Questions tagged [intelligence]

For questions about levels of abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, reasoning, learning, having emotional knowledge, retaining, planning, and problem solving, their roles in education, testing such levels, and deficiencies in these levels.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Duration-independent intelligence tests

Being able to measure intelligence (or the problem-solving aspect of it) quantitatively could be indispensable in fields like cognitive science or artificial intelligence. Obviously, IQ tests aren't ...
Andrew Butenko's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
193 views

Is "doing everything in your head" a good proxy for intelligence?

Suppose Bob never takes notes in class and just mentally "gets" a subject. Is this ability of mentally learning a subject without actively recording the information a good proxy for intelligence?
gueseoire's user avatar
  • 111
4 votes
2 answers
6k views

Does intermittent fasting increase intelligence?

A little Background: The protocol I am taking about is 16-20 hours of fasting and a 4-8 hour eating window (e.g. fasting between 6 PM and 10 AM). I have been doing IF (intermittent fasting) for 7 ...
John's user avatar
  • 117
3 votes
3 answers
511 views

How did the unique features of human intelligence evolve?

I have been debating the following topic with a friend. She argues that humans do not descend from chimpanzees or orang-utans, because if we did, such animals would share the same cognitive thinking ...
Eric Frick's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

How is age related change in IQ measured if tests use age specific norms?

In a comment to this question about age related IQ decline in professors and scientists, the following comment was left: I noticed that lot of IQ tests (RPM or California) have different norms ...
Jeromy Anglim's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
244 views

What are the effects of negative self image on cognition and brain function?

All other things considered equal, what are the effects of a negative self image, on cognition and brain function? Are there any studies that would have specific data supporting cognitive outcomes (...
Greg McNulty's user avatar
  • 1,926
13 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the effect of studying logic or mathematics on general thinking skills?

I frequently hear comments from people to the effect that "Studies have shown that students who take (intro) logic courses don't show any signs of improvement in logical/rational/critical thinking." ...
Alex Kocurek's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
340 views

Can general intelligence be understood as pattern analysis?

I have been thinking for a while about general intelligence (i.e.,not specific abilities used for particular tasks such as chess). I think that the essence of general intelligence is pattern analysis. ...
fasisi's user avatar
  • 159
15 votes
5 answers
18k views

Is there an accurate online IQ test for measuring 160+ IQs?

Is there some (preferably free) online and accurate IQ test? One which does not give me an genius IQ and then tries to sell me a diploma. I need one which measures upto 160 sd15 (or higher). Such a ...
z457731's user avatar
  • 151
10 votes
1 answer
45k views

How are Raven's Matrices scores converted into age-adjusted IQ?

There are IQ tests based only on Raven's matrices. I wonder how a raw score on such a test is "scaled" to an IQ result. As we all know, IQ results depend on the age of individual tested. So ...
xemlmrx's user avatar
  • 103
2 votes
1 answer
125 views

How are activities involving toy blocks linked the development of intelligence in children?

I'm looking for a peer reviewed article that links the development of intelligence to any form of block building activities. For example a child playing with wooden blocks can improve their sensory-...
user1423893's user avatar
27 votes
2 answers
9k views

How is intelligence correlated to beauty?

Recently, I read several interesting questions on the web about the relationship between IQ and general intelligence and physiological symmetry. But more importantly, what explains the correlation? Or ...
Yuruk's user avatar
  • 371
12 votes
2 answers
50k views

Does masturbation in men negatively affect cognitive processes?

Gary Wilson has mentioned that porn and masturbation is an addiction that negatively affect mental performance. Moreover, there is some "pseudo-science" claiming that abstaining from masturbation ...
NebulousReveal's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
388 views

What causes an individual to not be able to hold all the details of a large project in memory?

Background: First of all, I'm not in any kind related to cognitive science, I'm a programmer. I'm not even sure that it's the right place for asking my question, but I'll try anyway. So, first of all, ...
Vadim Samokhin's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
4k views

How can psychometry measure the very high IQ's in adults?

From Wikipedia's page on Mental age, we learn that: Originally, the differences between mental age and chronological age were used to compute the intelligence quotient, or IQ. This was computed ...
quark1245's user avatar
  • 201
25 votes
3 answers
19k views

Intelligence and marriage satisfaction

A recent letter by a Princeton alumni stated: Men regularly marry women who are younger, less intelligent, less educated. It’s amazing how forgiving men can be about a woman’s lack of erudition,...
Jeromy Anglim's user avatar
10 votes
5 answers
972 views

Does an exceptional working memory inhibit intelligence?

