Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site peora.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!houxm!vax135!petsd!peora!jer
From: jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: Intelligence
Message-ID: <1074@peora.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 16-Jun-85 21:49:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: peora.1074
Posted: Sun Jun 16 21:49:12 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Jun-85 04:27:40 EDT
References: <456@ttidcc.UUCP> <457@ttidcc.UUCP> <1586@hao.UUCP> <238@rti-sel.UUCP> <2545@randvax.UUCP>
Organization: Perkin-Elmer SDC, Orlando, Fl.
Lines: 46
Keywords: intelligence dating

> It's been pointed out before, but it bears re-stating: what an IQ test
> measures is but a tiny fraction of a person's intellectual ability--
> and sometimes isn't measuring intellect at all, but rather cultural
> awareness (white middle-class culture, of course).

My goodness.  Seems like I saw this in a "Diff'rent Strokes" episode.

Now, how does a question like:

	Identify the next number in this series.

	2  1  4  5  6 11  8

measure "cultural awareness"?

Or do you mean questions like

	Which of the following words is most nearly opposite "jibe"?

	1) deceive  2) tack  3) mismatch  4) flounder

I can believe the latter, but not the former.  Eventhough one of the
culturally probable answers is still wrong ...

But you know... one thing has always bothered me about these intelligence
tests.  Sometimes, in the questions that say "find the next in the series,"
you can find another way of validly determining the next in the series,
besides the one the writer of the question intended.  This is especially
true of the graphical examples (which show various geometric shapes shaded
in different ways, etc.).  Since these are "harder to find" (the writer of
the question maybe never realized they were there), couldn't getting the
"wrong" answer indicate higher "intelligence" than getting the right answer?

[I know this has little to do with "singles"... sorry.]

PS - try it yourself!  The "correct" answer to question 1 is 19... can you
find another correct one?  (No, don't post it!!!)

"I came here on account of it was cold."
-- 
Full-Name:  J. Eric Roskos
UUCP:       ..!{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!vax135!petsd!peora!jer
US Mail:    MS 795; Perkin-Elmer SDC;
	    2486 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32809-7642

	   "Gnyx gb gur fhayvtug, pnyyre..."