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Recent research across various specialisations just indicates that being good at mensa tests largely only correlates to being good at mensa tests.

by weego 6y ago

david-gpu 6y ago
Sources, please. Peer-reviewed, if possible. Mensa is an association of moderately high-IQ people, and IQ correlates positively [0] with education and income, among other things. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient#Social_correlations https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient#Social...
- new2628 6y ago
  It correlates with education, income, etc. because it serves basically as a literacy test. (As in, very low IQ means you fail at most measurable things.) Once you condition on IQ>110, the correlation disappears.
  - rodonn 6y ago
    Do you have a source for this claim? Here are two survey articles with a lot of evidence about all the different outcomes that are strongly correlated with IQ. https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/2015-strenze.pdf https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/2015-strenze.pdf https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/2007-strenze.pdf https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/2007-strenze.pdf Specifically, when looking at people with IQ above 110, it seems like the correlations are still there at least for PhD level science. Most fields have average IQs above 130: http://www.religjournal.com/pdf/ijrr10001.pdf http://www.religjournal.com/pdf/ijrr10001.pdf One thing I didn't know initially is that IQ tests are normalized so the mean is 100 and the standard deviation is 10. If we assume IQ is normally distributed (not exactly true, but roughly accurate), then IQ of 110 puts you in the top 33% of the population. IQ of 130 puts you in the top 0.3%.
    - remote_phone 6y ago
      > One thing I didn't know initially is that IQ tests are normalized so the mean is 100 and the standard deviation is 10. No, the standard deviation is 15 IQ points, not 10. 130 puts you in the top 2%. I know this because my kid scored in the < 0.02%. On the other hand, IQ tests are highly correlated to how much you prepare for them, which is why rich families score higher. There was a tutor on Reddit for private schools admissions who said she had never had a student who didn’t surpass the entrance qualifications for a standardized test. It’s very easily gameable.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
  - AgentMatt 6y ago
    Interesting! Can you point to have any sources for that?
- remote_phone 6y ago
  Anyone considered “profoundly gifted”, ie IQ over 145, would shudder at the idea of being associated with Mensa. It’s basically an organization for moderately intelligent people with self-esteem issues who like to think they are rare geniuses.
  - c3534l 6y ago
    That sounds like the exact same personality issue, but with the added flaw that they're too smart even for those Mensa plebs.
    - remote_phone 6y ago
      Most profoundly gifted people don’t want to be “outed” as profoundly gifted because they have been bullied or ostracized for much of their lives because of it. There’s a reason why very high IQ scores don’t correlate to very high success. High IQ is nothing except a certificate you can hang on your wall to brag, hard work is what gets you success.
  - mcguire 6y ago
    "Top 2%" (iq over 130) is "moderately intelligent"? Guess the rest of us are potted plants.
    - remote_phone 6y ago
      Many more than 2% can achieve a 130 IQ score by preparing for the questions and taking sample tests. Many people do that, especially when IQ tests are requirements for entrance exams for private schools. I’ve seen this first hand from the cohort of children at my kids’ schools.
      - mcguire 6y ago
        "Much more than 2% can achieve a 130 IQ score by preparing for the questions and taking sample tests." Somebody better tell the "IQ measures innate intelligence" people.

Recent research across various specialisations just indicates that being good at mensa tests largely only correlates to being good at mensa tests.

by weego 6y ago

Recent research across various specialisations just indicates that being good at mensa tests largely only correlates to being good at mensa tests.

david-gpu 6y ago

Sources, please. Peer-reviewed, if possible. Mensa is an association of moderately high-IQ people, and IQ correlates positively [0] with education and income, among other things. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient#Social_correlations https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient#Social...

new2628 6y ago
It correlates with education, income, etc. because it serves basically as a literacy test. (As in, very low IQ means you fail at most measurable things.) Once you condition on IQ>110, the correlation disappears.
- rodonn 6y ago
  Do you have a source for this claim? Here are two survey articles with a lot of evidence about all the different outcomes that are strongly correlated with IQ. https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/2015-strenze.pdf https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/2015-strenze.pdf https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/2007-strenze.pdf https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/2007-strenze.pdf Specifically, when looking at people with IQ above 110, it seems like the correlations are still there at least for PhD level science. Most fields have average IQs above 130: http://www.religjournal.com/pdf/ijrr10001.pdf http://www.religjournal.com/pdf/ijrr10001.pdf One thing I didn't know initially is that IQ tests are normalized so the mean is 100 and the standard deviation is 10. If we assume IQ is normally distributed (not exactly true, but roughly accurate), then IQ of 110 puts you in the top 33% of the population. IQ of 130 puts you in the top 0.3%.
  - remote_phone 6y ago
    > One thing I didn't know initially is that IQ tests are normalized so the mean is 100 and the standard deviation is 10. No, the standard deviation is 15 IQ points, not 10. 130 puts you in the top 2%. I know this because my kid scored in the < 0.02%. On the other hand, IQ tests are highly correlated to how much you prepare for them, which is why rich families score higher. There was a tutor on Reddit for private schools admissions who said she had never had a student who didn’t surpass the entrance qualifications for a standardized test. It’s very easily gameable.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- AgentMatt 6y ago
  Interesting! Can you point to have any sources for that?
remote_phone 6y ago
Anyone considered “profoundly gifted”, ie IQ over 145, would shudder at the idea of being associated with Mensa. It’s basically an organization for moderately intelligent people with self-esteem issues who like to think they are rare geniuses.
- c3534l 6y ago
  That sounds like the exact same personality issue, but with the added flaw that they're too smart even for those Mensa plebs.
  - remote_phone 6y ago
    Most profoundly gifted people don’t want to be “outed” as profoundly gifted because they have been bullied or ostracized for much of their lives because of it. There’s a reason why very high IQ scores don’t correlate to very high success. High IQ is nothing except a certificate you can hang on your wall to brag, hard work is what gets you success.
- mcguire 6y ago
  "Top 2%" (iq over 130) is "moderately intelligent"? Guess the rest of us are potted plants.
  - remote_phone 6y ago
    Many more than 2% can achieve a 130 IQ score by preparing for the questions and taking sample tests. Many people do that, especially when IQ tests are requirements for entrance exams for private schools. I’ve seen this first hand from the cohort of children at my kids’ schools.
    - mcguire 6y ago
      "Much more than 2% can achieve a 130 IQ score by preparing for the questions and taking sample tests." Somebody better tell the "IQ measures innate intelligence" people.