *not* biased?

  17. your all dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i'd know, i got a 98 on my iq test, almsot a pefrect scroe!

  18. Blind People are stupid!! by erroneus · · Score: 1

    They are just completely unable to take this test. I always had my suspicions...

    1. Re:Blind People are stupid!! by fishbonz · · Score: 1

      That's the first thing I thought when I read the title

    2. Re:Blind People are stupid!! by jc42 · · Score: 1

      Funny; I'd think the conclusion would be that, since blind people are very good at instantaneously filtering out background noise, this test would show them as the smartest people.

      --
      Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
    3. Re:Blind People are stupid!! by mevets · · Score: 1

      No, we are stupid. We labelled people who cannot speak as dumb, it should have been people who cannot see....

  19. What is IQ? by MyLongNickName · · Score: 2

    I am a member of a high IQ "society" that discrimatinates against the lowest 99.9% of the general population. Yet, I would do very poorly on this test as my visual processing is poor. I excel in abstract reasoning but do poorly in other areas.

    What is intelligence? What is IQ? What is it good for? All good questions.

    --
    See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    1. Re:What is IQ? by LateArthurDent · · Score: 1

      I am a member of a high IQ "society" that discrimatinates [sic] against the lowest 99.9% of the general population. Yet, I would do very poorly on this test as my visual processing is poor. I excel in abstract reasoning but do poorly in other areas.

      What is intelligence? What is IQ? What is it good for? All good questions.

      Those are indeed good questions. Since you're saying you don't have a good answer for them, I'm curious about what you believed the benefit of a high-IQ society was when you decided to join one.

    2. Re:What is IQ? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The problem with IQ is most people don't understand what intelligence is.

      I've been able to measure a base IQ of around 130-135 on standardized IQ tests since I was 8. The tests were made for people over age 13 and the more likely deviation would be that my IQ is significantly higher than that. This is pretty dead-on: I'm actually extremely, ridiculously intelligent. I can break Mensa tests above 150.

      Taking this to a practical level, I rely very little on emotion and have very little cultural and social understanding (social understanding is measured in something called EQ). So, you'd think what? High IQ and no social ability... so, Stephen Hawking? Some genius locked in his room with nerd equipment, solving the problems of the universe. Sounds legit, right? Not quite.

      Most of the serious geniuses you'll meet have not just a high IQ, but also strong abstract reasoning: they turn ideas and goals into well-defined processes. They associate tools and information with problems, needs, and desires. More than that, they actually have a huge basis of domain knowledge--often in multiple domains--to work from.

      By contrast, I don't. My abstract reasoning is terrible and I'm fairly lazy. I latch onto information readily, but only as far as requires little effort and provides amusement. I can rattle off about a lot of stuff and generally I'm never wrong--because I talk about things I understand. People *think* I'm a genius because I understand just about any-fucking-thing you stick in front of me; yet functionally I operate like any person of normal intelligence, just with basic ability with a wider range of things.

      That's basically how intelligence works. Let's say you go to McDonalds and give the burned-out cashier a little pill that boosts their IQ to 135. What'll happen? Pretty much, he'll stand around feeling like something is 'off,' suddenly recognizing that there's a problem somewhere with the level of stupidity around him; but it won't be a massive, visible change, and it'll pass quickly. Without a huge basis of knowledge and experience, the important associations that highly intelligent people make simply don't happen. Suddenly being intelligent and not bothering to develop a huge basis of knowledge and experience doesn't make you a genius, and overall does nothing.

      That's not to say that your average 135-IQ semi-genius won't absolutely squash some 100-IQ norm if they both dive head-long into a mathematics and engineering program, of course. The guy with a 135 is going to cream you, he's going to sail through his classes easily and you're going to struggle and he'll put in less time and less effort and get better grades. But if he's going to just party all night and hook up with cheerleaders? Being a genius and neglecting your studies will get you passed by the slow kids, and in the end you'll babble some stupid shit just like your average redneck who didn't have the sheer brainpower to understand college.

      That's been my experience. I'll absorb information like a sponge, and I'll comprehend it immediately; I can take it as far as I care with some effort. Once I got out of high school, I realized that the effort needed in high school was "be present in class, not necessarily awake"; the effort required for higher education and understanding and for building high-level academic skills is ... quite a bit higher than I'd care to put in. So all these damn supergeniuses are way off my level, and I'm stuck in the back of the short bus.

      And that's why people don't believe in "Intelligence" and "IQ". They don't understand how it works. It's like your brain comes from Ikea--it might be the upper end model, but you still need to assemble it yourself and you might have pieces left over. I still have a bookshelf in pieces in my living room from 2 years ago.

      I've been ranking up in Go recently since I'm taking racetams and noopept. Inter-hemisphere communication is nice. There's all these people on racetams thinking

    3. Re:What is IQ? by Black+Parrot · · Score: 1

      I am a member of a high IQ "society" that discrimatinates [sic] against the lowest 99.9% of the general population. Yet, I would do very poorly on this test as my visual processing is poor. I excel in abstract reasoning but do poorly in other areas.

      What is intelligence? What is IQ? What is it good for? All good questions.

      Those are indeed good questions. Since you're saying you don't have a good answer for them, I'm curious about what you believed the benefit of a high-IQ society was when you decided to join one.

      Their recruiters tell everyone that nerds always get the hot chicks.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    4. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am a member of a high IQ "society" that discrimatinates against the lowest 99.9% of the general population.

      And you cannot even spell "discriminates" correctly. That's just too fucking
      funny.

      Most MENSA members I've known weren't that smart, they just thought they
      were. They also tended to be annoying douche bags. If civilization collapsed,
      most of them would end their lives are food or slaves.

    5. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      High IQ and no social ability... so, Stephen Hawking?
       
      I can guarantee you that Hawking has more of a social life than 99% of all Slashdotters. And this isn't some rip at Slashdotters... the man is active socially. Just because he doesn't speak with his own voice and is bound to a wheelchair doesn't make him an emotional or social cripple.
       
      So much for your outstanding intelligence that you wave like a flag. You came off as a total bigot and moron to me.

    6. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Jealousy is such a common response. I also test very highly in IQ tests, and I have told exactly no one of this. It only brings out idiots like you.

      By the way, my experience is similar to the GP. IQ is on its own of very little use. Additionally you need EQ, perseverance, work habits, and even healthy recreational habits to succeed in life.

    7. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and yet still single and living in the basement. But what an impressive resume! I mean your so intelligent you should get the joke, but in case you didn't..... unless you've done something meaningful in your life, no one cares how smart you are.

    8. Re:What is IQ? by fishbonz · · Score: 1

      You must be my long lost twin. Thanks for that post it helped me understand a few things about myself!

    9. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must be a real hit with the ladies!

    10. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yup. I score pretty high on the IQ charts as well, and I notice some of the things the GGP pointed out. I'm surprised at my effort/grades ratio compared to other people in my engineering program. On the other hand, I also have ADD and procrastinate endlessly. This leads me to be around the 90th percentile instead of something higher.

      Brains are a dime a dozen in this world unless you are truly unique (think Euler or Einstein). What matters is having the motivation to put it to use.

    11. Re:What is IQ? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      Actually I own a house and I'll be out of debt in 3 years and I'm working on a blue collar salary. Out of debt by 30, with a house in a big city.