According to the Fox News article "Chimps Smarter Than Humans in Memory Test" chimps were able to significantly outperform humans in a simple working memory task. I quote one part of the article in ...
Kenshin's user avatar
  • 527
6 votes
1 answer
682 views

Dyslexia and IQ

Background Information of my questions: At the age of eight I was "diagnosed" with Dyslexia, I am now 47. I went from not being able to read and barely able to write to a college reading level in 9 ...
Charlotte's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
2k views

Effect of Physical Exercise on Intelligence/IQ

I am interested in empirical research relevant to answering the following questions: What is the effect of physical exercise on IQ/intelligence? Does any such effect vary by type of exercise? e.g. ...
Shan's user avatar
  • 315
7 votes
4 answers
3k views

Improving Speed of Thinking

What are some ways one can improve his/her speed of thinking and reasoning ? I am looking for some easy to follow strategies that can be systematically applied. (I am presuming it can be learnt/ ...
Shan's user avatar
  • 315
13 votes
3 answers
10k views

What is the scientific support for Einstein's claim about the negative effects of reading too much?

Einstein once said: Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of ...
Kenshin's user avatar
  • 527
6 votes
0 answers
180 views

Are there any cutting edge techniques that would enable one to acquire a foreign language at a relatively fast pace?

I am aware of immersion methods as well as mnemonics such as the one Daniel Tammet mentioned in Born on a Blue Day. I read that Kim Peek's lack of corpus callosum enabled his brain to absorb ...
Sniper Clown's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
2k views

What reasoning processes underlie the Logima Strictica 36 and Logicaus Strictimanus 24? [closed]

I am conducting research in creating an AI with high IQ. I am interested in the tests Logima Strictica 36 Test and Logicaus Strictimanus 24. Further links are here What is the logic of these test ...
fff's user avatar
  • 31
8 votes
1 answer
792 views

How does the mind build a model of reality?

I'm interested if there has been any research or experiments that deal with how the human mind creates and perpetuates the idea of knowing something. I'm struggling to concisely express the question, ...
Alex Stone's user avatar
  • 9,390
1 vote
1 answer
253 views

Comprehensive encyclopedia of nootropics for medical researchers and practitioners

Is there a clinically-researched and tested encyclopedia (or similar resource) covering all available nootropics currently known? The Wikipedia article was a helpful first stop; but I'm searching for ...
UGPhysics's user avatar
  • 135
34 votes
2 answers
215k views

How valid is Lumosity's Brain Performance Index and what normative information is available?

Background There is a test called Lumosity's Brain Performance Index. A sample profile of scores might be: ...
40pro's user avatar
  • 451
9 votes
1 answer
7k views

Is there a correlation between EQ (EI) and IQ?

Is there a correlation, positive or negative, between emotional intelligence and IQ?
Philip Seyfi's user avatar
17 votes
1 answer
928 views

Cultural brain hypothesis and gene-culture co-evolution

Recently, Joseph Henrich of UBC has been promoting his cultural brain hypothesis. The goal is to explain a selection pressure behind the development of the human brain and general intelligence. The ...
Artem Kaznatcheev's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
738 views

What is the distribution of performance in academic programming subjects?

On Programmers SE there is a popular question about scientific evidence for whether some people either are or are not able to program. One person cites an unpublished manuscript by Dehnadi and ...
Jeromy Anglim's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
578 views

Does breastfeeding lead to increased intelligence?

Several studies suggest that breast-fed babies become more intelligent children than formula-fed babies (e.g., Lucas et al 1992). Questions To what extent overall does research support the ...
user1132's user avatar
7 votes
0 answers
655 views

How much sleep is required to restore maximum cognitive functioning? [closed]

Background: Recently I have really messed up my sleep schedule due to my procrastination. The internet points to some very basic conclusions but I would like to see actual experiments on effects of ...
Aman's user avatar
  • 179
9 votes
1 answer
295 views

Are intelligence scores correlated with detection of second stimulus in an Attentional Blink test?

Definitions Attentional Blink: An attentional blink is a phenomenon where when presented with rapid visual stimuli if you are asked to track two particular stimuli you will fail to notice the second ...
Onhech's user avatar
  • 121
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

What is the correlation between Grade Point Average (GPA) and intelligence?

