IQ: Refuting Popular Myths

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IQ Refuting Popular Myths
Michael Hoerger
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Introduction

• Intelligence (IQ) ones overall cognitive
  ability, including knowledge, memory, mental
  quickness, and problem solving
• Standardized IQ Tests
• Vocabulary, arithmetic, pattern completion,
  puzzles, information, memorizing numbers
• Most cognitive tasks provide a rough measure of
  intelligence ACT, SAT, GRE, exams, papers,
  social problem solving

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Intelligence Doesnt Exist?

• Theres no such thing as intelligence. Its just
  used to label people as smart or dumb, and these
  labels are meaningless. The ACTs are worthless,
  and colleges should stop using them.

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Sorry, Mr. Hippie

• Intelligence is a valid construct (concept)
• Validity any construct, such as intelligence, is
  valid if it predicts relevant outcomes
• Intelligence tests predict
• Occupational status - Pronunciation
• Success at work - Mental math
• College grades - Criminality
• Emotional Adaptation - Learning speed

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• In a few hours, most psychology students could
  design a simple intelligence test that would
  predict college grades (r .50)
• Intelligence tests correlate r .30 to .90 with
  scores on any cognitive task (r .75 on average)
• Larger correlations than any other area of
  psychology

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Multiple Intelligences?

• Everyone has different abilities. Someone can be
  bad at one type of task and good at something
  else. There are many types of intelligence, and
  most people are good at something.

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Sorry, Dr. Sternberg

• Sternberg (3), Gardner (8), Guilford (150)
• Not supported by research
• General mental ability (g) All of the different
  types of intelligence are so highly correlated,
  they are considered to measure the same thing
• Smart people do well on most tasks
• In rare instances, it may be useful to examine
  fluid vs. crystallized intelligence

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IQ is Entirely Heritable?

• Intelligence is solely the product of good
  genes, and those that fail to succeed in society
  are genetically inferior

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Sorry, Mr. Murray

• Like most traits, intelligence is strongly
  influenced by both genes and environment
• Children family environment matters most
• Adults genes play a bigger role, as people
  choose environments that maximize their genetic
  potential
• Teratogens, malnutrition, poorly funded schools,
  and racism may have huge effects

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Racist IQ Tests?

• Psychologists are racists. IQ tests are just
  used to discriminate against minorities, who
  score lower on these tests. Psychologists should
  be ashamed.

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Sorry, Ms. Grace

• African Americans score 10 point less
• Unscrupulous/ignorant psychologists have
  occasionally used this to say that minorities are
  inherently inferior
• BUT we know IQ is not entirely genetic
• Lower IQ scores are likely a result of
  discrimination in education (bad schools)
• IQ tests just show that we need to level the
  educational playing field

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Its Unchangeable?

• Intelligence is genetic and therefore
  unchangeable. The smart will always be on top,
  and the slow will always be in their way.

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Sorry, Mr. Herrnstein

• Intelligence is a relatively stable trait, but
  change is possible
• Verbal or crystallized intelligence is based
  on knowledge of information
• Flynn effect IQ increases each generation
• IQ shifts when people enter adulthood
• IQ changes reliably with age

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Crystallized
Fluid


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IQ is Not Important?

• Who cares about IQ? Success depends more on
  personality, motivation, hard work, paying
  attention, and who you know

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Sorry, Ms. Coulter

• IQ is the best predictor
• Motivation and personality are important too
• But its hard to measure motivation, and
  personality measures are easy to fake
• Generally, IQ tests are incredibly useful
• Choosing employees or students
• Helping people who are having academic problems
  too smart, too slow, learning disorder

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• Michael Hoerger
• To cite this lecture
• Hoerger, M. (2007, April 9). Intelligence (IQ)
  and Development. Presented at a PSY 220 lecture
  at Central Michigan University.