The shape is perceptibly different from a Gaussian (at least in the distributions that I found googling “empirical distribution of IQ” and similar keywords). This is not surprising, because almost nothing in Nature is an ideal Gaussian.
Not really. Currently IQ distribution is defined as a Gaussian, so if tests are made correctly and the proper transformation is applied the shape of the curve, for a large enough population, will literally be a Gaussian “by definition”. Check this answer on Stack Exchange for details and references:
It’s designed to be a normal distribution, but actual implementations don’t work out exactly that way. For starters, the distribution is skewed rightward because brain damage is a thing and brain augmentation isn’t (yet).
The shape is perceptibly different from a Gaussian (at least in the distributions that I found googling “empirical distribution of IQ” and similar keywords). This is not surprising, because almost nothing in Nature is an ideal Gaussian.
Not really. Currently IQ distribution is defined as a Gaussian, so if tests are made correctly and the proper transformation is applied the shape of the curve, for a large enough population, will literally be a Gaussian “by definition”. Check this answer on Stack Exchange for details and references:
Wood, Why are IQ test results normally distributed?, URL (version: 2019-12-23)
Now, evidently, for smaller sub-samples of the population the shape will vary.
It’s designed to be a normal distribution, but actual implementations don’t work out exactly that way. For starters, the distribution is skewed rightward because brain damage is a thing and brain augmentation isn’t (yet).