| Q. Can you really tell anything about someone\'s | | | | determining the MA:CA ratio of any person at any |
| intelligence by having them take an IQ quiz? | | | | age. |
| A. The answer to this question requires a bit of | | | | So, what (if anything) can be deduced about a |
| background information, so let me put my professor | | | | person based upon the results of an IQ quiz? |
| hat on and tell you a story. | | | | According to an article \"The General Intelligence |
| An IQ quiz measures a person\'s Intelligence Quotient | | | | Factor\", Scientific American Presents \"Exploring |
| (IQ). IQ is calculated using this formula: IQ = 100 MA | | | | Intelligence\", pg. 24, 1999, author Linda Gottfredson |
| CA where MA = Mental Age and CA = Chronological | | | | writes: |
| Age. | | | | \"Adults in the bottom 5% of the IQ distribution |
| The IQ test was originated back in 1905 by French | | | | (below 75) are very difficult to train and are not |
| psychologist Alfred Binet and his physician research | | | | competitive for any occupation on the basis of ability. |
| partner Dr. Theodore Simon. These two guys came | | | | Serious problems in training low-IQ military recruits |
| up with the \"Binet Simon Test\". This test\'s | | | | during World War II led Congress to ban enlistment |
| purpose was to measure the intelligence of retarded | | | | from the lowest 10% (below 80) of the population, |
| children. | | | | and no civilian occupation in modern economies |
| The test was based upon several observations: | | | | routinely recruits its workers from that below-80 |
| 1. Children grow more mentally capable as they grow | | | | range.\" |
| older | | | | \"Current military enlistment standards exclude any |
| 2. Some children perform at higher grade and age | | | | individual whose IQ is below about 85.\" \"Persons of |
| levels than their actual grade and age level. While | | | | average IQ (between 90 and 100) are not |
| other children are just the opposite. | | | | competitive for most professional and executive-level |
| The mental age (MA) portion of the formula is the | | | | work but are easily trained for the bulk of jobs in the |
| age level that the child is found to perform at. For | | | | American economy. By contrast, individuals in the top |
| example, a 6-year-old who performed at the level of | | | | 5 percent of the adult population can essentially train |
| an 8-year-old, is assigned a MA of 8 and, of course, a | | | | themselves, and few occupations are beyond their |
| CA of 6. Conversely, an 8-year-old, who performed | | | | reach mentally.\" \"People with IQs between 75 and |
| at the level of a 6-year-old, is given a CA of 8 and a | | | | 90 are 88 times more likely to drop out of high |
| MA of 6. With me so far? If you are then you\'ve | | | | school, seven times more likely to be jailed, and five |
| already passed my IQ test because I\'m starting to | | | | times more likely as adults to live in poverty than |
| get confused and I\'m the one who is writing this | | | | people with IQs between 110 and 125. The 75-to-90 |
| article! | | | | IQ woman is eight times more likely to become a |
| 3. Binet and Simpson also discovered that these gaps | | | | chronic welfare recipient, and four times as likely to |
| between MA and CA grew wider as the children | | | | bear an illegitimate child than the 110-to-125-IQ |
| aged. Our child who had a MA of 8 when he was 6, | | | | woman.\" |
| was found to have a MA of 12 by the time that he | | | | Wow, those are some pretty dramatic conclusions |
| reached age 8. Conversely, the child who had a MA | | | | that are based solely upon IQ as determined by an |
| of 6 when he was 9, had a MA of 8 when he | | | | IQ quiz. If you believe what Ms. Gottfredson writes, |
| reached 12. | | | | then the answer to your question of \"Can you really |
| 4. They also noticed that although the MA/CA gap | | | | tell anything about someone\'s intelligence by having |
| widened as the children grew older, the ratio of | | | | them take an IQ quiz?\" is: It would appear so. Like |
| MA:CA remained constant. This constant ratio was | | | | any quiz, however, don\'t feel too bad if you \"fail\" |
| called the \"Intelligence Quotient\". | | | | an IQ Quiz. Some people just suck at taking tests! |
| The IQ quiz, or IQ test, was developed as a way of | | | | |