In 2011, a large group of researchers published the results of a genome-wide analysis of 549,692 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involving 3511 unrelated adults. (An SNP represents a difference in a single DNA building block, called a nucleotide.) (See: Davies, G., A. Tenesa, A. Payton, J. Yang, S.E. Harris, D. Liewald, et al. 2011. “Genome-wide …
In some of our exchanges during the past week, contributors have been discussing the nature of truth and the difference between “truth” in mathematics and “truth” in science. The assumptions in mathematics, are called “axioms” and are generally thought to be “a priori” constructs of the human brain. The assumption that a mathematical truth, such …
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The answer to this question depends upon your definition of success. A famous postcard circulated in the early part of the last century carried the caption, “If you’re so damn smart, why ain’t you rich.” Implicit in this question was the assumption that success is synonymous with the accumulation of wealth. It is probably true …
Why isn’t the Smartest Person in the Classroom the Most Successful One? Read More »
IQ is an approximate measure of learning ability. The IQ for a 14-year-old is expressed relative to all other 14-year-olds. On a typical IQ test, a score of 100 is average, and a 14-year-old with an IQ of 165 has scored as high or higher than 99.9992% of all other 14-year-olds. That is, only one …
How rare is it for a 14-year-old to have an IQ of 165? Read More »
A wonderful little book that gave me insights into the mental processes underpinning thinking at the highest intellectual level was Jacques Hadamard’s seminal publication, The Psychology of Mathematical Invention. Hadamard, co-discoverer of a proof of the Prime Number Theorem, used a speech delivered by the great mathematician Henri Poincaré to describe a four-stage process that …
Psychologists generally agree that your genetics determine your intellectual potential, however, environmental factors play a key role in helping you maximize that intellectual capital. Your teen years offer a special opportunity to hone your intellectual abilities because, as you enter puberty, there occurs a round of rapid and extensive production of neurons and synapses that …
I will attempt to answer the question in its positive form: *How are IQ and intelligence relevant in life?* An old adage asserts, “If ignorance is bliss, then ’tis folly to be wise.” Indeed, when we see a mentally-challenged child brimming with joy at an achievement and simultaneously consider the stress endured by a highly …
On this Quora space, we often receive questions from intelligent people asking why they have trouble with mathematics. Some believe that there is a “math gene” that they are missing. Certainly, research at the frontiers of mathematics requires a very high level of intelligence where neural efficiency, short term memory, and pattern recognition come into …
Dave, I have good news for you. It’s entirely possible that your IQ is average or above average. Though IQ is our best measure of cognitive ability, it is a rough approximation, especially for children at an early age. During your early formative years, your brain was producing and pruning neurons at a prodigious rate, …
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 …
Does Innate Talent Exist, or Do All People Have Equal Potential? Read More »