What is an authoritative empirical estimate of the correlation between pscyhometric measures of intelligence and Grade Point Average (GPA)? What are the main factors that influence the size of the ...
Jeromy Anglim's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
735 views

Does intelligence cause greater alcohol consumption?

I just stumbled on a blog post that asserts that more intelligent people drink more than less intelligent people. The author writes: Controlling for a large number of demographic variables, such ...
Jeromy Anglim's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
395 views

Do ability tests predict maximal more than typical job performance?

I have often read that ability tests are indicative of what people "can do", but that job performance also depends on what people "will do". For example, Ackerman and Beier (2012) wrote that: ...
Jeromy Anglim's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
985 views

Does the ability to manipulate your environment affect the type of intelligence? [closed]

There are several animals on earth that show certain kinds of intelligence. Some animals have extensions to manipulate their environment and some do not. Think of humans and squids (hand/extension ...
draks ...'s user avatar
  • 1,818
12 votes
3 answers
4k views

How to estimate IQ for public figures?

Background: I read a question on Quora that asked how intelligent is Barack Obama. A wide range of arguments were presented. The tone of the answers was not neutral because of the political context of ...
Jeromy Anglim's user avatar
13 votes
3 answers
9k views

Why have historically most inventors been men?

I noticed something strange when I looked at about.com's list of famous historical inventors. You can see that most of the inventors are men, and only a few are women. Can this be explained by ...
xralf's user avatar
  • 373
7 votes
1 answer
5k views

What is the difference between IQ and Executive Function?

I was reading an article today that stated that people with high IQ's that have trouble with social skills, memory, being punctual (on time), emotional control, and "growing up" are likely to have ...
leeand00's user avatar
  • 321
18 votes
2 answers
6k views

Does super-intelligence necessary lead to consciousness, self awareness, freewill or emotion

After seeing this talk, the question popped in my mind. The idea is that as soon as a system is complex enough or intelligent enough, it able to act on its own. It seems to be a common belief. For ...
Benjamin Crouzier's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
175 views

What is the relationship between computer game performance and measures of ability? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Any work being done on Perception, Action, and/or Cognition in Video games? What is the relationship between computer game performance and measures of ability?
Jason McPherson's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
625 views

Why do dual N-back games use certain letters?

Every implementation of dual n-back that I've ever seen uses the set of letters 'C', 'H', 'K', 'L', 'Q', 'S', 'R' and 'T'. Why is that?
ʞɔıu's user avatar
  • 248
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is variation in human brain size related to mental functioning?

It seems that the head size of human beings has evolved to be relatively similar, yet there is still some amount of variation. While I'm sure the correlation is not absolute, I read that larger heads ...
Gordon Gustafson's user avatar
25 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does language and/or culture affect an individual's cognitive capacity?

Some languages have multiple expressions to identify, address, comprehend, and interpret a single concept and/or experience. Are limits placed on understanding and describing aspects of cognition due ...
CheeseConQueso's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
4k views

How does raw IQ change over the lifespan at the group-level?

In the classic review of intelligence research (Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns), Neisser et al (1996) write the following Stability. Intelligence test scores are fairly stable during ...
Jeromy Anglim's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
807 views

Are there axioms in the mind? [closed]

While studying artificial neural networks, I stumbled upon the following question: Are there any hard-wired axioms in the brain that must exist equally in every conscious mind? I could imagine that, ...
Fabian Fritz's user avatar
24 votes
2 answers
8k views

Free online intelligence test with norm table, high reliability, and must be printable?

I am looking for a general intelligence test which meets the following requirements: available online for free there is a table which translates "points" to IQ (I don't want a hidden online ...
Julia's user avatar
  • 341
13 votes
1 answer
852 views

What are the benefits of dyslexia?

Reading the Wikipedia article on Dyslexia, it sounds very negative. The article defines Dyslexia as a learning disability, which I understand it is classified as. However, knowing individuals with ...
Josh's user avatar
  • 5,390
27 votes
1 answer
5k views

Is there a term for individuals who can "visualize" numbers and advanced mathematics?

I recently saw an episode of 60 Minutes about Jacob Barnett, a 13 year old boy who is currently attending advanced physics classes at a local university and was portrayed by the show as being a child ...
Josh's user avatar
  • 5,390
11 votes
4 answers
8k views

Is there a correlation between high IQ and creativity?

Is there a correlation between high IQ for example over 125 and creativity? Is creativity improved or does its importance simply diminish? Maybe there could also be confounding variables as well? It ...
InquilineKea's user avatar
  • 2,317