3 ms·
> For reasons I don't fully understand, there's a lot of folks in the social sciences these day that seem to be waging war on the very concept that you can desc
by deeg 5y ago
> For reasons I don't fully understand, there's a lot of folks in the social sciences these day that seem to be waging war on the very concept that you can describe intelligence generally (and IQ tests specifically).
I think part of the issue is that it's very hard to measure intelligence accurately (whatever that means) across cultural divides. If you gave an American IQ test (e.g. an SAT) to Europeans, Asians, and Africans you'll likely get different results, not (necessarily) because of innate differences but because of educational/cultural backgrounds. Poverty levels can also change scores.
This makes it tricky to know what to do with these scores and we need to acknowledge that. This leads some to conclude that we should get rid of the notion of a measurable IQ altogether. That goes too far in my opinion but I understand their concern.
- blululu 5y agoUnclear if it is hard to measure intelligence or if we just don’t like the results. Of course poverty and education can change the results. This is only a problem with the tests if we know for a fact intelligence is independent of material circumstances. Nobody would be surprised that good nutrition and regular exercise make it possible for someone to run faster or lift heavier weights. Of course we as a society are also failing to provide the basics to large segments of the population, but getting rid of testing is a motivated effort to hide failures rather than try to improve. “Can’t get a fever if you don’t check temperatures…”
- NoImmatureAdHom 5y agoSome of the difference in scores will be driven by differences in g, some by differences in motivation, some by education, etc. There are tests that, controlling for motivation, do a pretty good job of getting around this (like Raven's progressive matrices, etc.) They don't even require language. I think you're on the right track, though. But the key sticking point is this: many people are very uncomfortable with the idea that there are differences in intelligence among people, both within and between populations. Unfortunately, that is undeniably true. And so we get this ridiculous, unproductive dance. Also, just as an aside, the latest evidence around the "poverty actually makes you literally stupider" claim is that it's not supported--studies aren't replicating. Which makes sense because the claim is prima facie crazy, but I digress...