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Average IQ and Competence

Mole

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Average IQ is supposed to be 100

Half of us have an IQ below 100, and the other half have an IQ above 100.

However most of us are between 90 and 110, and very, very few of us are below 60 or above 140.

And although half of us are below 100, I have rarely heard anyone say that their IQ was below 100.

So we are in Lake Wobegon where all the children are above average.
 

Rasofy

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Half of us have an IQ below 100, and the other half have an IQ above 100.

However most of us are between 90 and 110, and very, very few of us are below 60 or above 140.

And although half of us are below 100, I have rarely heard anyone say that their IQ was below 100.

So we are in Lake Wobegon where all the children are above average.
Beautiful. You should make one on penis size someday.
 

Thalassa

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Half of us have an IQ below 100, and the other half have an IQ above 100.

However most of us are between 90 and 110, and very, very few of us are below 60 or above 140.

And although half of us are below 100, I have rarely heard anyone say that their IQ was below 100.

So we are in Lake Wobegon where all the children are above average.


It's possible that it's because on the Internet forums you frequent, the likelihood of speaking to the more educated segment of the populace is not always but usually guaranteed. A quick glance at You Tube and AOL News gives a more accurate portrayal, at least of the average American.

That is not to say that everyone on TypoC is above average. However they probably read more and place more stock in their intellectual abilities, and would die of embarrassment before admitting their IQ is 99.

I personally am not a huge fan of IQ as it only measures one type of intelligence.
 

FDG

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I think people of average IQ might actually be more competent than some one with above average intelligence depending on what the job is.

*technically* speaking, if they have put exactly the same amount of effort and the only difference between them is IQ, this isn't possible.

However, with acquisition of a PhD what you need to ask yourself is not what is my IQ but do I love academics.

Yep, that's correct. Being able to assimilate abstract topics very quickly is a pre-requisite, everything else is dedication and persistence (and luck, and political ability).
 

Stephano

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I think Jr was just a cocky cokehead jerk overgrown frat boy.

Whatever his IQ is, he's probably the worst president in US history. That shoe thrown at him was well deserved. Only a cocaine snorting dumbass like Bush could have come up with Intelligent Design.


Btw I think Kennedy was ESFP. He was very humanitarian and wanted to weaken the banks.
 

Cellmold

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It's possible that it's because on the Internet forums you frequent, the likelihood of speaking to the more educated segment of the populace is not always but usually guaranteed. A quick glance at You Tube and AOL News gives a more accurate portrayal, at least of the average American.

That is not to say that everyone on TypoC is above average. However they probably read more and place more stock in their intellectual abilities, and would die of embarrassment before admitting their IQ is 99.

I personally am not a huge fan of IQ as it only measures one type of intelligence.

Mine's around...96-97 I think.

Yep, that's correct. Being able to assimilate abstract topics very quickly is a pre-requisite, everything else is dedication and persistence (and luck, and political ability).

This is true and it's rather sad that I have seen so many people go into such academic pursuits, but without realising what it takes and what it asks of them.
 

ptgatsby

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So if a person falls within the average range of IQ, would they still be able to excel in higher level positions or would he or she be setting himself or herself up for failure?

So while IQ tests are normally distributed, the impact on "competence" is not as simple or direct.

First, there are thresholds and within the thresholds, sub-thresholds. For instance, being about 1 SD above norm is a pretty strong threshold for PhDs (excluding MDs). However, to get a PhD in theoretical physics, you are going to find a distribution centered just short of 3 SDs (IIRC, it was 142). MDs are the one exception to these rules, averaging much lower but having a huge range. Not sure about psychiatrists however, but I know psychology is not a high threshold area. Keep in mind that the thresholds are pretty broad these days anyway. The average person can get a university degree without any issue... and most masters are the same. (See also Rasofy's chart to get an idea of the ranges! They are generally huge.)

