IQtest - seminar essay about intelligence PDF

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What do IQ tests scores tell us?

Intelligence is an ability varying across individuals that plays a crucial role in our lives, as only with it can we reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, reflect on experience, and learn efficiently (Cottfredson, 2000). People with higher intelligence then appear to be more competent, and that then prompt numerous attempts in psychology to measure intelligence, so as to examine the individual differences in intelligence. The most prominent and well-known measure is then probably IQ (i.e., intelligence quotient [Stern, 1914]) tests, but do they really measure intelligence? What exactly do they tell us? One of the earliest intelligence tests to use the concept of IQ and compute a score for intelligence is probably the famous Binet-Simon scale, which tested cognitive abilities like reasoning, use of judgement, attention and memory to identify children with learning difficulties to put them into special schools in France (Binet & Simon, 1904). Such IQ test then informs us of how ‘intelligent’ you are relative to other students in academic aspects mainly, and its use may be limited to samples sharing similar cultural backgrounds. Nevertheless, this test is later revised and modified into the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales (Roid & Pomplun, 2012) that are commonly used nowadays. Another IQ test widely used these days include the Wechsler's IQ scales that measure both verbal (e.g., vocabulary, comprehension, arithmetic) and nonverbal abilities (e.g., object assembly) and can measure adult IQ (Wechsler, 1958; Wechsler & Kodama, 1949). This time, having stratified factors like sex, social class and nationality, the use of the Wechsler's IQ scales can then be extended to the general population, including adults. Based on the idea of Binet and Simon (1904), it is then expected that IQ tests should at least help predict academic performance. Empirical research has found that IQ test score is a good predictor of reading, written expression, math (Mayes, Calhoun, Bixler, &

2 Zimmerman, 2009) and Biology academic achievement (Tias, Istamar, Atmoko, & Corebima, 2015). Apart from correlational studies that show a positive relationship between IQ test scores and scholastic performance (Springsteen, 1940), a causal effect of IQ on future academic achievement was also illustrated in an investigation by Watkins et al. (2007). Yet, the causal effect was only demonstrated in a sample of students receiving special education and the data were also not obtained by random selection. Therefore, the same effect cannot be generalized to dissimilar students. Nonetheless, a consistent positive correlation between the two is still found across multiple studies, so IQ tests can still more or less predict future academic achievement. Notably, the predictive power of IQ tests drops as pupils progress to higher academic levels (Jensen, 1980), perhaps because their IQ levels become more homogeneous when more intelligent students tend to pursue higher education. Furthermore, there seem to be other factors outdoing IQ test scores in predicting academic performance. For instance, selfdiscipline accounted for more than twice as much variance as IQ in final grades and predicted admission to a competitive high school (Duckworth & Seligman, 2005). Hence, it would be problematic to think that IQ test scores determine and guarantee future scholiastic performance. Then would they perhaps be better in predicting work performance? Several scholars have advocated that employers should hire people based on intelligence (Schmidt & Hunter, 2000), as they believe that those who are more intelligent (as indicated by higher IQ scores) can learn job-relevant knowledge faster and better, and thus have better job performance (Hunter, 1986). However, after Hartingan and Wigdor (1989) conducted a meta-analysis of studies looking at the relationship between job performance and scores in an IQ test, they found that the correlations were generally very low and modest across various job families (Hartigan & Wigdor, 1989). Similar findings were obtained by other studies (Ghiselli, 1973).

