Blog - Intelligence and IQ

What are some examples of intellectual intelligence in real life?

While writing a book titled, Intelligence, IQ, and Perception, I explored the concept of intelligence and discovered that it has many different dimensions. In some cases, it manifests as a capacity for persuasive oratory or skillful articulation. My models for this dimension of intelligence were Martin Luther King Jr. and Sir Winston Churchill. Both men …

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I did an IQ test online and the summary of my results said that I’m a ‘pattern mathematician’. I’m what I would call average at mathematics. What is a pattern mathematician?

Blog / By Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

Some of the IQ tests on line are designed to make money and have not been scientifically normed. Consequently, they are not reliable as measures of IQ. As a mathematician, I can tell you that I’ve never heard the term “pattern mathematician” and cannot imagine what it might mean, because all mathematics involves the recognition …

I did an IQ test online and the summary of my results said that I’m a ‘pattern mathematician’. I’m what I would call average at mathematics. What is a pattern mathematician? Read More »

Do you think that those who scam others are people with high Intelligence quotient?

Blog / By Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

The only research I can bring to bear on this question is my personal experience over many decades. It seems to me that what we call “moral integrity” is spread somewhat evenly across the entire spectrum of intelligence. Those who crack computer codes to hack into other people’s accounts or those, like Bernie Madoff, who …

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What are the characteristic traits of people who test at various IQ ranges?

Blog / By Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

There are significant differences, on average, in the traits of those at opposite ends of the IQ scale, but these differences are not defined precisely enough to be delineated by precise IQ ranges. Furthermore, there are some high-IQ people who do not exude the typical traits of most high-IQ people, because they have other psychological …

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Will a 15-year-old’s IQ be the same in 10 years?

Blog / By Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

The good news is that recent research suggests IQ is somewhat malleable in the adolescent years. At the onset of puberty, the brain moves into a neural pruning stage in which it interacts with the environment, building synapses in areas of demand while purging neurons from areas of little stimulation. Throughout adolescence, the prefrontal cortex …

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How do I tell if somebody is intelligent?

1 Comment / Blog / By Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

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 were IQ tests developed originally?

Blog / By Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

The following is a brief excerpt from my book on intelligence (description accessible at: https://amzn.to/41OPIXm). In 1904, Alfred Binet was the director of the psychology laboratory at the Sorbonne in Paris. The Minister of Public Education commissioned Binet to develop tests to identify less capable students who should be provided some form of special education. …

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In what ways do memory and intelligence change as we age?

Blog / By Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

During the 20th century, the belief that intelligence peaks early in life and goes into decline thereafter, spawned policies such as mandatory retirement at many universities. The Fields Medal, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize in Mathematics,” was awarded only to mathematicians before the age of 40 because its benefactor, John Charles Fields intended …

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Do people on Quora that answer questions about their high intelligence have an inflated sense of their own intelligence?

Blog / By Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

I think that highly intelligent people are more aware of their own limitations than the less intelligent. As Confucius once observed, “True wisdom is knowing what you don’t know.” Most of us who answer questions on intelligence have been fascinated by the topic and have been immersed in the scholarly analysis of intelligence and its …

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What would having a 200,300,400+ IQ, or being mentally superior to even peak modern humans be like, speculatively speaking?

2 Comments / Blog / By Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

I am often asked how smart an adult with an IQ of 200 or more would be. This question reflects a widespread misunderstanding of IQ as an absolute measure of intelligence, rather than a measure relative to the rest of the human population. IQ tests are normed so that IQ scores are distributed on a …

What would having a 200,300,400+ IQ, or being mentally superior to even peak modern humans be like, speculatively speaking? Read More »