THE PROBLEM WITH IQ…

…lies in its ambiguity: What does it really mean to be “intelligent”? The graphic below shows a few important aspects. Those that are set against a black background can be reliably measured by an IQ test. The ones on a white background—motor function, coordination, and creativity—have little influence on test results. Intelligence tests have been around for about 120 years. They were developed in Europe and America in the early 1900s as a way to measure a person’s cognitive skills. The earliest test was devised by Alfred Binet, a French psychologist commissioned by his government to identify students likely to face difficulty in school. Binet bemoaned the fact that his test could not measure emotional intelligence or creativity.