      I'm still single. I've turned down relationships; I don't pair bond, so any form of relationship would be a terrible annoyance and completely imbalanced. Time sink, effort sink, emotion sink, with little return. I stopped having friends when I started avoiding them because they always wanted to go places and do stuff and it was interrupting anything else I wanted to do.

      Some dudes are paying $200/week for hookers here, that's somehow common even though everyone's poor as shit (well, the drug dealers aren't). Actually I question if everyone here's really 'poor'--people tell me I can't have savings on my salary, but I think I'm just better with money; and the "poor people" living around me are spending $1200/mo on rent while I spend $500/mo on a mortgage (okay, I pad it up to $1000+). I'm not interested in blowing my money on hookers; I've had regular non-whores try to tempt me by flirting up to and including implied or explicit sexual offers and that doesn't work on me either. Sex is peripheral: it'd be nice, but I'm not going to make too much of an exchange to get it, certainly not monetary and definitely nothing one-sided.

      I think that might be the basis. If you can't be pressured into something by the offer of sex, you can't be dragged into a relationship. I can't, so I don't see any benefit to a relationship--I could jump through hoops and spend a lot of time and effort and money trying to keep some girl happy so I can have sex, or I could spend 10 minutes masturbating.

    12. Re:What is IQ? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 2

      Oh I am. They call me Zoran, Supreme Interdimensional Lord of the Friend Zone.

    13. Re:What is IQ? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      How could I come off like a bigot? Are you interpreting any reference to McDonalds is a reference to negroes?

    14. Re:What is IQ? by ToastedRhino · · Score: 2

      I've been able to measure a base IQ of around 130-135 on standardized IQ tests since I was 8. The tests were made for people over age 13 and the more likely deviation would be that my IQ is significantly higher than that.

      Either you're lying or someone lied to you. There is not a single respected, widely-used IQ test that has an age cutoff of 13. All the tests that are in use (and have been for the last few decades) are normed for kids as well and even when they weren't, they were never normed to age 13 and not below, they were normed to maybe age 16 as the low end cutoff.

      I'm not saying you're not smart or that everything else you said isn't right. I can't bring myself ot read the rest of your comment after this obviously false statement.

    15. Re:What is IQ? by wolf12886 · · Score: 1

      Heh, I like you.

      ..which is pretty surprising, since I read your first sentence about your IQ of 130 and just about rolled my eyes out the back of my head.

    16. Re:What is IQ? by paavo512 · · Score: 1

      There is a contradiction, your comment is so long it does not fit on my screen, and yet you are claiming you are a lazy smart bastard!
      --
      Feeling too lazy to remember my own IQ scores...

    17. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Says the guy trying to sound smart as he basically offers a dumbed down summary of the OP's original commentary.

    18. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      10 minutes? You're doing it wrong! ;)

      I've got an IQ in the 150s and I might be an interesting contrast. I always focused on academics, sports, friends, and relationships. I'm now fairly wealthy (not super rich), have a great wife, and wonderful kids. I've been married around 15 years and I still like waking up to see my wife every morning.

      You might be looking at things wrong -- having a relationship isn't just about the sex (although that is a nice fringe benefit). It is about the companionship and sharing your (otherwise very boring) life with someone else.

      Anyway, I just wanted to mention that there are alternate paths for us geniuses. :)

      p.s. One thing I've always been bad at is spelling. If I had to spell every word that I spoke, my vocabulary would be cut in half. Does anyone have any idea what is wrong with me? :)

    19. Re:What is IQ? by shadowofwind · · Score: 1

      I'm actually extremely, ridiculously intelligent.

      (By the by, I have about 50 books about Go and I've read 4 of them... any clue why I'm still 7kyu?)

      Maybe because you're not actually extremely, ridiculously intelligent?

      I'm about 3dan AGA without having read any books, and in a lot of ways I'm one of the least intelligent people at my office. Unless you've just recently started playing, to play at 7kyu in any ranking system, not only does your strategy have to be bad, you have to be fairly bad at logic. Nothing wrong with that of course.

    20. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't say bigot, but I had to wonder if you were trolling or just being coincidentally offensive.

      Let's say you go to McDonalds and give the burned-out cashier a little pill that boosts their IQ to 135

      You don't know why the cashier is working there, what their life is like outside of work, or what their goals and aspirations are. Lots of people take jobs that aren't ideal because they have to. Most likely, at one time or another, you have been helped by someone in the service industry whose IQ surpasses yours.

      just like your average redneck who didn't have the sheer brainpower to understand college

      Plenty of rednecks manage to get through college - I would expect they have the same distribution of intelligence as the rest of us. And an average - or even a below average person - can manage a college degree without too much trouble, just by putting in the time and effort.

      Just saying.

    21. Re:What is IQ? by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 1

      Jealousy is such a common response.

      I'm a genius of the ages. How do I know this? Because I'm able to memorize mundane, useless information and do various other amazing things. If you question my genius, you're just jealous of my greatness.

      --
      Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
    22. Re:What is IQ? by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Enable spell check in your browser and type a lot. It has helped me immensely. I was a horrific speller and decided that I'd spell check everything before posting it. I hate wasting time so it turns out that I simply learned to spell better instead of having to go back, delete words, and retype them.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    23. Re:What is IQ? by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Are you interpreting any reference to McDonalds is a reference to negroes?

      That's ridiculous.

      They're all at KFC.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    24. Re:What is IQ? by MyLongNickName · · Score: 1

      Initially curiosity. Over the past couple of years I have found the social interaction to be beneficial.Higher signal to noise ratio in the conversation department. I woldn't want to hand around with smart folk all the time, hence my travels to Slashdot :)

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    25. Re:What is IQ? by MyLongNickName · · Score: 1

      Congratulations, you caught me on an obvious typo.

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    26. Re:What is IQ? by MyLongNickName · · Score: 1

      most of them would end their lives are food or slaves.

      Heh.

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    27. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is also a difference in working efficiently from limited information ("intuition") which these tests cannot measure since it is subjective probabilistic reasoning, not pure deduction.

      I am completely baffled my colleagues who can readily find solutions to puzzle like questions and they never miss any detail. I just cannot do that.

      OTOH my colleagues are baffled when I come up with solutions for which I don't have (yet) explanation, or come up with ideas that seem to be completely "out of the blue" for them.

      I routinely rank lower in puzzle style interviews, but in my daily work I perform the same, since I have time to correct my initial "fuzzyness" and the time for that is compensated by my quick insights. I work best with detail oriented guys, and they enjoy working with my "chaos". I would be happy to became more detail driven though, but it seems very unlikely to happen at my age.

    28. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No one is questioning your genius. We know exactly its true (miniscule) dimensions given that you cannot tell the difference between someone questioning genius and a jealous AC saying "now get over yourself".

    29. Re:What is IQ? by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 1

      Yes, in that case, it is mere jealousy, and in this case it is not. Right. Anyone who questions anything a 'genius' says or does is just jealous! It's the only explanation!

      --
      Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
    30. Re:What is IQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "By contrast, I don't. My abstract reasoning is terrible and I'm fairly lazy. I latch onto information readily, but only as far as requires little effort and provides amusement."

      That's funny, I don't remember logging in to write this despite it so clearly describing myself.

    31. Re:What is IQ? by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 1

      Anyone, you're clearly just jealous of my massive intellect. Why else would you reply in such a way?

