Sharing IQ Scores: The Ethics and Implications

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the ethics and implications of sharing IQ scores, including personal experiences with IQ testing, the relevance of ethnic background, and the reliability of self-reported data. Participants explore the concept of IQ, its measurement, and the societal perceptions surrounding it.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express curiosity about sharing their IQ scores along with their job and ethnic background.
  • Others question the validity of self-reported IQ scores and the concept of an "internet average."
  • A few participants provide exaggerated or humorous claims about their IQ scores, indicating a playful tone in parts of the discussion.
  • Some participants discuss the concept of IQ clumping and suggest that the average IQ may not apply universally.
  • Concerns are raised about the reliability of data collected from a forum, suggesting that organizations like Mensa may provide more accurate demographic data.
  • Several participants share their own IQ scores, with a range of responses from serious to humorous, reflecting varying levels of belief in the significance of IQ testing.
  • One participant mentions that their IQ score is contested in court, indicating a legal dimension to the discussion.
  • There are references to the philosophical implications of IQ testing, including quotes attributed to Albert Einstein about intelligence.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the significance of IQ scores or the appropriateness of sharing them. Multiple competing views remain regarding the validity and implications of IQ testing.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the potential unreliability of self-reported data, the small sample size of responses, and the skewed representation of participants on a physics forum compared to the general population.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals exploring the ethics of intelligence testing, the societal implications of IQ scores, and those curious about personal experiences related to IQ measurement.

  • #31
micromass said:
mudskipper.jpg

Touché, you just pwn3d Einie. :biggrin:
 
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  • #32
Curious3141 said:
"Average" is defined as that thing that at least 99% of people believe they're above.

:smile:
 
  • #33
Curious3141 said:
"Average" is defined as that thing that at least 99% of people believe they're above.

You went there.

To the OP: it's becoming harder and harder to find people who take IQ scores seriously (but I don't get out much so keep that in mind). Moreover, my best guess is that most people, even on these boards, have never been tested. That being said, you're unlikely to get a satisfactory response. I know I've never been tested, but I would say mine is roughly (100100)100.
 
  • #34
OK, it's time to get serious now.

I have seen a psychologist to get my IQ tested. She said that it was at least \aleph_2. I will have to return to her one day to get a more precise score.
 
  • #35
I don't think I've ever seen someone on the internet claim to have < 130.
 
  • #36
Jorriss said:
I don't think I've ever seen someone on the internet claim to have < 130.

I scored a 129 once. Granted, I was blindfolded, but whatever.
 
  • #37
AnTiFreeze3 said:
I scored a 129 once. Granted, I was blindfolded, but whatever.

I scored 122 once, but I was trying to score as low as I could.
 
  • #38
Sayajin said:
Weak... Mine is over 9000!

The US Congress has you beaten. It's collective IQ has been estimated at at least 10,000, but that's divided among 535 members!
 
  • #39
micromass said:
I scored 122 once, but I was trying to score as low as I could.

I scored that too, but it was in base-16, because someone had put a HEX on me. :eek:
 
  • #40
I am a member of Mensa but that is not what I am looking for. I have put this on many message boards to see if iq's follow trends on different sites.
 
  • #41
SW VandeCarr said:
The US Congress has you beaten. It's collective IQ has been estimated at at least 10,000, but that's divided among 535 members!

OK, but "over 9000" doesn't mean "under 10000" :smile:
 
  • #42
SW VandeCarr said:
The US Congress has you beaten. It's collective IQ has been estimated at at least 10,000, but that's divided among 535 members!

I just said that its over 9000 but we don't know which number from (9000 ;\infty ) it is.
The reason for this is because when I mesure something and the mesurement says it passes the number 9000 my natural reaction is to grab the tool in my hand and smash it screaming "It's over 9000!" .
 
  • #43
AnTiFreeze3 said:
mines tis many!

http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_557/129010382582FY9H.jpg



Mine is also so low that I can count it on my fingers and toes.
 
