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>Did you have an emotional response when you learned that you could only hold "7, plus or minus 2" things in your short-term working memory? Well, no - because

by marquis 14y ago

>Did you have an emotional response when you learned that you could only hold "7, plus or minus 2" things in your short-term working memory? Well, no - because I could use tools to extend that. And it's not about insecurity, as I'm quite comfortable with myself and my brain. I just don't see it as being a valuable reference. However, I know if I had a number I'd start comparison-shopping and I might feel either elated (if high) or depressed (if low). Is anyone here, if you have had an IQ test, honestly prepared to say that you didn't or wouldn't be curious about what that meant and that it wouldn't affect how you viewed yourself? I just don't need to know. I guess that for me, as long as there isn't a 'goal' or a 'fence', the sky's the limit.

mikeash 14y ago
You can extend your effective IQ using tools as well. I bet your IQ as tested while you have access to an internet-connected computer would be way higher than your IQ as tested on a closed-book test.
- esrauch 14y ago
  I doubt it, unless you could find a cheat sheet for the test you are taking. It's not like the test is asking about information, facts or calculations; what would you type in to Google to answer a question like this? http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/RavenMatrix.svg/220px-RavenMatrix.svg.png http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Rav...
  - mikeash 14y ago
    It's not like purely visual questions are the only ones you'll encounter. And the Internet has plenty to offer for your question too, you just have to involve some actual people.
    - nostrademons 14y ago
      IQ tests are timed. It's usually not worth it to look up any answer, because the time it takes you to do this would make you skip so many other questions that your score would take a massive hit. It's the same thing with the SAT (before they added the writing sections). It usually paid to just guess & move on if you faced a difficult question, because the time spent thinking about it would cost you so many other answers that you were better off just eating the penalty for getting it wrong. People who could actually complete the (old) SATs were at a strong advantage, as one of the most common failure modes was simply not being able to answer all the questions.

by marquis 14y ago

mikeash 14y ago

You can extend your effective IQ using tools as well. I bet your IQ as tested while you have access to an internet-connected computer would be way higher than your IQ as tested on a closed-book test.

esrauch 14y ago
I doubt it, unless you could find a cheat sheet for the test you are taking. It's not like the test is asking about information, facts or calculations; what would you type in to Google to answer a question like this? http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/RavenMatrix.svg/220px-RavenMatrix.svg.png http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Rav...
- mikeash 14y ago
  It's not like purely visual questions are the only ones you'll encounter. And the Internet has plenty to offer for your question too, you just have to involve some actual people.
  - nostrademons 14y ago
    IQ tests are timed. It's usually not worth it to look up any answer, because the time it takes you to do this would make you skip so many other questions that your score would take a massive hit. It's the same thing with the SAT (before they added the writing sections). It usually paid to just guess & move on if you faced a difficult question, because the time spent thinking about it would cost you so many other answers that you were better off just eating the penalty for getting it wrong. People who could actually complete the (old) SATs were at a strong advantage, as one of the most common failure modes was simply not being able to answer all the questions.