      --
      Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
    32. Re:What is IQ? by strikethree · · Score: 1

      At least you logged in to be a jackass. :)

      I read bluefoxlucid's response and I did not get the same things from it that you did. Weird.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    33. Re:What is IQ? by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 1

      That wasn't in response to bluefoxlucid's comment, but to someone who suggested that anyone who questions another's supposed genius must just be jealous.

      --
      Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
    34. Re:What is IQ? by LateArthurDent · · Score: 1

      Higher signal to noise ratio in the conversation department.

      That implies you believe IQ tests do measure something valuable (and I'm not necessarily disagreeing, just pointing out that when you asked, "what is it [IQ] good for?" you do seem to have some ideas about that.

      The reason I'm asking, is that I've never seen the point of organizations like that. I understand high-IQ organizations have sub-groups, people within them get together along a common interest. Coders might form a software group, some people form sci-fi book clubs, yet others get together to talk politics. You've cited yourself as an example of someone who excels in abstract reasoning, but does poorly in other areas. So I feel like if I want to join a software group, if I go the high-IQ society route, I might be entering a group that eliminates really cool people who excel at certain areas of software writing, but do poorly in an IQ test. I'm not sure why I should care to exclude them.

    35. Re:What is IQ? by MyLongNickName · · Score: 1

      How does joining one group preclude you from associating with others outside of that group? I serve on the board of a technology group and a chess group.

      Second question: If you think joining a high IQ group precludes you from interacting with folks with other skills not measured on an IQ test, then doesn't joining a special interest group also exclude you from really cool people that might excel in areas other than that special group?

      Third question: Where did I say IQ isn't a measure of something valuable? I do think it isn't everything.

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    36. Re:What is IQ? by LateArthurDent · · Score: 1

      How does joining one group preclude you from associating with others outside of that group? I serve on the board of a technology group and a chess group.

      Second question: If you think joining a high IQ group precludes you from interacting with folks with other skills not measured on an IQ test, then doesn't joining a special interest group also exclude you from really cool people that might excel in areas other than that special group?

      Really? You have such a high IQ and your reading comprehension is that poor?

      Sorry, it's just a joke, I couldn't resist. I'm honestly not attacking you here. I feel the reason you're misinterpreting me is because you're going on the defensive and feel like I'm asking you to justify something. I'm not against high IQ societies, I just don't get the point, and am trying to be enlightened here. I'll try to explain myself better:

      I didn't say or imply you can't interact with people outside your society. I asked what is the point of joining a group in a high-IQ society that, in addition to filtering by what you're actually interested in, also filters by IQ. It seems to me that you gain nothing and have the potential to lose something. I was asking you what it is that you gain by joining, say, Mensa's chess group versus a chess group open to everyone. You can say you're more likely to find better chess players among people with high IQ, but why not just join a group that limits membership to players rated 2200 or above? This way, you're directly measuring that which you're interested in.

      Third question: Where did I say IQ isn't a measure of something valuable? I do think it isn't everything.

      I also didn't imply that. Clearly you think it measures something valuable. So do I. I asked you to explain exactly what you felt that something valuable is.

      Here's an example of an experience I had lately. I went to a local meeting of a skeptics society recently. It was my first time there, and there were several new people, actually. One of the other new guys joined in on a religious discussion to describe how ridiculous Christians are. I thought he was being unnecessarily combative about it, but I expect skeptics to be atheists or agnostics. However, then he started talking about what things people are "sheep" about, which includes believing Saddam Hussein is dead. Several people proceeded to agree with him (some, perhaps, to avoid a confrontation).

      Conspiracy theorists are not something I expected to see at a skeptics meeting. You would figure skepticism toward religion and toward conspiracy theories would go hand in hand, and you wouldn't find this situation in a skeptics group. Similarly, most people would assume high IQ and an ability to carry on an intelligent book discussion would go hand in hand, but I suspect you'd encounter exceptions same as I've encountered in the skeptics group.

    37. Re:What is IQ? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      How much effort does it take to type? I use Dvorak so I type insanely fast--so fast it's been commented that I'm an insanely fast typist on IRC, where people can only see line-by-line speed and not actual keystroke speed.

    38. Re:What is IQ? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      KGS 7 kyu, I played for about 6 months starting 2 years ago. Just picked it up again and the ranking system must have shifted; I've broke 6 kyu once or twice and have been back on my feet (actually I can consistently play high 6kyu when I'm on noopept + ani + pi).

      I just play, I don't review or study anymore. Too lazy to take the time.

    39. Re:What is IQ? by Savantissimo · · Score: 1

      I think the different forms of the Otis-Lennon have an age break at about that age. It would be a perfectly good place for an age break, just after the "corner" in the graph of raw scores with age. The additional mental development is negligible between 13 and 16, equivalent in Rasch CSS measure to 6 months increase at age 6.

      --
      "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" - Patrick Henry
  20. Re:Similar results = similar bias (or lack thereof by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Presumably, it could be identifying what the classic test is really measuring.

  21. Didn't work for me by atouk · · Score: 1

    No matter how many times I crossed my eyes, I couldn't see the magic image. Am I doing somethig wrong? But if it's seeing things move, I can get the whole room to move with a bottle of nice single malt. Does that prove that drinking makes you smarter?

  22. data range IQ 150 by wickerprints · · Score: 1

    Granted, the population size of individuals with measured IQs above 150 is relatively small (about 1 in 1000), but it's a little bit misleading to consider people with IQs in the range below 140 as having "high IQ." 120-140 is "above average," certainly, but fairly common. Being more intelligent than someone scoring 80-100 doesn't automatically mean you have "high IQ." This study shows that intelligence correlates with a specific motion tracking task, but only in the studied IQ range due to the relative difficulty of finding individuals above IQ 150 or below IQ 80.

    I think such a study should include age as a predictor as well. It would be interesting to see more data, especially in the higher IQ range from 150 to 180. Above 180, there are too few people in the world who are able to test that high.

  23. Why wouldn't it? by saveferrousoxide · · Score: 1

    Having read the article, I can see how this might sound snotty, but why wouldn't it be easier to detect motion in the small circle? There are more axes of motion than in the bigger view. The big view is almost purely left and right, but by virtue of being a circle, there's a much greater chance to perceive vertical motion as well. It seems like there is, in a sense, more motion to see in the smaller set.

    1. Re:Why wouldn't it? by Jmc23 · · Score: 1

      The persons focus is smaller, any movement outside that focus doesn't get processed so results as noise.

      --
      Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
    2. Re:Why wouldn't it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to mention, we cerebral types have power efficient computers that cannot actually render the larger image field at the full frame rate, while the smaller one has fewer motion vectors to be processed...

  24. IQ depends on context by jchap · · Score: 1

    Albert Einstein in patent office = Law of Photoelectric Effect.

    Albert Einstein in red-hot ' 'magma' ' = "Tssssssh."

    Thus external context is of equal importance to innate ability within the expression of intelligence.


    Also, when the bars start flicking like that, from one side to another, that's how I know when I've had enough to drink.

    1. Re:IQ depends on context by mc6809e · · Score: 3, Funny

      Albert Einstein in patent office = Law of Photoelectric Effect.

      Albert Einstein in red-hot ' 'magma' ' = "Tssssssh."

      Thus external context is of equal importance to innate ability within the expression of intelligence.

      Yeah, but intelligence can also determine the external context.