3 Although Schmidt and Hunter (1977) have found an stronger correlation after correction for measurement error, the correction also increases standard error, not to mention that the low correlations may reflect the reality instead of resulting from measurement error as the researchers thought. Scholars should then remain cautious when interpreting the findings. IQ test scores are then definitely not an absolute determinant of our future academic and career success, but rather at best, indicate a linkage only. Furthermore, conventional IQ tests also do not measure other abilities like emotional intelligence (including interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence), which might be more important than IQ (Goleman, 2012), especially when it was found that emotional intelligence can compensate for low IQ in performing tasks correctly at work (Cote & Miners, 2006). This then comes to the question of how intelligence is defined, and what aptitudes, skills, and talents it encompasses. Unfortunately, that remains a debate as people cannot come to a consensus on whether there is only one overall intelligence or there are multiple intelligences (Gardner, 2000). Furthermore, intelligence is conceived differently across various cultures and ethnic groups, and different people also have diverse opinions regarding which ability is the most important (Sternberg & Grigorenko, 2004). It is then perhaps unwise to measure intelligence across cultures simply by translating mainstream western IQ tests, which could include culture-specific questions and create inaccurate results, that would be unhelpful in generating any conclusions regarding a person’s cognitive ability. Hence, without a clear definition of intelligence, it is then also unreasonable to think that an IQ test can fully explain intelligence, as different researchers can have different understandings. That said, it is perhaps better to say that IQ test scores reflect people’s cognitive functioning level when they attempt the test, rather than telling us the full picture of intelligence. To sum up, IQ tests should be considered as cognitive tests that are generally useful in testing a person’s mental problem-solving skills and logical reasoning. As Binet and Simon

4 (1904) first intended, IQ tests help indicate what type of educational setting is best suited for a child to learn in (e.g., children with profoundly low IQ test scores may not be best served in a regular classroom and should be given extra help), and act as a reference point in predicting future academic and job performance. Despite that, IQ test scores are not determinants of future success, as there are other important factors like self-discipline and emotional intelligence that matter but are often neglected by such tests. More importantly, they should not be considered equivalent to intelligence, as intelligence has multiple definitions across cultures, ethnic groups, researchers and individuals. So, different IQ tests may be reflecting different abilities based on the understandings of different psychologists, and the scores should be interpreted with caution.

5 References Binet, A., & Simon, T. (1904). Méthodes nouvelles pour le diagnostic du niveau intellectuel des anormaux. L'année Psychologique, 11(1), 191-244. Cote, S., & Miners, C. T. (2006). Emotional intelligence, cognitive intelligence, and job performance. Administrative science quarterly, 51(1), 1-28. Duckworth, A. L., & Seligman, M. E. (2005). Self-discipline outdoes IQ in predicting academic performance of adolescents. Psychological science, 16(12), 939-944. Gardner, H. E. (2000). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. Hachette UK. Ghiselli, E. E. (1973). The validity of aptitude tests in personnel selection. personnel psychology. Goleman, D. (2012). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam. Gottfredson, L. S. (2000). Pretending that intelligence doesn’t matter. Cerebrum, 2(3), 75-96. Hartigan, J. A., & Wigdor, A. K. (1989). Fairness in employment testing: Validity generalization, minority issues, and the General Aptitude Test Battery. National Academy Press. Hunter, J. E. (1986). Cognitive ability, cognitive aptitudes, job knowledge, and job performance. Journal of vocational behavior, 29(3), 340-362. Jensen, A. R. (1980). Bias in mental testing. Mayes, S. D., Calhoun, S. L., Bixler, E. O., & Zimmerman, D. N. (2009). IQ and neuropsychological predictors of academic achievement. Learning and Individual Differences, 19(2), 238-241. Roid, G. H., & Pomplun, M. (2012). The stanford-binet intelligence scales. The Guilford Press. Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1977). Development of a general solution to the problem of

6 validity generalization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 62(5), 529. Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (2000). Select on intelligence. Handbook of principles of organizational behavior, 3-14. Springsteen, T. (1940). A Wyoming state training school survey on emotional stability, intelligence, and academic achievement. Journal of Exceptional Children, 7(2), 5473. Stern, W. (1914). Psychologie der frühen Kindheit: bis zum sechsten Lebensjahre. Quelle & Meyer. Sternberg, R. J., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2004). Intelligence and culture: how culture shapes what intelligence means, and the implications for a science of well– being. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 359(1449), 1427-1434. Tias, P. A., Istamar, S., Atmoko, A., & Corebima, A. D. (2015). The contribution of intelligence quotient (IQ) on biology academic achievement of senior high school students in Medan, Indonesia. International Journal of Educational Policy Research and Review, 2(10), 141-147. Watkins, M. W., Lei, P. W., & Canivez, G. L. (2007). Psychometric intelligence and achievement: A cross-lagged panel analysis. Intelligence, 35(1), 59-68. Wechsler, D. (1958). The measurement and appraisal of adult intelligence. Wechsler, D., & Kodama, H. (1949). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (Vol. 1). New York: Psychological corporation....