Question about IQ?

[Intel17]

I'm curious, does a person's IQ stop increasing at a young age, or does it continue growing until one is an adult (say 18 years of age)?

Basically, does anyone know when IQ ceases to develop?

 

[Diplo]

By it's very definition your IQ never stops changing - literally the Intelligence Quotient is:

The ratio of intelligence in an individual, calculated by dividing their mental age by their chronological age and multiplying by 100

Even then IQ tests only test a small part of intelligence that is easily subject to testing. Someone might be very good with logical analysis but lack in "common sense", for example. IQ alone is not anything like a measure of intelligence, it's merely a gauge for certain types of mental ability.

Intelligence itself never really stops developing - you always have the capacity to learn more than you do. A large part of intelligence is based on empirical experience and therefore wisdom is something that develops with age. However, physiologically speaking the brain itself does stop 'growing' when you reach adult-hood and, as you get older, can degenerate. However, it's not a linear process with an absolute cut-off.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

IQ reaches about 75% of max around 5, by 10 or 12 I think it hits max.

 

[OpenGL guy]

Remember that IQ is a quotient so if your IQ is 200 at, say, age 15, it's likely to be lower at age 30 as it's difficult to increase your knowledge as fast as you age.

 

[Bolloxoid]

Remember that IQ is a quotient so if your IQ is 200 at, say, age 15, it's likely to be lower at age 30 as it's difficult to increase your knowledge as fast as you age.

The IQ is a quotient only in name, IQ has for a long time been measured by standardised tests. The tests are scored by age group so that the mean result for each age group is 100.

Intelligence (which is what the original poster probably meant) reaches its peak in adolescence and declines thereafter, more significantly, of course, in old age. Hence, IQ stays the same, assuming a normal age-related decline in test performance.

 

[Neeyik]

Intelligence (which is what the original poster probably meant) reaches its peak in adolescence and declines thereafter, more significantly, of course, in old age. Hence, IQ stays the same, assuming a normal age-related decline in test performance.

From my own experiences, personally and as a teacher, I would say that the age at which intelligence peaks and when it starts to decline is nowhere near as clean-cut as that, not even with a blanket proviso such as "in general".

 

[K.I.L.E.R]

That's good news, can you please explain what you mean?

From my own experiences, personally and as a teacher, I would say that the age at which intelligence peaks and when it starts to decline is nowhere near as clean-cut as that, not even with a blanket proviso such as "in general".

 

[Neeyik]

Well, personally, I know that I'm more intelligent than I was 20 years ago and most of my friends are like that too - I'm not talking about wisdom or experience, I mean actual raw intelligence. My understanding of physics and maths is better; I'm currently learning C++ which, although I'm pretty slow at getting through it, there's no way I could have coped when I was a teenager. I solve problems better, my grasp of logic, speech, literature, etc are all of a much higher standard because I understand them more in-depth. As a teacher, I've had numerous students return and say hello many years after I last taught them (either at GCSE or A-level), and the vast majority of them admitted to being better students - not because they'd matured and settled down, but because they felt they were more intelligent.

I believe that this is because there are many factors, such as length of education, work and home environment, health and diet, that affect how one's intelligence develops and declines.

Please excuse the brevity of my reply but I'm tired and it's time for beddy-by-bows!

 

[Bolloxoid]

From my own experiences, personally and as a teacher, I would say that the age at which intelligence peaks and when it starts to decline is nowhere near as clean-cut as that, not even with a blanket proviso such as "in general".

Intelligence tests have been administered to thousands and thousands of people as part of their standardisation procedure, and performance begins to decline in adulthood, there is no doubt about that.

There is, however, the possibility that cohort effects may play a significant role in these results and may confound the issue.

 

[John Reynolds]

Alls I knows is that I gots more than all the rest of youse combined.

 

[silence]

there is difference between experience and inteligence.....
i am sure that your life experience is one of factors that is helping you to master things you didnt as teenager (same here), but does it change inteligance?
dunno...

i also dont believe there is just one type of inteligence and that it can be measured with few tests. you can have high IQ person being fooled by someone who has more experience in certain field.....

i personally thing that IQ is mixture of couple factors.... and that there are different types of inteligence also... someone might be genius in maths, but cant get his social inteligence working even to get girl, while someone might have his social skills pumped up while he needs calculator to make 2+2

IMO, best way to measure inteligance overall is to put group of people in unusual situation and see who react fastest and who makes right decisions....

taking some online or even written test is no indication for me, cause you have someone who hits 180 IQ points and when put in situation that needs to be solved fast we fails....


but as i said, i think there are different types of inteligence....

 

[Guden Oden]

The IQ is a quotient only in name, IQ has for a long time been measured by standardised tests. The tests are scored by age group so that the mean result for each age group is 100.

IQ is - and no pun here - pure bollocks actually. It sure measures something, but it isn't intelligence.

To a large extent, that "something" is the ability to solve IQ tests, which to be frank, is of rather limited importance by and large.

 

[Bolloxoid]

IQ is - and no pun here - pure bollocks actually. It sure measures something, but it isn't intelligence.

The validity and predictive power of many sorts of tests of cognitive ability have been well documented, regardless of what you might personally think of them.

 

[Fred]

IQ has a lot of statistical evidence backing it up. There are also several different tests you take (giving a score means nothing without citing the test).

IQ tests generally measures math/verbal/spatial reasoning and pattern recognition. Also there is a lot of evidence to indicate that as your iq goes up, so too does your general wealth/prestige/success.

I hate to use it really, b/c I know many outlier cases where things don't quite match up, but its hard to argue with the body of evidence people have collected on the subject. Indeed it certainly measures something pertaining to intelligence.

Recently there was a bit of a pc movement to introduce social intelligence standards and things like that, but there is a lot of controversy as to whether or not that really makes sense.

 

[PC-Engine]

I don't know how to answer your question which makes me feel stupider.

 

[Ty]

I hate to use it really, b/c I know many outlier cases where things don't quite match up, but its hard to argue with the body of evidence people have collected on the subject. Indeed it certainly measures something pertaining to intelligence.

Responding to the part I bolded. Oddly enough I feel the same way about the current theory of Evolution.