      Intelligent -> working in a patent office.

      Unintelligent -> falling into red-hot magma.

    2. Re:IQ depends on context by jchap · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but intelligence can also determine the external context.

      Absolutely. This would make it a Strange Loop indeed.

      Intelligent -> working in a patent office.

      Unintelligent -> falling into red-hot magma.


      Society can therefore even flip a man's intelligence by overruling his personal choice of context.

    3. Re:IQ depends on context by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
      Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

      --Groucho Marx

  25. Goodbye, IQ! by SoupIsGood+Food · · Score: 2

    Replace IQ? I think it's a stake in the heart of IQ testing. Being a champ at "Where's Waldo" is not a good predictor of problem solving, imagination, communication and knowledge retention, which are the only real measures of intelligence. Spot-checking pattern recognition skills doesn't tell us much about an individual, apart from "Wow, he matched that pattern he was familiar with because he grew up in the same society as the test designers pretty darn quick. Yup."

    1. Re:Goodbye, IQ! by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      well.. pure iq tests are used only by pretty much the same companies that use handwriting analysis...

      they pay handsomely for those analysis too. dimwits.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    2. Re:Goodbye, IQ! by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Maybe that's why where's waldo isn't an IQ test?

      You should probably look up what intelligence is.
      Communication? nope. imagination? debatable. knowledge retention? nope. Problem solving? can be but thre is a lot of other aspects as well. So you need to state problem solving withing the person experience.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    3. Re:Goodbye, IQ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that this study would indicate that being a champ at "Where's Waldo" (the test really isn't anything like Where's Waldo, but whatever) IS a good predictor of problem solving, communication and knowledge retention. You're merely stating that this test could in no possible way be correlated with the key indicators of intelligence, when very clearly the results show that it does, with nothing to back it up besides a tiny reference to cultural bias, which the article already covers.

      The real questions to be asked are "Why might this correlation be true?" and "Is there the possibility of a confounding factor?" But simply stating "No, this can't be true because it doesn't conform to my notions of intelligence and how the brain works" is incredibly arrogant and non-productive.

    4. Re:Goodbye, IQ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't like that you feel the need to put down "Where's Waldo".

  26. biased point of view? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are high IQ people better at filtering background motion or worse at spotting background motion? are the parts of the brain that process background motion perhaps given over to other processes in a high IQ person?

  27. University of... by Njoyda+Sauce · · Score: 1

    Rorschachtester?

    --

    You can only be young once, but you can be immature forever.
  28. Re:data range IQ 150 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It shouldn't be too hard to find a population with IQs below 80. Try looking at Congress. Lol

  29. I am doubtful by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 4, Informative

    Much of the brain's visual processing can change dynamically with changes in environment.

    For example, a common experiment in college psych courses is to give a student glasses that flip the world upside-down. It takes a few days for the student's brain to adapt to the new inputs, and then they see the world normally (and revert after a few days w/o the glasses). Patients with macular degeneration can wear glasses that stretch-map the visual input around areas of missing vision (in the manner of a cylindrical mirror). After some time, they report seeing the world normally - their visual system has adapted and remapped the input.

    I wonder if the effect simply measures the amount of reading the subject does; in other terms, perhaps it's just measuring the amount of fine-focus eye training? What does the test show for people who play a lot of arcade games (shooters, especially ones that throw a lot of targets at you)? Or people who use a lot of visual perception in their daily lives?

    The article stated that the authors "tested for other possible explanations". Also, the correlation was at most 71%, note that flipping a coin is expected to correlate to around 50%. Their data seems to be awfully well clustered and the slope seems to be due to the outliers. The first study used 12 subjects, and the second only 53.

    I'm unconvinced. It could be promising, but I would like to see correlations from more data.

    1. Re:I am doubtful by Renevith · · Score: 1

      Also, the correlation was at most 71%, note that flipping a coin is expected to correlate to around 50%.

      Flipping a coin would have an expected correlation of 0%, although with only 56 samples it could easily be 20-30% in any particular trial. 71% is pretty significant.

      Of course, it seems like the researchers did test a lot of different possible relationships and cognitive skills, so they were biased towards finding at least one strong one. (obligatory XKCD.) Still, 71% is a lot better than you are giving them credit for.

      Their data seems to be awfully well clustered and the slope seems to be due to the outliers.

      See how the data points are all paired? -- each IQ has exactly two dots above it, one red and one blue, presumably representing the same individual. From what I can tell, the important part of that graph is not the absolute position of the red or blue dots, which I agree do not have a remarkable slope, but rather the difference between red and blue for a given individual.

      Their other plot from the news article seems to be just that difference, or some derived representation of it. It's a much more convincing relationship.

  30. What bars? by gatkinso · · Score: 1

    ???

    --
    I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
  31. link to the article (free) by drew30319 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not sure if anybody has already posted this, but if you'd like to read the article and lack access (and are unwilling to fork over $35) you can read it through the university's website for free: http://www.bcs.rochester.edu/people/Duje/papers/13_Melnick_IQ_CB.pdf

    --
    JAGga.me ----> Producing video games addressing emotional health and wellness issues affecting teens.
    1. Re:link to the article (free) by PRMan · · Score: 1

      Brilliant!

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
    2. Re:link to the article (free) by sessamoid · · Score: 1

      Brilliant!

      Not brilliance. Genius!

      --
      "No, no, no. Don't tug on that. You never know what it might be attached to."
    3. Re:link to the article (free) by Legion303 · · Score: 1

      You have violated the CFAA. Please report to your nearest DoJ branch office for processing.

  32. Blanket on a dog by BetaDays · · Score: 1

    I was once told that to be able to tell how smart a dog is just throw a blanket over it. The faster it gets out from under it the smarter it is.

    --
    Paul: Father... father, the sleeper has awakened! - Dune
    1. Re:Blanket on a dog by istartedi · · Score: 1

      The IQ of the dog is inversely proportional to how far it runs when you throw an imaginary stick.

      --
      For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
    2. Re:Blanket on a dog by geekoid · · Score: 1

      How far would you run if the person you depend on to survive through an imaginary stick? and that person could have you killed with no repercussions.

      Seems like NOT pleasing that person is dumb, from a survival standpoint.

      Of course, animal IQ always seems to reflect what the owners thing not actual objective measurment.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  33. Alternate Hypothesis by Sir+Realist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    'The relationship between IQ and motion suppression points to the fundamental cognitive processes that underlie intelligence'

    Or, IQ tests don't test anything but pattern matching / the ability to filter noise in the first place.

    1. Re:Alternate Hypothesis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am continually astounded by the mental acrobatics some people are willing to engage in to continue believing what they want to believe.

    2. Re:Alternate Hypothesis by mc6809e · · Score: 2

      Or, IQ tests don't test anything but pattern matching / the ability to filter noise in the first place.

      It's one thing to say IQ tests pattern matching and noise filtering. It's quite another to say IQ tests ONLY pattern matching and noise filtering.

    3. Re:Alternate Hypothesis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And it's ANOTHER thing to say googly moogly.

