Some precisions about IQ

This is going to be a tricky subject!

First of all, I want everyone to know that the widely circulated "map of average IQs" that racists love to use, is complete bullshit.

This should be obvious to anyone with a bit of background on the matter. The map lists many african countries as having an average IQ below the threshold for intellectual disability. But below that threshold, it often becomes difficult to live alone, and suggesting there are whole countries out there whose adult population is disabled by over 50%, and often incapable of living alone, is laughable.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that the data that map was made upon is super flawed. There are whole countries whose "average IQ" will have been calculated from twenty people or less, the population of an orphanage or of a refugee camp. I'm not even exaggerating.

Besides, a large amount (104) of the countries on the page don't actually have any national estimates, and the map has been filled by averaging the scores of the surrounding countries

That's not the only problem, because to me, the whole concept of a country's "national IQ average" is an aberration. Because that's not how the tests are designed.

You can't just use an IQ test and make measurments, you have to calibrate it first. That is, first you have to test a whole, significant sample of the population.

Then you give the mean and median results you obtain the grade of 100, and the remaining results get graded according to the distribution following a standard deviation of 15 (for Wechsler's scales)

So obviously, the average IQ of a given country is 100, always.

(at least theoretically. as you might guess, if the initial sample wasn't representative of the population, the actual average IQ measured might slightly vary from 100. It means nothing except that the calibration is slightly wrong.

IQ is a relative measurement, not an absolute one. There is absolutely no point in comparing the average IQs of whole countries, because IQ is about measuring individuals relative to their group, not groups relative to each other. It would be pretty terrible at doing the latter, because of how culturally and linguistically sensitive it is (to the point that I doubt an IQ test in anything other than your mother tongue could possibly be accurate). Especially because of the importance of the VCI (verbal comprehension index).

Obviously, that means that a large amount of people on earth, whose mother tongue is not some large language, don't even have an option to pass an accurate test.

One misconception that really irks me.

Note: this is regarding the Wechsler-scale tests, WISC and WAIS.

“IQ is only a number”

No it's not, it's at least 5 separate numbers!

Specifically,as of WAIS-IV

  • VCI, Verbal Comprehension Index
  • PRI, Perceptual Reasoning Index
  • WMI, Working Memory Index
  • PSI, Processing Speed Index
  • FSIQ, Full Scale Intellectual Quotient (it's the one most people know)
  • GAI, General Ability Index (it can also be used to detect giftedness)

Each of them is calculated from a subset of the exercices the test includes, and each of them is useful.

For example, my PSI is really lagging behind the rest. From what I've read, it's not rare among gifted individuals, because this score is susceptible to be affected by writing disabilities. In other words it can be indicative of dysgraphia, which at least half of gifted kids have. Me probably included (source: I was in the study.)

I'll have to come back to that later, and talk about some more background and especially the history of Niça. It's relevant you'll see.