Questions tagged [intelligence]
Intelligence has been defined in many different ways such as in terms of one's capacity for logic, abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, learning, emotional knowledge, memory, planning, creativity and problem solving.
107
questions
26
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Do the mother's genes almost exclusively determine the sons' intelligence?
According to this paper: Intelligence and the X chromosome by Gillian Turner, published by The Lancet (a highly regarded medical journal) in 1996, the X chromosome is dominantly responsible for coding ...
- 2,499
8
votes
1
answer
843
views
Did US intelligence community ever claim that Iraq had WMDs prior to 2003 inavsion?
The "common knowledge" is that US went to war with Iraq in 2003 based on "intelligence reports" claiming that Iraq had active Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) programs.
On the other hand, some ...
- 26.6k
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Have Bobby Fischer, Einstein, Hawking and Kasparov all had their IQs tested?
I commonly find on the internet claims that these men had/have the following IQs:
Bobby Fischer: 180–190
Einstein: 160
Hawking: 160
Garry Kasparov: 190
I'm sure most have heard somewhere that ...
- 325
14
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Do firstborns have a higher IQ?
I've seen number of articles telling about the fact that firstborns are more likely to have higher IQ than their sibilings.
Sources:
Research Finds Firstborns Gain the Higher I.Q.,
Study: Older ...
- 285
5
votes
3
answers
984
views
Do people's IQs change?
In a 1968 study of the Pygmalion Effect:
Rosenthal and Jacobson gave an intelligence test to all of the students at an elementary school at the beginning of the school year. Then, they randomly ...
- 2,564
7
votes
0
answers
167
views
Do intelligent people tend to stay up later? [duplicate]
I heard that people with high IQs stay up late. I found this article which in turn refers to this study:
S. Kanazawa, K. Perina, Why night owls are more intelligent, Personality and Individual ...
- 2,564
8
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Was it illegal to discriminate on the basis of intelligence in the United States?
Paul Graham wrote the following in March 2005:
One advantage startups have over established companies is that there
are no discrimination laws about starting businesses. For example, I
would be ...
- 38.7k
6
votes
0
answers
246
views
Is there a negative correlation between intelligence and being religious? [duplicate]
A study The relation between intelligence and religiosity: a meta-analysis and some proposed explanations indicates that there is a relationship, with an abstract:
A meta-analysis of 63 studies ...
- 18k
4
votes
0
answers
13k
views
Is 80% of childs intelligence acquired from mother? [duplicate]
Several articles on internet claim that 80% of child's intelligence is acquired from mother. however not providing any scientific publications. Is it really true?
source: http://brooklynmutt.com/post/...
- 149
26
votes
2
answers
20k
views
Is reaction time correlated with intelligence?
The article People Getting Dumber? Human Intelligence Has Declined Since Victorian Era, Research Suggests says,
As for Dr. te Nijenhuis and colleagues, they analyzed the results of 14 intelligence ...
- 26.4k
4
votes
1
answer
461
views
Are we getting smarter? [closed]
I've asked a similar question some time ago and people mentioned the "Flynn effect".
But after watching this video from James Flynn I'm having doubts about the relevance of IQ tests.
In short, that ...
- 1,269
-3
votes
1
answer
344
views
Did this study on British pupil intelligence include all ethnic groups?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Chinese#Education
The proportion of British Chinese achieving 5 or more good GCSEs stood at 70%, where it remained the highest out of all ethnic groups in the ...
- 87
2
votes
0
answers
163
views
Do Ashkenazi Jews have the highest IQ in the world? [duplicate]
It is often claimed that Ashkenazi Jews in the U.S. and the UK are the smartest ethnic group in the world:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016028960600033X
http://www.sciencedirect....
- 87
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How much traces lasting a million years would human civilization leave after perishing?
While there is a nice webcomic with a similar theme, I'm talking about a hopefully more reliable claim: The Science of Discworld alternates between chapters written by fantasy author Terry Pratchett ...
- 575
13
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is spelling (orthography) correlated with adult intelligence?
I been told that spelling ability (good orthography) is correlated with intelligence (which is a nice way to say: if you are bad with orthography, you are stupid). So far I have been unable to find a ...