    4. Re:Alternate Hypothesis by Sir+Realist · · Score: 1

      Truth (but alas, no mod points.) Though the close correspondence between the two in the research would seem to initially imply that there are a minimal number of confounding factors. If you tell me there is a statistically significant link between scores on test A and trait B, the simplest conclusion is that test A tests for trait B. Doesn't make it true; just the simplest answer. Any longer train of logic requires more assumptions and/or discrepancies to explain away. Case in point; if we assume IQ tests measure pattern matching and noise filtering and X, then we have to explain why we don't (if we don't) have a bunch of people who are lousy at pattern matching, but score high on IQ tests anyways (because they're good at X). There are lots of perfectly sensible answers for that, but we'd better go find one.

      Of course, if we _do_ have a bunch of people like that that need explaining, then its good evidence for the existence of one or more X's...

    5. Re:Alternate Hypothesis by kermidge · · Score: 1

      Not sure about that. As in, the jury's not in yet. I think there's more going on but it's more of a hunch than stuff I can readily list. It might include being able to see or make connections between things, or to do so more readily and to more places.

      What intrigues me is that as we explore things, as was done in this bit of research, we may find other correlations. The more we have, the better we may be able to usefully define intelligence and do so in a more operative way than we do now. Further, we might be able to distinguish 'flavors' of intelligence. For instance, now we can score in various areas - math, spatial, some language skill, and, yes, pattern matching. But with seeing which areas of brain, and in what manner of use, we'll get a whole added level of possible understanding.

      With all that going on*, I'd like to think we could help ourselves work better on real education, help people better develop skills in which their brains are biased towards, better help us all more readily find things we like to do, are good at doing, and can get paid for besides. It also might help end some of the sillier arguments that talk of intelligence so easily fosters.

      *Not to mention all the stuff involved with brain structure, pathways, interconnects, chemistry; I suspect some of what we can learn might help construct better, even perhaps real, AI.

      'Course, I'm just guessing about all this, but find it interesting nonetheless.

    6. Re:Alternate Hypothesis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Last time I saw one it also tested general knowledge trivia and English tricks.

  34. you dumb retard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    nuff said
    you look like one threfore you must be

    USA avg math skill on world stage ranked 31....
    so if your getting all high iqs that means hte rest of the world is far far far more brilliant

    stupid americans

  35. Great new excuse! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    'The brain is bombarded by an overwhelming amount of sensory information, and its efficiency is built not only on how quickly our neural networks process these signals, but also on how good they are at suppressing less meaningful information. ...'

    So when I ignore my wife I can blame it on my high IQ...

  36. Really? by Murdoch5 · · Score: 1

    That was a fairly easy test, not to mention that when you look at the graphs they show that there is only a rough correlation between IQ and the motion of the circles. All that test really proves is that you know left from right, anyone with the ability to visually separate out patterns will quickly rock the test. The standard IQ test is flawed, there is no doubt in that statement, but I don't think this test is any better.

    For an IQ test to work you first need to break down the learning style of the person taking the test, visual, audio or hands on. Then you need to adjust the test to take into account race and culture. Now you have a test that replicates the learning style of the person in question and doesn't apply a basis which would taint the results.

    Giving a hands on person a verbal IQ test is pointless, just like giving an audio person a visual test, they might get some question right, most of the questions right or none of the question right, all you've managed to prove is they can either adapt to a new style or they can't, you haven't determined anything about IQ.

    People learn differently, if you ask a person who learns with there hands to read a text book and take a test, they probably wont do very well, maybe getting a C ( for example ), well a visual learner might get an A. Now reverse the situation the visual learn will probably get the C and the hands on learner the A. I'm a hands on learner, I have difficulty just reading something and making sense of it, I need to actually apply it in a meaningful way for it to stick. My best friend is the opposite, he can read a textbook in one night and learn the material perfectly. Does that mean he's smarter or has a higher IQ? No of course not! He just is table to learn material in a different fashion and will always rock a test that is given visually. If you ask him to take that same test as a hands on demo, he'll fail, he wont have a clue how to do it. So why give IQ tests this way?

    I think IQ tests need to be tailored to the person taking them and not to an outdated standard.

  37. Re:Similar results = similar bias (or lack thereof by TubeSteak · · Score: 2

    If the test "showed similar IQ results as a classic intelligence test", and the classic test is "biased", wouldn't that mean that this test is biased? Or would it have to mean that the classic test is *not* biased?

    It's not a 100% correlation.
    I'm sure the difference will shed some light on how and who is biased against in the test.

    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  38. This supports analytical psychology by archzombie · · Score: 1

    Some academics like to call jungian/analytical psychology "unscientific", but wasn't this a highly predictable result? According to all jungian theories, the Se (extraverted sensing) and Ne (extraverted intuition) functions are in opposition. Se is associated with high environmental awareness, Ne with brainstorming and more generally high intelligence. This merely confirms scientifically what Jungian based theories already predicted "unscientifically".

  39. Cultural Bias by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not close to removing cultural bias. All Participants were from backgrounds too WEIRD* to produce a useful test of human intelligence.

    *Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic

  40. I prefer SQ by geekoid · · Score: 2, Funny

    I find that the lower the IQ the less likely they are to have read the article before making some 'point' about the topic.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  41. Frogs as geniuses? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Frogs won't react to flies that are idle; the frog brain filters out non-moving small objects. Flies are very good at distinguishing small moving objects within their field of vision. Using the conclusion of this study we could assume frogs are near or at genius level in intelligence.

  42. Co-related but possible confounding variable by Jmc23 · · Score: 1
    I used to be a myopic genius.

    I played the little sample video and noticed that it was easier with the small circle as my default is to always be focused with very little peripheral vision.

    However, when I switched to a wide field of focus, that I had learned from correcting my eyesight, it was now easier to see motion in the big square.

    So, perhaps what they really discovered is that motion is more easily detected when size appropriate for your field of view?

    --
    Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
  43. But... by Aeonym · · Score: 1

    "standard IQ tests, which have been criticized for cultural bias"

    The voices who complain about cultural bias will always find a reason that any test is biased, as long as it continues to score their preferred racial/ethnic/economic/victim class lower than their supposed oppressors. If current tests showed that poor African immigrants with little schooling were "more intelligent" than the average middle class white person, the tests would be hailed as scientific evidence of the tyranny of the current social regime.

    That said, the classic IQ test is very limited. It does measure one thing pretty well, but just what that thing is isn't well defined--and that thing, while helpful in some ways, is in no way required for a successful, happy life.

  44. or blindness? by Comboman · · Score: 1

    Wouldn't visual defects, such as myopia, or an excess of floaters, impact the results of this exam?

    or blindness ("Your IQ is zero sir, but luckily your companion dog is smarter than Einstein!"). They've just replaced a culturally biased test with a visually biased one.

    --
    Support Right To Repair Legislation.
  45. Blind people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Must be really stupid considering the scores they will get for this test

  46. Re:Nice! Shows that IQ is quite limited. No surpri by eulernet · · Score: 1

    This also explains why the IQ is not a reliable predictor of future success in life, as for example Mensa found out.

    While I don't disagree with your arguments, please define what is "success in life".

    From my point-of-view, success comes from luck.
    Why would luck be linked to any sort of intelligence ?

  47. Predicting IQ With a Simple Visual Test... yup by al.caughey · · Score: 1

    Yup... he looks like an idiot, and so does he... why am I surrounded by such morons???
    Scottie... beam me up!!

  48. Double Double Vision Vision by rwa2 · · Score: 1, Funny

    This This is is a a simple simple test test for for double double vision. vision.
      OGC OGC
    How How many many wankers wankers do do you you see? see?