Second, exceling is about being good in a particular niche. Here you get two sets of metrics: performance compared to others and how effective (objectively) you are. For instance, a restaurant server with a higher IQ should have a higher working memory. Servers with higher working memory can deal with more demands, not just on remembering orders, but the processing/timing/deviation/routing demands for them. However, there is a limit to this (like most network-like problems, they increase exponentially or quadratically). So the effective difference between an average person (IQ:100) and slightly above average (IQ:110) is smaller than the average person and slightly below average (IQ:90). A completely made up thought concept - imagine that the number of people's orders you can remember is the sq of the percentile group you are in (eg: bottom 1% = 1 person's order, while average 50% is 7. Being the best, 100%, is only 10).

Third, other attributes will wash out IQ because of those diminishing returns (and the interactive effect of people selecting areas where their IQ is ~average). It's very noticeable within narrow categories (eg: PhDs). Those PhDs' successes will be largely derived from hard work and networking but that's only because they have already been selected by basic ability (threshold effect). Likewise, an average server would likely struggle in the same theoretical PhD pursuit, while the theoretical PhD probably wouldn't perform significantly better at being a server anyway.

Put that together and what you can generally say is... A person will struggle when a person exceeds their threshold. A person who is within their threshold tends to excel based upon other factors. And finally, a high IQ person is unlikely to excel simply because their IQ; but they are likely to be in an increasingly smaller group that forms specific to their ability to jump.

None of this should discourage you, however. It's just a comment on the interactions. I mean, if you took an entire battery of tests and they showed you would struggle, then I might say you should consider if the effort is worth it. That's not the case and even if it was, the question is if you want to struggle with it, not if you could/could not do it. Doing it is its own reward anyway, if you truly are interested.

Keep in mind that one of the major motivations for getting a PhD has to do with social status rather than intrinsic value and this probably includes you as well. Do you want to excel: be better than others, or excel: be good at what you do, or excel: be able to do it/not frustrated. They are very different answers, not to mention where your expectation sit between "piece of paper" or "world's leader".



Seems like [MENTION=88]ptgatsby[/MENTION] had some stats on things along these lines years ago... but I may be wrong.

Long ago, hah hah. It's generally true that it becomes harder to relate because the pool of relatable people grows smaller. And there are some other issues in many cases of abstract reasoning that we associate to high IQ (but have to be careful between "that guy is smart" and "he tested as high IQ").
 
G

Glycerine

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In conclusion, I got nervous about my new job but it should work out. I exceeded my bosses' expectations by far (their words, "amazed", impressed", "indispensable") but I still questioned myself. I need to work on my confidence, that's all. Bye, forum!
 

Mole

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Beautiful. You should make one on penis size someday.

It's important to keep in mind that IQ (Intelligence Quotient) does not measure intelligence, rather it compares intelligence. So if the intelligence of a whole country rises, the average intelligence will still be 100.

On the other hand PQ (Phallus Quotient) does measure size, so if the PQ of a whole country rises, the average PQ also rises.
 

Jonny

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Don't look to an IQ test for information on whether you'd be successful in a given career bath. Consider those currently in the field: ask them questions, engage them in discussion, share your ideas, etc. From that you should get a good idea of whether or not you'd fit.
 

Thalassa

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*technically* speaking, if they have put exactly the same amount of effort and the only difference between them is IQ, this isn't possible.



Yep, that's correct. Being able to assimilate abstract topics very quickly is a pre-requisite, everything else is dedication and persistence (and luck, and political ability).

It's quite possible depending on the nature of the work. A task that would be engaging to a person of average intelligence might bore or frustrate a person of above average intelligence.
 

Thalassa

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Whatever his IQ is, he's probably the worst president in US history. That shoe thrown at him was well deserved. Only a cocaine snorting dumbass like Bush could have come up with Intelligent Design.


Btw I think Kennedy was ESFP. He was very humanitarian and wanted to weaken the banks.


Mmm Kennedy was well educated old money. Old money naturally assumed social responsibility, it is a trait carried from old Europe, that the upper class has a duty to give back in some regard. That doesn't make Kennedy an FP.

