Little Known Facts About IQ Tests
Based on the late 1800s research of Paul Broca and Sir Francis Galton, German psychologist William Stern came up with the idea of creating a test that could identify mental retardation in children. Over the years the tests have weathered much controversy but today people take both paid and free IQ tests to measure abstract reasoning, mental agility and ability.
IQ tests are no longer seen as the ultimate test of a person’s ability to reason, learn new skills and information and perform in scholastic and work settings. But they do provide information that you can use to understand yourself and your abilities a little better.
Sloto Cash Casino invites you into the world of IQ testing so you can explore how such a test might impact on your career goals, your relationships or your leisure activities.
Early Days
Paul Broca (1824-1880) and Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) were among the first scientists to consider the implications of what it might mean to be able to measure intelligence. They set out to measure human skulls, reasoning that the larger the skull, the larger the brain and therefore, the smarter the person. This was followed by William Stern’s work in which he proposed that an individual’s intelligence quotient (IQ) could be measured using a formula that would be assessed by a test.
A test devised by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon was created to distinguish mentally retarded children from intelligently-typical children and that IQ test came to be widely accepted in Europe and in America. The Simon-Binet test consists of multiple components including naming objects, rhyming words and reasoning in a logical manner.
The test was scored by multiplying the child’s age x 100. If the score was within the “norm”, the child was within normal range. If the score was more than the norm, the child was of superior intelligence and if the score was less than the norm, the child was lagging mentally.
Today’s IQ tests are different than the ones from the early 1900s. Todays tests focus on memory, language abilities, mathematical skills, spatial perception, problem-solving, relationships and comprehension. These elements are important components of intelligence and, as such, are the focus of today’s most widely-used IQ tests.
Types of IQ Tests
Some of the different types of tests include:
- Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
- Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children
- Cognitive Assessment System
- Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities
- Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test
- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
- Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Uses
The IQ tests are used for many different purposes. For students they can help professionals assess and place the student in the right setting or diagnose intellectual disability. IQ tests are also used by human resources to evaluate potential employees. Researchers often administer IQ tests when doing cognitive research.
In an article for Current Biology, D. Bavelier and C.S. Green collected data provided by researchers to conclude that playing action video games enhances attentional control. Their paper, titled Learning, Attentional Control and Action Video Games determined that gamers track independently moving objects better and faster than non-gamers, focus their attention on specific entities or objects for longer periods of time, have faster response time than that of non-gamers and rely on prediction rather over reaction.
Additionally, gamers were found to retain memory longer and more accurately, are more sensitive to visual cues, have faster reaction times and exhibit improved hand-eye coordination. There are indications that playing online games increases brain functions among older adults and may even protect against Alzheimers and other forms of dementia.
One study even suggests that playing games trains the brain to be more flexible in monitoring and updating new data.
Other benefits of playing video games include:
- Enhances problem-solving
- Enhances creativity
- Improves communication skills
An IQ test assesses an individual’s cognitive abilities. It scores are intended to serve as a measure of an individual's intellectual potentials and abilities. While many IQ tests are standardized with the scores determined with a comparison of individual performance against the norms, IQ tests differ from one another and scoring methods differ from one test to another.
Your IQ can have an impact on different areas of your life including school and work. High scores are often associated with higher achievement in school, while lower scores may be linked to some form of intellectual disability.
The various tests present scores differently but in general, a score of 130 and over indicates superior intellectual ability and anything below 69 indicates intellectual disability. Other classifications designate various levels in-between.
Controversy
Almost since its inception, the IQ test has been controversial. Some critics claim that its design discriminates against disabled individuals and minority groups by failing to take people’s backgrounds and previous experiences into account.
For example, asking children to pair a teacup and a saucer would make no sense to a child who has never seen a saucer. Or identifying a child as intellectually disabled doesn’t take into account the effect that various therapies and educational strategies might have on increasing his/her potential to learn.
The eugenicist movements – those who promote the idea that some races are more intelligent than others – have often used IQ testing to validate their racist philosophies.
Finally, after much research, it’s clear that there are many factors that influence IQ. Scores can change over time if external elements such as education, access to medical care, nutrition and environment are enriched.
IQ Tests and Gaming
The increase in online casino gaming, video gaming and other types of gaming activities have raised the question of whether playing such games can increase intelligence. The field of research is still in its infancy but some studies seem to point to the increase in cognition of playing online games.
Researchers have been collecting data that indicates that playing computer games increases your attention span, improves problem-solving in competitive environments and improves memory, learning and decision making skills.
Does Online Gaming Increase IQ?
Correlations have been identified between high intelligence and skills at popular video games. It’s not clear that the games actually boost IQ but it seems clear that gaming can positively affect various aspects of cognition.
