how to measure intelligence quotienthow to measure intelligence of a personhow to measure intelligence agehow to measure intelligence of a childhow to measure iq accurately

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

INTRODUCTION

Of the different methods that purpose to measure intelligence, the most famous is the IQ (Intelligence Quotient) test, which is a standardized test designed to measure human intelligence as distinct from attainments.

The intelligence quotient is an age-related measure of intelligence level. The word quotient means the result of dividing one quantity by another, and one definition of intelligence is mental ability or quickness of mind.

Usually, IQ tests consist of a graded series of tasks, each of which has been standardized with a large representative population of individuals to establish an average IQ of 100 for each test.

It is generally accepted that a person’s mental ability develops at a constant rate until about the age of 13, after which development has been shown to slow down, and beyond the age of 18 little or no improvement is found.

When the IQ of a child is measured, the subject attempts an IQ test that has been standardized, with an average score recorded for each age group. Thus a 10-year-old child who scored the result that would be expected of a 12-year-old would have an IQ of 120, or 12/10 × 100:

mental age (12)/ chronological age (10)× 100 = 120 IQ

Because after the age of 18 little or no improvement is found, adults have to be judged on an IQ test whose average score is 100, and the results are graded above and below this norm according to known test scores.

Like so many distributions found in nature, the distribution of IQ takes the form of a fairly regular bell curve (see Figure 0.1 overleaf) in which the average score is 100 and similar proportions occur both above and below this norm.

There are several different types of intelligence tests, for example, Cattell, Stanford­Binet, and Wechsler, and each has its different scales of intelligence.

The Stanford­Binet is heavily weighted with questions involving verbal abilities and is widely used in the United States. The Weschler scales consist of two separate verbal and performance sub­scales each with its IQ rating. On the Stanford­ Binet scale half the population fall between 90 and 110 IQ, half of them above 100 and half of them below; 25 percent score above 110; 11 percent above 120; 3 percent above 130, and 0.6 percent above 140. At the other end of the scale, the same kind of proportion occurs.

(Figure 0.1) Distribution of Human IQ-the Bell Curve.

Although it should be pointed out that IQ tests are just one part of what is generally referred to as psycho­ metric testing. Such test content may be addressed to almost any aspect of our intellectual or emotional make­up, including personality, attitude, intelligence, or emo­tion. Psychometric tests are tools used for measuring the mind; the word metric means to measure and the word psycho means mind. There are many different types of tests. However, a typical test might consist of three sections each testing a different ability, usually comprising verbal reasoning, numerical ability, and diagrammatic, or spatial, reasoning.
Although it is generally accepted that a person’s IQ remains constant throughout life and therefore it is not possible to increase your actual IQ, it is possible to improve your performance on IQ tests by practicing the many different types of questions and learning to recognize the recurring themes. Our brains need exercise and care in the same way as other parts of the body. We eat the right foods to keep our heart healthy, we moisturize our skin to keep it from drying out and, just as gymnasts strive to increase their performance at whatever level they are competing through punishing training schedules and refinement of technique, there are exercises, or mental gymnastics, we can do to increase the performance of our brains and enhance quickness of thought. Many people still have the outdated belief that there is little they can do to improve the brain they are born with and that brain cells continually degenerate with age: but, in fact, our brain cells continually develop new and stronger connections and adult brains can grow new cells irrespective of age.
The main thing is to use your brain continually. For example, the more we practice at tests of verbal aptitude the more we increase our ability to understand the meaning of words and use them effectively; the more we practice maths the more confident we become when working with numbers, and the better our ability to perform arithmetic operations accurately, and the quicker we become at performing these operations; and the more we practice our ability to move our fingers and manipulate small objects the more dextrous we become at operations involving this type of aptitude, and the quicker we become at performing them accurately.