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  • #44
Sayajin said:
I just said that its over 9000 but we don't know which number from (9000 ;\infty ) it is.
The reason for this is because when I mesure something and the mesurement says it passes the number 9000 my natural reaction is to grab the tool in my hand and smash it screaming "It's over 9000!" .

I'm glad you explained that.
 
  • #45
SW VandeCarr said:
I'm glad you explained that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMHTK15Pik
 
  • #46
SW VandeCarr said:
The US Congress has you beaten. It's collective IQ has been estimated at at least 10,000, but that's divided among 535 members!

I've beaten US congress. My superior IQ of 20000 is far greater than them.
 
  • #47
xxChrisxx said:
I've never been tested, but I estimate it at approximately 6000.

Jimmy Snyder said:
IQ: 185
Occupation: IQ test scorer.
Ethnic Background: Cretan.

I love you both.
 
  • #48
Jorriss said:
I don't think I've ever seen someone on the internet claim to have < 130.

According to my first IQ test, taken age 16, it's 80 ... which amazed some of my friends as they were convinced it would be lower ... much lower. Oddly, I can remember my thought processes during this test.

"what is the next number in the sequence: 1, 2, 3, 4?" <instantaneous 5 flashed into my head and was equally promptly dismissed from consideration> Hmm. Gosh, I haven't a clue. It could be any of a number of sequences. I guess as it's an IQ test, it must be a really tricky one. ... Nope, can't think what it might be. Let's try the second one.
"what is the missing number: 4 9 16 .. 36? <instantaneous 25 etc ...> Ooh, these are a lot harder than I thought. I wonder how X got into Mensa? ... never mind, let's try number three.

After many such miserable failures, I kind of gave up trying to answer the questions and just put down the first thing that popped into my head. It was only when I looked at the answers, and saw that my "obvious", no-brainer answers were actually the correct ones, that it dawned on me that the average IQ was unlikely to be 100 if the questions were really as hard I thought they had to be. At which point, I glumly had to agree with my friends' assessments of my intelligence, because if I really was clever I'd have worked that out long before. :frown:
 
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  • #49
There are different IQ scales, with significantly different standard deviation. The Cattell scale is widely used here and has a standard deviation of 24 rather than 15 or 16.

When I joined Mensa they told me that I'm in the top 0.5%. I originally thought that was effectively an estimate of my position on the scale, but much later I heard that all scores higher than some fixed threshold are given that result, as the standard test cannot meaningfully distinguish higher levels accurately. (They did offer a higher level test but I wasn't interested).
 
  • #50
The most interesting question is what exactly IQ tests are measuring.
 
  • #51
Sayajin said:
what exactly IQ tests are measuring.

The ability to take IQ tests, of course! :biggrin:
 
  • #52
Sayajin said:
The most interesting question is what exactly IQ tests are measuring.

jtbell said:
The ability to take IQ tests, of course! :biggrin:

This will test your ability to take tests.
 
  • #53
Lol Bob!
 
  • #54
BobG said:
This will test your ability to take tests.

:smile: The best test I've ever seen!
 
  • #55
BobG said:
This will test your ability to take tests.


https://dl.dropbox.com/u/22026080/tough.gif
 
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  • #56
There are at least two scales, with 100 as the mean. So any data without reference to the scale used is meaningless.
 
  • #57
I must have done something backwards. I got a QI result. They told me to 'quit it'.
 
  • #58
I took a "real" one from an educational psychologist. The test was part of a battery of tests looking for learning disabilities. It involved pencil and paper exercises, computer based exercises and manipulation of 3-D objects. I placed just above 3 std. dev. but was negative for learning disabilities. My job is delivering pizza. My ethnicity is mostly "white" (that is, recent ancestors were mostly in Europe).

edit - Also, I took it as an adult, not as a youth. I'm not sure if that matters.
 
  • #59
I only have enough IQ for my own personal use, so I don't have any to share with the rest of you. Sorry about that!
 
  • #60
ModusPwnd said:
... I placed just above 3 std. dev. but was negative for learning disabilities ...

Why would you say "but" ?

Slightly above three standard deviations would be 145+, yet you say "but I don't have any learning disabilities." Yo no comprende.
 

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