If Einstein had been born and raised in Borneo by illiterate hunter-gatherers, then adopted into Western culture at age 18 and given a conventional education, how would this have affected his IQ?

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This is a fascinating question on which people will have a wide range of opinions, though no one really knows the answer. The best we can do is to speculate, based on our observation of particular cases. Studies of identical twins raised apart have shown that there is a genetic component to intelligence, yet our …

If Einstein had been born and raised in Borneo by illiterate hunter-gatherers, then adopted into Western culture at age 18 and given a conventional education, how would this have affected his IQ? Read More »

Nassim Taleb criticizes IQ research on statistical grounds because of the nonlinearity of low and high scores. How valid is this criticism?

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The following post is a response to a request that I address Taleb’s assertions. In his criticism of research related to IQ, Nassim Taleb addresses some of the misconceptions about IQ and makes some valid observations about the interpretation of IQ at its high end. However, some of his assertions fly in the face of …

Nassim Taleb criticizes IQ research on statistical grounds because of the nonlinearity of low and high scores. How valid is this criticism? Read More »

Is it true that there are more people with Genius IQ in China than there are people in the United States?

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In this post, I propose to add some data to John Cate’s comments (see below). First, it’s important to explain that the term “genius IQ” should be taken to mean “a sufficiently high IQ to offer genius potential,” because a high IQ is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for genius. That is, the term …

Is it true that there are more people with Genius IQ in China than there are people in the United States? Read More »

Are the Politicians really “following the science?”

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Today, politicians attempt to gain credibility by asserting that they are “following the science,” even on issues where there is no scientific consensus. One of the most valuable cognitive benefits of deep scientific exploration is the recognition that our understanding of nature is extremely limited. This insight is usually manifest as the deep intellectual humility …

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Are intelligent people more likely to change their opinion in the face of disconfirming evidence?

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This is an interesting question because it has several dimensions. While those who are most likely to change their opinions in the face of disconfirming evidence are drawn from the ranks of the most intelligent, the ability to change an opinion when confronted with new evidence is relatively rare–even among the very gifted. We humans …

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Why do house flies seem so much smarter than other insects?

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Andrew Wrigley has conjectured that the house fly may be more intelligent than many other insects. The comparison of intelligence across animal species is interesting because it also has implications for comparing the intelligence of humans who evolved in isolated breeding populations situated in different environments. In his excellent book, ***Are we Smart enough to …

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How hereditary is IQ? My mom has an IQ of 140 and my dad 136. Is it possible that I would score a similar score?

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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 …

How hereditary is IQ? My mom has an IQ of 140 and my dad 136. Is it possible that I would score a similar score? Read More »

What are some subtle similarities in a genius and the mentally challenged?

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Usually, people think of the mentally challenged and geniuses as people occupying opposite ends of the intellectual spectrum, and that may be true in terms of IQ. However, they share similarities that derive from being outside the norm. The mentally challenged and geniuses alike, struggle to understand. For the mentally challenged, the struggle is to …

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What are the Chances of Someone of IQ 125 becoming a Billionaire?

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Yesterday, we posted Brian White’s answer to the question, “What are the chances of someone of IQ 125 becoming a billionaire? Mr. White provided information substantiating the claim that most self-made billionaires are among the high to very high intelligence group. My research confirms Mr. White’s assertion, but it also reveals that those of extremely …

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