GPA's accuracy reflecting intelligence.

[Reach]

Originally Posted by devonin

So if my level of intelligence and knowledge remain the same, as I age my IQ will lower. You acknowledge that this doesn't make you less intelligent, just changes the number on a page, but you still feel that any IQ test measures something useful or significant?

IQ doesn't change at all in most people. You simply switch from the Ratio to Deviation scale. What scale and what standard deviation always have to be specified when stating a score, or else it's meaningless because the scale is relative in nature. I could tell you my IQ is 3000 and tell the truth. I just haven't told you the standard deviation.

IQ tests do measure something useful because they are highly predictive of certain things. Regardless, it's good to keep in mind a prediction is a prediction and nothing absolute. You also have to take into account the test.

SImply having an exceptional (even perfect) memory doesn't make you intelligent. In fact, photographic memory is a fairly common facility of savants who lack many other skills, abilities and qualities we'd associate with intelligence.

Well, noone has ever empirically demonstrated photographic memory in humans is actually possible. If you replace that word with 'really good memory for certain things' though I agree completely.

Working memory, however, is very important. It is highly predictive of your ability.

It is known that the higher you score on an IQ test, you generally have proportionately lower social skills

Not true at all. Increases in IQ predict better social skills, better looks etc. Don't confuse popularity with social skills. It's natural for more intelligent people to not associate themselves with the average person but that doesn't mean they lack social skills.

An IQ test will not tell you how good your memory is, how good your social skills are, or how well you will learn.

The data says otherwise. Where are you getting this from? IQ tests are very predictive of how fast you will learn, how good your memory is and how good your social skills are.

. We still have so much to learn about the brain, and until we have discovered everything, or nearly everything about the brain's functions and how it works, we can never administer a test that will give a reliable score.

The scores we do give are fairly reliable, assuming you're using a powerful test, an appropriate test AND the score does not fall within a range that is affected by the ceiling or the floor. Generally peoples scores are given ranges. Let's try Relambrien. 156 ratio IQ would translate to approximately 140 SD 15. The score would usually be reported as an estimate, with a given range of 133-147. You could retest him throughout his whole life and you would expect given approximately 95% confidence (depends) he would score within that range every time.

How is that not reliable? I'm not claiming IQ testing is perfect because it isn't, but give some credit where it's due.

We should also clearly distinguish between professionally administered tests (and even then some are better than others) and online IQ tests. I know of less than half a dozen IQ tests on the internet that are even remotely close to valid, so if you've taken them don't make the mistake of assuming this is the real thing or that the test yields valid scores.


I'll address some more things here at another time.