Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!lll-tis!ames!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att-cb!att-ih!ihnp4!ihlpa!humbert
From: humbert@ihlpa.ATT.COM (Schachter)
Newsgroups: sci.psychology
Subject: Re: High I.Q., etc.
Message-ID: <7599@ihlpa.ATT.COM>
Date: 7 Apr 88 17:33:01 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois
Lines: 53
Summary: Where is DENSA?

This is an interesting newsgroup, in a way.  I read sci.math, and my
impression there is that many professors and graduate students in mathematics
contribute to the newsgroup.  The amateurs who contribute seem to be
seriously curious about some problem, and mostly they ask questions rather
than answer them.  (My impression may be laughably inaccurate, but that is
my impression.  It can certainly stand being corrected by a true professional).

So when sci.psychology was recently formed, I expected to find a newsgroup
controlled largely by professors and graduate students in psychology.  Because
of the 'sci' qualifier, I expected something like what the Monitor or the
American Psychologist would be if we could eliminate the two-thirds of the
APA membership who are clinicians, not scientists.  I also expected some
articules from seriously curious amateurs, literate, clear-thinking, and
moderately well-prepared, who are more interested in asking questions than in
answering them.

Apparently, however, there are more people who feel qualified to utter an
opinion in psychology, than who feel qualified to utter an opinion in
mathematics, or physics, or biology.  I guess people think something similar
to, "I have some valuable insights into human nature, because I'm a sensitive
and perceptive fellow, so why should I defer to someone who just runs rats
through mazes all day long?  My opinion is just a valid as his."

So I'm about to unsubscribe to this newsgroup (I hope none of you takes this
personally -- it was the other guy's articles), but I have a crucial question
to ask this newsgroup before I go.  You see, one of the many disappointing
discussions I have read in this newsgroup concerns I.Q. societies.  I have
learned about Mensa, Triple-Nines, Cincinnatus, and the Four-Sigma Society
(I had heard about Mensa before; I had never heard of any of the others).
This I.Q. discussion has unburied an old memory about a society called DENSA.
DENSA is a society for dense people, and I would very much like to join this
society.  Of course, I cannot be sure that I will qualify.  You have to take
a test to be admitted, just like Mensa.  I recall a sample question from the
DENSA qualifying examination:

	    6) What are the numbers from 1 to 10 and the letters
	       from A to F? (Hint: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A B C D E F)

My question, then, is: Where is DENSA?  Do any of you people know?  Please,
someone, send me their address or telephone number, so I can contact them and
arrange to be admitted into their society, and then I can carry around my
membership card with me, and also list it in my Curriculam Vita under
"Association Memberships".  Please send the information directly to me, because
it is unlikely that I will see it if you post it to sci.psychology (unless you
cross-post it to sci.math).  But feel free to start a netnews discussion about
it also, if you like.

I thank you all in advance.

					Jay Shachter

					...ihnp4!ihlpa!humbert

					humbert@ihlpa.att.com