    If If you you answered answered one, one, then then you you do do not not have have double double vision. vision.

    1. Re:Double Double Vision Vision by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hello hello hello, is there anybody in there in there in there.

    2. Re:Double Double Vision Vision by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What? I can't hear you over all the AAAAAAHHHHH

  49. Sensory processing disorder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have a sensory processing disorder, yet have an IQ above 140. This anecdotal evidence disproves the summary.

  50. Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't get it.

  51. My new robes... Let me show them to you. by Dogtanian · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now that's funny, I don't care who you are.

    Sorry, but this was a secret IQ test- and sadly, you just failed it. There was a hidden pattern within the letters in the original comment, which held a secret message along the lines of "Psst... don't admit this is funny, or you'll look stupid". However, only people with reasonably high IQs are able to spot it.

    Also, if anyone else says I'm talking rubbish and it's not there... it's okay. No-one said we all had to be geniuses! (^_^)

    --
    "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    1. Re:My new robes... Let me show them to you. by Laxori666 · · Score: 1

      I'm afraid you failed the super-secret ultra-high intelligence IQ test. You got the initial test, so that puts you at 120 or so, but the planted answer contained another hidden message which indicated that you shouldn't point out the secret message in the first one or you'll look average. You need an IQ of at least 170 to get it though so it's ok.

    2. Re:My new robes... Let me show them to you. by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

      Does anyone else find it ironic that this was moderated to Score:5, Funny? :-)

      (Er, but.... that's okay, because in this case only smart people get my humour. Modding up *any* of my posts is a sign of intelligence, though *true* geniuses mod them as "insightful" or "informative". Nothing to do with the fact that the latter two grant more karma, I swear...)

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    3. Re:My new robes... Let me show them to you. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I recommend a new metric, which is the mean of your IQ and the length of your dick in mm.

  52. Soo.... by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    ...blind people are stupid?

    That's going to be a hard sell.

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:Soo.... by PRMan · · Score: 1

      ...blind people are stupid?

      That's going to be a hard sell.

      Not really. They can't even figure out how to see!

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
  53. In that case by drainbramage · · Score: 2

    I had better change my cat's name to Einstein.

    --
    No brain, no pain.
  54. How to prove you're not worth hiring. by VortexCortex · · Score: 1

    You took the IQ test, knowing full well it's mental masturbation. I can expect huge time wastes from you and your ilk. Gimme the idiot savant any day of the week.

  55. Retro-meme by FilmedInNoir · · Score: 1

    IT'S OVER 9000!!!!

    --
    Sig. Sig. Sputnik
    1. Re:Retro-meme by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This one goes to 11!

  56. Re:data range IQ 150 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    IQs above 140 are meaningless. At that range you may very well just be good at taking IQ tests. 140 is 4 standard deviations away from the mean, so while many such people exist by virtue of the fact that there are billions of people on the planet, it's a very small number as a ratio to the population.

  57. doesn't aspergers blow this theory up? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Some of the smartest technology people would have tremendous difficulty filtering out any kind of motion. But they're generally not good on IQ tests, either.

  58. Oh bollix not Utub. by niftymitch · · Score: 1

    I noted that the dam pattern could change direction depending on the refresh rate of my screen and speed of the GFX card. Not a good test without tight controls of the hardware.

    --
    Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't. Mark Twain.
  59. IQ by Udom · · Score: 1

    The results of the tests don't necessarily support the interpretations. IQ tests were devised during the same period when doctors were making fortunes transplanting goat testicles into men to cure impotence. (Dr. John Brinkley and others)... Motion detection is crucial for detecting threats so it must be dealt with very early on, much of that being done in the amygdala, whose work is independent of higher functions. Conscious control over the system is an illusion. Find Wally is a good example. Wally is hard to pick out if his expression is neutral, but we'd catch him immediately if he looked angry. Another good example of the separation of this processing from consciousness is Blindsight... People who are blind due to damage to their visual cortex but can still detect threats despite seeing only blackness.

  60. Descriminates against dyslexics by mjwalshe · · Score: 1

    So how does that effect those of us with dyslexia or other disabilities that effect the visual centers of the brain.

  61. middle of the video by spiffmastercow · · Score: 1

    Did anyone else just see still images when they flashed quickly in the middle of the video (not the beginning or the end, when they showed motion for longer periods)? I've always had some weird visual delay issues, but I'm curious if they were really just moving that quickly or if I just perceive that slowly.

    1. Re:middle of the video by PRMan · · Score: 1

      I saw all the small ones moving immediately and could easily tell the direction, but for the large ones if it was too fast I couldn't do it. On the slower ones I could.

      --
      Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
  62. Ob by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > IQ of the brain in general

    as opposed to the IQ of the kidneys, or perhaps the lymphatic system?

  63. A step forward by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's good that the researchers are starting to examine specific traits and label things with words that are not as vague as "intelligence." Maybe in a few decades we will advance beyond such inefficient labels.

  64. A schooner is a sail boat by PoolOfThought · · Score: 1

    So at some point that guy in the mall's brain will filter out the noise and see that damn boat... and then he'll be declared a genius. Rats.

    --
    My present is the activity I am currently engaged in with the purpose of turning the future into a better past.
  65. Good thing it's a cultural bias by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... and not a racial bias. A cultural bias lends itself to being repaired.

  66. Careful now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You don't want to get sued by Apple for infringing on their iQ patent...

  67. iq test for the lazy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is there a place where we can take this test?

  68. I always knew by quantaman · · Score: 1, Insightful

    blind people were stupid.

    --
    I stole this Sig
  69. That's easy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Please turn around your screen. If you see an Apple on the back, don't bother with the rest of the test..."

  70. 100%^ idiotic by WOOFYGOOFY · · Score: 1

    Yeah, actually this is 100% stupid. The part of the brain that subtends visual processing is the visual cortex (which itself is broken down into different parts but it's good enough for now) . There has never been shown any relationship between the speed at which it can process visual stimuli (not that that's what's being measured, response times are) and general intelligence. What the researchers are doing is pretending that all "brain stuff" is the same(!!!) and if one part process a particular modality of information fast, then others do also and that speed is what intelligence is.

    Jesus there are so many things wrong with this idiotic hypothesis.

    For instance, we already know that functionally specific areas of the brain may be more or less independently good at what they do. So someone can have a high level of coordination and fast reaction times but score poorly in reasoning and even reading.

    Not only are functionally distinct areas of the brain naturally better or worse at their "jobs" quite independently , but such areas' performance can be enhanced through practice, which enhancement presumably and in some case provably are subtended by an increase in the density of brain cells and connections. So any measurement of performance has to first ask the question- has this area of the brain in this individual been enhanced by the activities of this individual. Failing that,. inter-subject comparisons are meaningful .

    Then there's the fact that there's a long long pathway between light being processed in the visual cortex and a response being generated by the subject and there's no reason to suppose that those pathways are all just passively of equal *efficiency* or that the efficiency of those pathways is meaningfully related to intelligence.

    To what I am getting at, think how Stephen Hawking would fare in this test of intelligence. We have zero reason to think that pathways negatively effected by ALS are otherwise equally efficient in all individuals, or really, even the same... consider the phenomena of someone who habitually "overthinks" their responses.