- 364
1
vote
0
answers
145
views
Is the intelligence of people going down? [duplicate]
Somewhat popular idea in media (say movie "Idiocracy") and general perception of older generation is that people and society are getting dumber. It seems that even real studies show that "stupid" ...
- 119
18
votes
2
answers
17k
views
Does North Korea have the third highest IQ?
In the book IQ and the wealth of nations, the authors Lynn & Vanhanen published a list of measured average IQs for 81 countries (Table 6.1, base-lined on the UK), and another longer list (Table 6....
- 3,136
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Can CT scans performed on a child's head lower his or her intelligence?
The Daily Mail reports that X-rays and CT scans performed on a child's head could lower their IQ:
The study is the first to suggest that medical X-rays to the head could harm the development of the ...
- 59
26
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Does Lumosity increase your intelligence?
Lumosity is a popular website that claims to help you become a more intellectually capable individual.
Harness your brain's neuroplasticity and train your way to a brighter life"
Is it truly ...
- 409
7
votes
0
answers
952
views
Does juggling increase gray matter/size of the occipito-temporal cortex?
I have been led to believe by expert testimonies that juggling may lead to an increase in brain depth and size.
At the moment I am not able to draw on much evidence.
If this is a myth, I would ...
- 409
5
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Are mixed-blood children smarter than their non mixed-blood parents?
I have heard and read on the Internet the disputed claim that mixed blood* children are smarter than their (non-mixed blood) parents.
The general idea of "hybrid vigour" is known as heterosis and ...
- 1,066
24
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Are intelligent people more nocturnal than people not considered intelligent?
Some sites claim that people with higher intelligence tend to go to bed later.
For example:
People with higher IQs are more apt to be nocturnal night-owls. Those with lower IQs tend to restrict ...
29
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Do non-educated people tend more to the right/conservative political wing?
This is a common prejudice in my social environment, but is it true?
Are educated people more likely to vote for a social/left wing party?
Examples: [1]; [2].
- 455
3
votes
1
answer
966
views
Are women weak in religion and reasoning as compared to men? [duplicate]
When Prophet Muhammad compared men and women as follows in one of the hadith, which says women are weaker in reason and religious. While it is difficult to understand deficiency in religion I would ...
- 223
20
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Does Chess ELO correlate with IQ?
Does the chess ELO rating of players (who have trained/played approximately the same amount of time) correlate positively with IQ?
A usual claim is 'IQ and chess ELO ratings don't correlate', a view ...
- 209
45
votes
4
answers
15k
views
Are men smarter than women?
I recently stumbled across the following article:
Sorry, men ARE more brainy than women (and more stupid too!) It's a simple scientific fact, says one of Britain's top dons, in which the author claims:...
- 3,136
22
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Is sense of humor somehow related to intelligence?
I've seen a couple of documentaries where they insinuate that sense of humor and intelligence could be related. I couldn't find the documentaries on the web, but the following are some studies ...
- 323
17
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is intelligence declining due to the lack of selection pressure?
I have read lately that human intelligence has already peaked and that it will slowly decline over time because humans are no longer naturally selected for intelligence (Darwin award winners aside). ...
- 18k
19
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Does Modafinil make you smarter?
Modafinil (Wikipedia link) is a drug approved in many countries for specific medical conditions such as narcolepsy. We don't, however, have a good idea how it works.
But is is one of several drugs (...
- 55.6k
28
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Are Ashkenazi Jews smarter?
I just received an email entitled "Why are Jews So Smart". You can read an article here.
I also found a similar article in New York Magazine.
Did Jewish intelligence evolve in tandem with Jewish ...
- 2,333
35
votes
1
answer
45k
views
Are there more people with genius IQs living in China than there are people total in the U.S.?
This claim was made popular by being said in the movie The Social Network. It exactly says:
Did you know there are more people with genius IQs living in China
than there are people of any kind ...
- 2,510
19
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is there a correlation between intelligence and wearing spectacles?
Many people I know consider bespectacled individuals to be smarter than the average normal sighted person.
Is there any scientific basis to this belief?
- 2,479
11
votes
0
answers
3k
views
Is hair colour correlated with intelligence? [closed]
..for some commonly agreed-upon, objective, quantitative, non-discriminatory intelligence criterion.
