Do not assess intelligence through IQ points

The results of intelligent index tests (IQ) are not completely reliable basis for us to evaluate human thinking ability, US scientists affirmed.

The BBC said that scientists at the University of Pennsylvania in the US analyzed many previous studies to see the relationship between human motivation and the results of a smart index test. Their research subjects include more than 2,000 people.

The research team found that all subjects achieved higher IQ scores if they took a test because of some motivation , such as when applying for a job or taking a scholarship. The upward trend in motivation has been most evident in the group with low thinking ability.

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In the second study, experts examined the impact of motivation on the IQ test results.

They use personal data of 250 men in a study lasting several decades. These men used to do many IQ tests during the study period. The results showed that, if motivated, they always put more effort into doing IQ tests than when there was no motivation.

' Using the results of IQ tests to measure people's intellect can make us overestimate someone's thinking ability. In order to achieve a high score in the IQ test, people need to have both intelligence and competitive motivation to show their abilities at the highest level, 'the team concluded in the Proceedings of the National Academy. of Sciences .

Dr. James Thompson, a psychology lecturer at University College London (UCL) in the UK, stressed that IQ test results are always a combination of innate ability with many other factors.

' The results of an IQ test contain elements of both intelligence and character, but intellectual factors account for a larger proportion. If a person who takes an IQ test in a non-motivational context, that test is the best tool for assessing that individual's intelligence , 'Thompson said.