    Jesus. This is the second "speed = intelligence" article on Slashdot in as many days. Yesterday it was "people are gettting dumber !!!". Do I smell a PR attack with an agenda behind it? IS someone trying to foist the idea that we have a clear and unambiguous way to both define (we don't) and measure (we don't) intelligence so that they can.... profit????

  71. Some are only one frame - no movement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Several of the middle ones are there for one frame. They do not move. Those people who say they are seeing movement in all examples are simply incorrect. Lying? Optical illusion based on their expectations? I do not know. But I do know I downloaded the video at its highest quality and also recorded it with a screen recorder that captures at 60 fps and in every example several were only one frame. No movement.

  72. Re:Similar results = similar bias (or lack thereof by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it's an IQ result. don't apply normal logic to it, it has its own internal logic that normal people call 'bullshit' and IQ researchers call 'another publication and hopefully a grant from the HR department of a gullible corporation'.

  73. Guess what? by kaatochacha · · Score: 1

    I hate to brag, but... I totally saw this coming.

  74. An even easier method by reboot246 · · Score: 1

    Simply put: if you don't have a sense of humor, you cannot be considered intelligent.

    I don't care how much you know; if you can't laugh, you're barely human.

  75. Re:Nice! Shows that IQ is quite limited. No surpri by s.petry · · Score: 1

    A person with a high IQ that refuses to work with others may never be a success. Perhaps they don't bath, so you would not want them around? Perhaps they make irrational decisions? Perhaps they are easily duped into performing waste of time tasks because they can not predict outcome?

    I have met each of the above, and would not call them a success. While the books say that they have a high IQ, they act and behave more like a savant than a genius.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  76. Re:Nice! Shows that IQ is quite limited. No surpri by eulernet · · Score: 1

    Do you mean that success is "social success" ?

    I can disprove all your arguments easily, since my definition of "success" is quite different.
    For example:
    - why do you suppose that you cannot succeed alone ? In my experience, the best success is achieved alone, since you deserve all the credit.
    - who does not make irrational decisions ? Everybody has a lot of magic thinking in their thought process, like superstition or weird habits.
    - what is a waste of time ? I suppose that you watch television, which I consider a waste of time.

  77. First Post by PPH · · Score: 0

    Neener, neener!

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  78. study on go and IQ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    im not going to find it, but you can easily google http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3378

    the reason why i wrote this post was because of the conclusion found in the above mentioned study that a sample of korean GO pros had an average IQ of 93. If that makes you feel any better ;)

    btw i always thought the definition of IQ (assuming that your group satifies the central limit theorem and we can treat it as a normally distributed sample) was that it was normally distributed with a mean of 100 and standard distribution of 10, simple right..

    then i read some american definition and they said the sd was 15 or something, wtfbbq ?! srsly

    btw if those mensa tests really required ~150 IQ then something like only 1 in 2 mill people could solve them, (perhaps it is the time restriction that represents much of the "difficulty") that would be 5 sd away from the mean. http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2006/11/09/beware-of-the-5sigma.aspx btw this clearly shows that many series that are treated as normal are clearly not normally distributed. because of the frequency of market crashes, the height of basketballers, etc. Im pretty darn sure that IQ is not normally distributed either. I say this because when you look at realistic samples of children the factors that most strongly affect IQ do so in an asymmetric manner.

    1. Re:study on go and IQ by oboeaaron · · Score: 1

      btw i always thought the definition of IQ (assuming that your group satifies the central limit theorem and we can treat it as a normally distributed sample) was that it was normally distributed with a mean of 100 and standard distribution of 10, simple right..

      No, standard deviation is 15 points.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient/

      --
      Journey onward.
  79. Re:Nice! Shows that IQ is quite limited. No surpri by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Scored low, did you?

  80. Re:Nice! Shows that IQ is quite limited. No surpri by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yeah, and you're not only completely wrong about that, but wilfully ignorant and spreading ignorance.

    You could try reading about the g-factor, but you'd probably just call 100 years of intelligence testing biased towards finding one answer for reasons of personal and intellectual arrogance and whatever.

    Perhaps the fact that IQ is still in use despite 100 years of equalists attacking it with every justification they can think of should give you pause, but you'll probably just take it as evidence of the white supremacist patriarchial conspiracy.

  81. blind people must be stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sure so it means that partially or fully blind people must have lower IQs right?

    Coming from a partially blind person with an IQ score over 120.

  82. Whuut? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Goway, batin!

  83. iQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    iQ ? Is this some new apple product? If so where do I stand in line to get one?

  84. Tried it with my cat by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 1

    It just slept on. Dumb animal. Now excuse me, I got to clean its poop box and go out and work a boring job to earn money so i can by food for my cat and provide for its healthcare so it can live a long live, in human years well into its hundreds while I will be lucky if I reach sixty.

    Stupid cat.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  85. No suprise there. by AJWM · · Score: 2

    Most questions on a "classic intelligence test" (Stanford-Binet, Wechsler, etc) are ultimately pattern-recognition tests, albeit some classes of question (eg the verbal ones) require prior knowledge too. E.g., in the Wechsler tests, the "Perceptual Reasoning", "Working Memory" and "Processing Speed" subtests all include (or benefit from) some pattern extraction/recognition skill, only the "Verbal Comprehension" does not. Whether those tests actually measure those things, let alone "intelligence", is another question entirely. But if there's something in the brain's hardware or firmware that assists that visual processing, chances are it assists in the above tests too. (And yes, I recognize that with visual processing there's also a bunch that gets done in the hardware before the information ever gets to the higher levels.)

    Although as the saying goes, IQ is that thing which is measured by IQ tests, and may or may not have any bearing on intelligence. From personal observation, it certainly has no correlation with common sense.

    --
    -- Alastair
  86. infinitely smarter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I do not think that word means what you think it means.

  87. IQ is bullshit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So lemme get this straight:

    1. Someone has what they purport to be a faster way of measuring IQ than traditional testing.
    2. IQ is pretty much universally recognized today as a poor measurement of intelligence.

    So I should care why?

  88. Women reduce your IQ by Optali · · Score: 1

    Just try filling out one of these silly IQ tests while your wife / GF.
    If you manage to get anything higher than 40 you are superhuman (or she just shut up for a minutes, being the probabilities for that infinitesimal)

    --
    -- 29A the number of the Beast
  89. F1 Doc by wibblewibble · · Score: 1

    I remember seeing (ha!) an interview with neurosurgeon Sid Watkins, who was the head of the Formula One on-track medical team. He was saying how F1 drivers were invariably very intelligent people, and they could process more visual information, and at a much higher rate, compared to average drivers. Seems to tie in with the findings of this study.

  90. Non-Naming Sensory Meditation Exception by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Meditation that experiences all sensory input without naming is RICH, and I doubt that it represents low IQ, and I expect that it widens perceptual skills.

  91. 100%^ idiotic = missing the point by lpq · · Score: 1

    Please understand the difference between *correlation* and equivalence.

    If you can't tune out the noise in the summary and see that scientists have found [another*] correlation between high IQ "skills", and some more basic biological function, then you are showing that you couldn't filter, and as a result end up wasting time arguing against a point that doesn't exist in the original article.

    **another -- nearly 20 years ago scientists measured something similar with how fast brain signals traveled. They exposed people to a light flash and measured how fast the signal propagated through the brain. It, also, showed a correlation between speed of signal travel in the brain and IQ.

