Genius or Gifted?

Genius or gifted? In one sense, the question is moot. If a child has an IQ greater than 130, he or she is considered "gifted." But what if that child doesn't score higher than 130 on the IQ test?

This post considers just such a case. It explores why some "geniuses" don't get the credit they deserve and how these mis-conceptions might be corrected through better testing and classification of intelligence. What's your take on this debate - genius or gifted?

##An Intro to...IQ Testing

IQ, or Intelligence Quotient, is a standardized test designed to measure various aspects of intelligence, including logical reasoning skills and problem solving abilities.

We must stress the word standardized . A good IQ test will take into account age- and gender-related differences in intelligence to ensure that you aren't penalized for being a child or for being a man (in other words, you wouldn't want your 4 year old son to be considered "stupid" if he's below the average IQ of 100).

Some of you may be thinking to yourself, "If there's a standardized test for intelligence, how can any test say whether or not someone is intelligent? They can't compare the scores of a genius with those of a normal person."

In fact, it's possible to determine the IQ by comparing scores on the same test - but not so easily. To understand this, let's think back to our previous example. Who was the genius and who was the gifted child?

In his phenomenal book "Irrational Numbers," Richard Feynman tells us he is a genius (the calculus section alone should convince you that he is). He also says, "I'm not sure that I'm particularly intelligent."

That's the genius for you - humble and self-effacing. It was a gift from his father, he explains, who never stressed his son's intellect or accomplishments. Feynman describes it by saying, "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious."

Besides being an example of a genius with low self-esteem, Feynman gives us a good lesson in how IQ is determined: through comparison with others. In other words, if we compared Feynman to a group of average students (instead of the other geniuses out there), we would see that his score was above average.

Raymond Cattell, a pioneer in the field of psychometrics (the study and measurement of psychological attributes), was another genius who was very humble when it came to his IQ. According to his researcher daughter, he believed his IQ was between 151 and 158.

Cattell said that intelligence is composed of two factors: fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence. Fluid intelligence refers to one's reasoning ability while crystallized refers to one's knowledge base. When Cattell died in 1998, he was given an IQ score of 169 by Hans Eysenck who possessed perhaps "the most extensive collection of human abilities in existence." For the record, Eysenck's own IQ score is estimated at 180.

What do you think about these cleaver descriptions of Geniuses and Gifted Children? What about Feynman, Cattell, and Eysenck? Do you feel that the way we talk about IQ testing is flawed? Let us know in the comments.

References:

##A Lesson in Testing

The case of Richard Feynman illustrates how the IQ test was originally designed to provide a measure of mental capacity. But even so, there are several tests that can be used to measure intelligence. One such tool is the Stanford Binet intelligence test. The test contains 100 questions for children between 5-16 years of age and 100 questions for adults between 16-54 years of age. The test takes 1 hour to complete and is scored by a computer. Scores range from 100 to 150 with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. The age groups are divided up into categories including: low average (100), average (115), above average (125) and high average (150). In order to take the test, an adult has to be tested individually by a trained tester.

So, Richard Feynman scored somewhere in the low average range. Does that make him "stupid?" No! He was proud of and respected his intelligence yet was still humble enough to be truthful when it came time for him to write his autobiography.

The Stanford Binet IQ test was developed by a child psychologist named Lewis Terman. He was trained in behaviorist psychology and the school-based Binet test is based on his work.

How would we measure intelligence if there were no standardized tests? It's impossible to say, but one example would be the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (SBIS) tool that is used to measure IQ. The SBIS contains 114 verbal and non-verbal subtests that are grouped into four categories: cognitive/working memory, perceptual speed/processing speed, visual perception and comprehension, and learning abilities. All 16 test questions come from Dr. E.L. Thorndike's list of "faculty tests."

Even though the SBIS is a more comprehensive measure of intelligence, it still focuses on mental function and does not account for emotional intelligence or social intelligence. The MBTI and the Enneagram can be used to evaluate one's level of emotional intelligence as well as social intelligence, but both tests are not considered to be valid ways of measuring mental capacity. This may explain why we have geniuses like Feynman who are humble about their intellectual abilities.

After taking the Stanford-Binet Test, the tester will provide a profile of a test subject's verbal ability, reasoning ability and full-scale IQ. The results will be determined by using the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales for Children (SBIS-C), for children between 5 and 16 years of age, and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale for Adults (SBIS-A) for adults between 16 and 54 years of age.

The original purpose of the Stanford Binet IQ test was to allow psychiatrists to identify individuals who would benefit from special educational programs. Children who were affected with mental disabilities had difficulties taking the test. As a result, the Binet- Simon test was created in 1916. This scale used verbal and non-verbal subtests to measure a person's level of intelligence.

How do you measure intelligence? After taking the Stanford Binet test, you will be provided with a profile of the individual's verbal ability, reasoning ability and full-scale IQ based on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale for Children (SBIS-C) for children between 5 and 16 years of age, and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale for Adults (SBIS-A) for adults between 16 and 54 years of age.

The purpose behind each subtest is to measure an individual's level of mental capacity using one or several abilities.

Conclusion

Since the early 1900s, the Stanford Binet has been a valuable test for schools and parents to assess learning disabilities in children. The Stanford Binet was created by Lewis Terman, a renowned psychologist and author of the popular intelligence scale for measuring mental capacity.

After taking the test, your results will be compared with those of other individuals who are within a one-year age range. Along with your verbal and reasoning scores, your full-scale IQ will also be determined.