In fact, this country and it's national law is based on the assumption that greed is the down fall of people from time immemorial, and that a wealthy minority often oppress an impoverished majority. The United States was intended by our founding fathers to avoid that disturbing human tendency. Ironically, it's exactly that preposterous classism that we are barreling towards, and some libertarians laughably call themselves constitutionalists while advocating some heinous form of fiscal social Darwinism.

Even Reagan said a millionaire should pay more taxes than a bus driver.

Neocons are the fucking antichrist and Bush jr was nothing more than their Howdy Doody puppet.
 
R

Riva

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Do americans blame bosh juniour for the invasion of iraq? Yes the guise was weapons of mass destruction and for that the whole world blames and mocks bush. However there is more to it than that and i wonder americans knowing this reason blames neocons for that.

I believe most of the hate is due to hia economic policies for which his administration richly deserves the blame.

So what is it i wonder although what he did to iraq is clearly inhumane and sadistic.
 

OrderOfTheCaelifera

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I tend to get avg on that one too. I rushed through it and got 96. But I don't really care because I know that I will succeed at what I want to do.

I'd be reluctant to post the answers on this thread but I can PM the answers with explanations for those questions you struggled with.
 

prplchknz

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I think I have a below average IQ, but also I can be very incompentent, not all the time, just sometimes
 

Fluffywolf

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I have a high IQ.

I am also extremely competent at leisuring my way through life.

It's not that I don't have ambition. It's just that the meaning of ambition is different to me than it is to most people. I really dont give a crap about doing great in society. I just need to do well enough so I can focus, without fail, on the things that do matter to me. Like daydreaming and thinking about whatever comes to mind without the need for silly goals and dreams that are to be achieved.

IQ doesn't matter, what matters is your opinion of life and your disposition towards it.
 

Stanton Moore

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there is such a thing as "smart enough".
talent is important, but it's not enough by itself.
you still have to work like a dog to achieve something extra-ordinary...
so don't worry about being smart, or having a high IQ. it's irrelevant to what you pursue through desire.
WORD
 

Mole

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I have a high IQ.

I am also extremely competent at leisuring my way through life.

It's not that I don't have ambition. It's just that the meaning of ambition is different to me than it is to most people. I really dont give a crap about doing great in society. I just need to do well enough so I can focus, without fail, on the things that do matter to me. Like daydreaming and thinking about whatever comes to mind without the need for silly goals and dreams that are to be achieved.

IQ doesn't matter, what matters is your opinion of life and your disposition towards it.

How true.

In Ancient Greece leisure was central to society. Leisure was seen necessary for character, nobility and excellence.

And like the Ancient Greeks my aim is to be completely free.
 
G

Glycerine

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I'd be reluctant to post the answers on this thread but I can PM the answers with explanations for those questions you struggled with.

It's OK, thanks. :)

I have a high IQ.

I am also extremely competent at leisuring my way through life.

It's not that I don't have ambition. It's just that the meaning of ambition is different to me than it is to most people. I really dont give a crap about doing great in society. I just need to do well enough so I can focus, without fail, on the things that do matter to me. Like daydreaming and thinking about whatever comes to mind without the need for silly goals and dreams that are to be achieved.

IQ doesn't matter, what matters is your opinion of life and your disposition towards it.

you're totally right. I need to stop letting my anxiety get to me. Ironically, I bullshitted most of my college classes and still did fine. I will probably need a Master's degree to advance in my career.

there is such a thing as "smart enough".
talent is important, but it's not enough by itself.
you still have to work like a dog to achieve something extra-ordinary...
so don't worry about being smart, or having a high IQ. it's irrelevant to what you pursue through desire.
WORD

True. I am currently using whatever skills and talents that I do possess (research ability, academic writing, strategic planning, empathy, etc.) to hopefully make a big, positive impact on others in the future.

I think I have a below average IQ, but also I can be very incompentent, not all the time, just sometimes

I don't know enough to comment but you seem cool regardless.
 
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