I feel I have to somehow be involved with this group of people/community but I am insecure about my intelligence (I saw the results of the last LW poll and everyone had 140+ IQs)
I wouldn’t take that result too seriously. If everyone posting on LW had an IQ of 140+ it’d suggest LW posters exclusively came from the top 0.4% of the IQ distribution or so. I think selection bias and/or overestimates of people’s IQ is more likely.
I wouldn’t take that result too seriously. If everyone posting on LW had an IQ of 140+ it’d suggest LW posters exclusively came from the top 0.4% of the IQ distribution or so.
The entry requirement for MENSA is 148 on the Catell IQ test. Mensa only requires the 98th percentile. The selection effect could be on which IQ test result they wish to report. I certainly report the thing that sounds better whenever in such a situation. If people are mislead by me reporting an IQ that is through the roof that is their fault for taking such an ambiguous and meaningless number like “IQ” seriously in the first place.
It’s perhaps unlikely from a statistical point of view, though it is indeed entirely possible.
Regardless, there is no reason why someone should refrain from engaging in an intellectual activity if they feel inclined to participate; there are certainly limitations that make IQ tests inaccurate predictors of intelligence for many individuals. I’ve personally known someone who scored ≈70 points higher when a better clinician administered the test and neuroatypicality was considered.
I wouldn’t take that result too seriously. If everyone posting on LW had an IQ of 140+ it’d suggest LW posters exclusively came from the top 0.4% of the IQ distribution or so. I think selection bias and/or overestimates of people’s IQ is more likely.
The entry requirement for MENSA is 148 on the Catell IQ test. Mensa only requires the 98th percentile. The selection effect could be on which IQ test result they wish to report. I certainly report the thing that sounds better whenever in such a situation. If people are mislead by me reporting an IQ that is through the roof that is their fault for taking such an ambiguous and meaningless number like “IQ” seriously in the first place.
Everyone having 140+ is not very plausible, its unlikely everyone took iq test, even (i didn’t, and i exclude the online ones)
It’s perhaps unlikely from a statistical point of view, though it is indeed entirely possible.
Regardless, there is no reason why someone should refrain from engaging in an intellectual activity if they feel inclined to participate; there are certainly limitations that make IQ tests inaccurate predictors of intelligence for many individuals. I’ve personally known someone who scored ≈70 points higher when a better clinician administered the test and neuroatypicality was considered.