Before you rush to close this as a duplicate, yes, I am aware of this other question that treats ...
- 296
23
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Is global IQ dropping over time?
Global IQ: 1950–2050
Essentially the idea is that while smart people are getting wealthier, their birth-rate tends to drop. On the other hand poor countries, which are generally populated by less ...
- 1,269
12
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Does playing popular video games improve a child's IQ?
This article claims a study shows that the cognitive abilities of 60-77 year olds can be helped by playing two weeks of World of Warcraft.
This article quotes a navy researcher as saying adults ...
user4951
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Was Einstein's brain physiologically different?
Einstein's brain has been the subject of much debate and speculation, because of his notable and exceptional contributions to our understanding of the universe.
The claim exists that his brain may ...
- 18k
16
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Does consuming fluoridated water reduce IQ?
Related:
Is fluoride in water an industry waste product?
Is water fluoridation harmful?
Dr. Mercola is at it again with a new article: 25 Studies Prove This Reduces Your IQ.
The Fluoride Action ...
- 21.6k
27
votes
2
answers
10k
views
Do men show greater variance in the distribution of their IQ than women?
It is frequently claimed that men show greater variance in the distribution of their general intelligence factor (g) ("IQ") than women.
Is that claim accepted by the scientific community?
- 381
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Did Asian countries top an IQ survey of 50 countries?
This article in the China Daily makes the claim that several Asian countries topped a survey of intelligence:
Asians dominated the survey compiled by Austrian researchers who drew on a variety of ...
- 889
16
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Does LSD provide a creativity boost?
The claim is of course widely known: LSD "broadens your thinking" and makes you "more creative".
The last incarnation was Steve Jobs' biography taking a swipe at Bill Gates:
“He’d be a broader ...
- 31.1k
24
votes
1
answer
1k
views
If children use calculators in primary school, is their learning impacted?
Others are against using calculator in lower level math teaching, saying that it makes children not to learn their basic facts, prevents students from discovering and understanding underlying ...
- 78.3k
40
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Does watching TV make you stupid?
I haven't watched TV since 1969. I worked in it for decades, and knew enough not to watch it. It makes you stupid, and my colleagues in the networks agree! Some of them would point out what a verbal ...
- 78.3k
31
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Are non-religious people smarter than religious people?
There are quite a few studies that confirm this, the most recent one:
http://onefuriousllama.com/2011/09/11/another-study-links-intelligence-to-lack-of-religiosity/
Are non-religious people smarter ...
- 1,269
26
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Were our recent ancestors as intelligent as we are?
A good friend of mine made the following claim:
If we would have a time machine and use it to gather newborns from different eras of human history and would put them in normal and nurturing ...
- 309
15
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Intelligence and number of children?
This wikipedia article on fertility and intelligence (citation missing from wiki article needed for proving this claim) indicates that intelligent people are less fertile. Is this correlated to the ...
- 964
18
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Does your choice of browser relate to your IQ
SOURCE
PC World reports that a "psychometric consulting" firm called
AptiQuant gave free online IQ tests to 100,000 people, and then
plotted the scores against the browser on which the tests ...
- 9,089
11
votes
1
answer
19k
views
Are big ears a sign of intelligence?
Some people claim that ear size and shape is related to intelligence. For example, this writer.
Has any real research been done on this?
18
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Are blondes dumb or is it just a sarcastic saying?
Many a times in hollywood, blondes are projected as unitellegent, stupid and dull-witted. In fact a perception around the world can be realized about the same. In friends circle, TV shows and social ...
- 569
9
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Can one be naturally better at computers than English or Maths?
I think everybody heard this claim, and its opposite, a million times. Students or teachers commonly speak about having talents for a particular subject or another.
The subject is debated, for example,...
- 78.3k
8
votes
2
answers
961
views
Are there large scale studies investigating relationship between IQ and autism spectrum disorders (especially Aspergers)?
There's a lately-somewhat-widely held belief that there's a strong correlation (and to a certain extent, a fairly obvious causation) between Asperger's syndrome (or Autism spectrum disorders in ...
- 31.1k