Gary Scherling said in Intelligence and LO LO9229
>> Cherry talked about IQ. There's an interesting theory about IQ I'll
share. If we are only using about 1% of our brain power, and IQ is an
accurate measure, can we exercise our brain, through mental
exercises, to improve IQ? Traditionally the answer would be no! IQ
is an absolute measure. >>
To a degree I agree. But IQ is an awfully funny measure. Yes it is absolute,
in that you get points for this and points for that. BUT, if I take the exact
same test more than once, my Intelligence Quotient will rise. Now while some
might say this is a miracle, I'll say that it might be due to a bit of
practice.
And what of out Idiot Savant friends who are extraordinarily good on one thing
but test out quite poorly overall. And how about all the stupid folk who have
made it rich and all the smart folk who can't keep a job. So methings that
this IQ thing is but one-measure of complex human thinking and behavior. And
maybe not the best one at that, for it fails to take in any framework for
motivation and vision. Practice and repetition will improve one's "IQ Score."
(Been there, done that. Guess I took the old Stanford Binet test a half
dozen times in grad school -- and I'm now a Very Bright Guy based on the
test!!)
When I prepared for the old SAT (for non-North Americans, a standardized test
given to college-aspiring folks and often to whole populations of students to
rate their academic learning), I took a course, Preparing For The SAT. This
appropriately-named course met once a week at the YMCA and reviewed words,
practiced test taking and the like. I done good - 726 Math and 586 verbal:
over 1300! making me a candidate for admission to some of our better colleges
of knowledges.
But without practice the next year, I scored almost 200 points LESS. After
more schoolin', no foolin', too. And this was long before I wasted my mind on
mind altering drugs, feckless women, and an undergraduate education. (BTW, my
wife says I continue to decline in basic abilities, but I'm not sure what she
really means! ;-) ). But not being a really stupid boy, I also didn't send
those revised scores to some of the colleges to which I was applying.
Anyway, this performance / IQ thing has always been a complicated thing for
me. Much like the personality inventories -- depending on my state of mind
and focus at that time, I score differently each time. AND, I can consciously
influence the scores to some degree. Hope this adds a bit of humor as well as
some perspective to this ongoing discussion.
May we live in interesting times, and mostly
For the Fun of It!
--Scott Simmerman Performance Management Company, 3 Old Oak Drive, Taylors SC USA 29687-6624 74170.1061@compuserve.com
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