Interesting facts about IQ tests

1. Studies show that there is a slight difference in men and women’s IQ test scores. Although males and females are virtually equal in terms of IQ, men tend to score higher on certain sections, like spatial awareness, whereas women tend to score higher in language development and emotional intelligence.

2. Breastfeeding has been linked to raising children’s IQs and improving their academic performance. In 2008, a study was conducted to measure the effect of breastfeeding on children’s cognitive development after following a group of children for 6.5 years. The children were given an IQ test to measure their academic performance and cognitive ability. Those who were breastfed had higher scores and better overall academic achievement.

3. For the most part, IQ tests are used to measure intelligence and career success, but it was once primarily used to diagnose mental retardation. An IQ score below 70 was considered the benchmark for mental retardation, according to the Binet-Simon’s test from the early 1900s. The IQ test helped separate mental retardation from mental illness, both of which were poorly understood in the 19th century.

4. The IQ test only measures certain intellectual abilities, such as analytical, mathematical and spatial skills. The test does not measure creativity, artistic, leadership, emotional and social skills or other abilities that also define one’s intelligence.

5. Nearly 100 years ago, psychologists used to compute a person’s IQ by using an IQ formula that divided the mental age by the actual age of the test taker, then multiplied this number by 100 to get a whole number for the final score. This formula proved to be inaccurate when comparing adults. Modern scoring compares a person’s performance by their age group.

6. One of the main criticisms of IQ tests is that they show bias against cultural and ethnic groups based on the questions asked in the test. The current IQ tests don’t take into consideration the different cognitive styles, communication skills and values that each culture and ethnic group possesses.

7. A person’s IQ can be affected by several different environmental factors, such as malnutrition, socio-economic status, stress, support structure and attitude. Scientists also find that the quality of education can have a major impact on IQ scores, as well.

8. A child’s intelligence is not determined by the order in which they were born, but is more likely to be affected by their personality, gender, age difference, family size and parental age.

9. IQ tests may have been designed to assess intelligence, but they aren’t an exact measure of intelligence, wealth or career success for everyone. Those who score higher than average on the IQ test may have greater reasoning abilities, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be more successful or make a higher income.

8. Work in pairs and see if you can remember the following words and phrases. Take turns to ask each other.Use the Mini-dictionary (UNIT 4) if necessary.