Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

Brendan Kelly is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto. He is author of over 50 books including the recent "Intelligence, IQ & Perception", and "Intelligence: Where we Were, Where we Are & Where we’re Going." He holds two doctorate degrees: a Ph.D. in Mathematics (Number Theory) from U. of T. and an Ed.D. in Computer Applications from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and he curates his site on Quora titled, “IQ & Intelligence.”

Does Innate Talent Exist, or Do All People Have Equal Potential?

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In 1993, psychologist Anders Ericsson challenged the concept of innate talent, asserting: Individual differences, even among elite performers, are closely related to assessed amounts of deliberate practice. Many characteristics once believed to reflect innate talent are actually the result of intense practice extended for a minimum of 10 years. Analysis of expert performance provides unique …

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Can IQ tests actually measure your personal intelligence instead of your knowledge?

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In 1936, John C. Raven attempted to address the criticism that the prevailing IQ tests were culturally dependent, because people from educationally deprived environments may not have been exposed to an expansive vocabulary or knowledge specific to a particular culture. To address this criticism, and make tests of intelligence independent of knowledge, he developed the …

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How likely is the child of two really high IQ individuals to have a significantly lower IQ?

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In an 1886 publication, Sir Francis Galton graphed the heights of 205 adults and 928 of their adult offspring. From these data, he asserted that the height of an offspring deviates from the average height in the adult population by only two thirds of the parent’s deviation from the average. In other words, children of …

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How can you tell if someone has a high IQ based on their behavior?

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It’s very difficult to assess someone’s intelligence during a brief meeting, but the longer you share conversation with that person, the more accurate will be your assessment. Here are some characteristics I have found in the very high IQ people I’ve met although these are, of course, generalizations that will have some counterexamples. High IQ …

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Why is IQ so much more variable in childhood than in adulthood?

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To answer your question in a nutshell: the human brain grows rapidly throughout childhood reaching a peak in early adulthood. Research suggests that our fluid intelligence (a major portion of our IQ) stabilizes between ages 16 and 20 and then goes into a gradual decline. Throughout adulthood, we gain experience, and depletion in our fluid …

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Is it a good deal if you lose your IQ but gain wisdom?

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Actually, a higher than average IQ is probably necessary for the development of wisdom, so one cannot lose too many IQ points and still gain wisdom. Before elaborating, I will provide Aristotle’s distinction between IQ and wisdom. In the quote below, Aristotle uses the term “Prudence” to describe wisdom. Although the young may be experts …

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