    To put it another way. Suppose you have a computer that uses Dynamic memory (needs to be refreshed every 'n' cycles, or the data fades). It also has a permanent store, but that's slower memory and used for long-term storage. "Thinking" occurs almost exclusively with stuff that is in the Dynamic memory. The more 'operations' you can perform on Dynamic memory before it needs to be refreshed, the more complex problems you can handle. It's that simple. You can't solve problems if you can't remember the starting point by the time you get to the end point, or you end up asking "what was the question, again?"

    If you can't hold the whole problem set in memory and keep it actively stimulated so you can think about the whole problem at once, you can't *easily* see the whole picture and have a "ahHA!" or "light-buld-turns-on" experience regarding the whole.

    So, overall, people who can wade through the noise and find the patterns in a mess of input are the ones most likely to come up with what might be a new solution to a problem set.

    Doesn't mean that others can't or won't -- but it will take longer, and, statistically it will be less likely.

    I think IQ measures potential in that way. Says nothing about whether or not they will use it or have the information needed to make the connections or have the "desire" or "will" to give a task sufficient attention to solve anything. Someone of less IQ-"gifted-ness" may, out of sheer stubbornness or desire, or will can certainly be more creative and invent more solutions to problems.

    I can't say for sure, but I think Edison was more the latter kind -- especially given his saying 'genius is 1%inspiration and 99%perspiration'... and he was a prodigious inventor (who (with a bit of hyperbole) sounds like he was saying he had about 10-30 failures for every 1 success...

    Vs. Einstein, who could see a larger picture in a new way than most... but isn't known for inventing nearly so many things.

    Einstein was likely much higher IQ than Edison... But would would we really have preferred to only have 1 of those 2 types of person?

  92. what are you, blind or stupid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The researchers point out that this vision test could remove some of the limitations associated with standard IQ tests, which have been criticized for cultural bias.'"
    tough titty for blind folks, though.

  93. plus ca change by gzuckier · · Score: 1

    "[Sir Francis Galton] developed mental tests that were a series of objective measurements of such sensory abilities as keenness of sight, color discrimination, and pitch discrimination; ... Galton's (1869, 1883) theory of intelligence was simplistic; People take in information through their senses, so those with better developed senses ought to be more intelligent."
    - IQ Testing 101, Alan S. Kaufman, p.19

    --
    Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
  94. Audio or Video preference -- Depends on Race! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The IQ is the ability to differentiate. It's great validation for visual ability to filter out noise, but that's just one sense. I've read somewhere that the visual IQ depends on race -- asians having visual preference (not surprising, looking at the asian cities, advertisements there, and even the appearance of Japanese/Chinese websites), and blacks having audio preference, whereas europeans being somwhere in between. So, still not unbiased!

  95. IQ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If IQ tests were culturally biased towards whites, which is what i usually argued, then asians wouldn't score higher than whites on IQ tests. But that's not the case. Southeast Asians score an average of 5 points higher than whites on IQ tests. The IQ test is a rough yet adequate measure of intelligence and IQ test scores are positively correlated with success. The fact that IQ scores have been shown to be hereditary in twin studies shows that IQ is at least measuring some kind of cognitive ability. People who are doing well in cognitively demanding careers (doctors, lawyers, business executives, engineers, scientists, etc.) have much higher than average IQ scores. This visual test is never going to catch on because it is likely very imprecise as it is not measuring intelligence as directly as IQ tests do.

  96. Re:Nice! Shows that IQ is quite limited. No surpri by s.petry · · Score: 0

    How did my examples suggest "social success" over personal success? If a person can not work with others, they become limited. Sorry, but the smartest person on the planet still needs interaction to become a success. It could be gathering additional knowledge, it could be publication of data, it could be error checking, or numerous other examples.

    The person that is duped into wasting time did not succeed either did they? No, they were duped into wasting time. Someone may have told them that a particular piece of knowledge was important when it was not, and the high IQ person failed to do anything except for travel down a bad path. Your example of TV does not change my point at all.

    You didn't disprove any of my arguments, you gave some weak examples to claim I'm incorrect. I believe that why do you suppose that you cannot succeed alone ? In my experience, the best success is achieved alone, since you deserve all the credit has the most to do with your view. That statement shows that you are biased, and wrong.

    Can I demonstrate that you are wrong? Absolutely, read a history book. Everyone from Socrates to Hawking has collaborated and communicated ideas. Einstein had some great ideas, but it was through collaboration that he was able to validate and refine his thoughts. Sitting in a box thinking "I'm the smartest person in the world" would have made each of them failures. I have worked with quite a few people that sit in a box thinking that way, and everything they touch turns to shit.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  97. Re:Nice! Shows that IQ is quite limited. No surpri by eulernet · · Score: 1

    You define success as something external to yourself.

    For me, success is something internal, not external.
    Your model of success is based upon celebrity, which is not a good evaluator of success.

  98. Re:Nice! Shows that IQ is quite limited. No surpri by s.petry · · Score: 1

    No it's not based upon being a celebrity. Einstein and Socrates are hardly celebrities "just because" or because of superficial reasons at you are trying to imply. They both helped society in ways we have difficulty defining, they advanced science tremendously, and obviously understood that their work was a personal success.

    Your bias of course makes you believe that you must be correct and everyone else in the world is wrong. I believe that this is the definition of delusional.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  99. I must be retarded or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just defocusing your eyes will change how you perceive movement regardless of your IQ, therefore the test is seriously flawed as they did not measure that variable.

  100. Re:Similar results = similar bias (or lack thereof by Savantissimo · · Score: 1

    Using just the difference between two very simple perceptual tests to get similar results to other IQ tests would imply that the classic tests are not significantly biased in any factor more complex than used in the simple perceptual tests, which effectively means not biased at all. The correlation of the perceptual test with a long-form IQ test was 0.71, which is at or above the typical correlations of different major IQ tests with each other. It seems like the measuring methodology could be improved to eliminate the meaningless peripheral nervous propagation speed (would likely need EEG/EMG), or the almost meaningless non-choice reaction time (which can be done by just subtracting out the minimum repeated non-choice reaction time from pre-tests.)

    If they can be improved even slightly, then perceptual tests would be the gold standard for IQ measurements, and even as it is now will be much cheaper and more convenient than traditional tests while being just as accurate for anybody with reasonably good vision and no confounding neurological diseases such as MS.

    --
    "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" - Patrick Henry
  101. Re:data range IQ 150 by Savantissimo · · Score: 1

    The standard deviation for IQ tests is 15, not 10. While the tests become less reliable at a rate proportional to the rarity of the score, nearly all the inaccuracy is in underestimating IQ, and this is a problem with the specific tests, not the concept of general intelligence. If someone has a score of 150IQ, they are nearly certainly that smart. If they have tested twice at that level, they are almost certainly substantially above 150IQ. Due to the 0.65-0.7 correlation of the tests, getting a second 1 in 1000 score on a different IQ test with just a 150 "real" IQ and 1 prior 150 IQ score will only happen about 15% of the time.

    The IQ scale compresses vast differences in ability into the highest scores. There is literally more variation in the top 1% than in the 1st-99th percentiles. Nearly all the ideas that really change things come from that top 1%. No number of merely bright 120IQ people can take the place of one person with 160IQ for really hard new thoughts.

    --
    "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" - Patrick Henry