Why IQ testing and MENSA can bite me

[garote]

I saw this question once, on a test from MENSA:

Which one is most different: A, F, N, H, E

It was a multiple choice question. Apparently there was one correct answer, and four that were wrong.
I considered each letter in turn for a couple seconds:

• A, because it’s the only letter that creates an enclosed space
  
• F, because it’s the only letter that doesn’t have symmetry
  
• N, because it’s the only letter that can be drawn in one stroke
  
• H, because it’s the only letter with symmetry on both axis
  
• E, because it’s the made up of four lines (all the others use three)
  

This question neatly encapsulates everything that I think is wrong with using a standardized test to judge ""intelligence"". Regular tests are all about recalling a fact, or applying a procedure to arrive at a solution. But an ""intelligence"" test is supposedly designed to test precision and cleverness, and be as independent of cultural bias as possible. Instead, every ""intelligence"" test I've come across has been an exercise in divining which approach, among many, the entity scoring the test expects you to use. Which can easily become a matter of cultural bias.

What is the point of questions like this? Of tests like this?

Comments

[graue.livejournal.com]

Did you just write that?

Your critique seems familiar to me. I think I read something years ago criticising the same question on the same grounds.

[beatings.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing the "correct" "answer" is F, because it's asymmetrical; my "tricky-dar" tells me that's the answer they expect. But, like you said, who the hell really knows?!

The point of MENSA, I think, is to make a few people feel better about themselves. And they can whip out their allegiance in internet arguments, in an attempt to impress people -- "I'm a member of MENSA, so I know what I'm talking about." I've seen it happen. The guy was patently fucking wrong.

[thegoodreverend.livejournal.com]

I've never taken the MENSA test, but I've aced plenty of standardized tests in my day - I'm just GOOD at them. It's certainly not the only way, or perhaps the "best" way to measure intelligence, but it is one way, and I think it's best seen that like that.

That said, MENSA and other test designers are usually very careful about questions that are as clearly ambiguous as your example. Some are bound to slip through, but then again, standardized tests often have 50-200 questions, so no single one makes or breaks the results. Standardized testing as a sole means evaluation is wrong, and unfortunately the case in some locations. But in some situations, it's really the only good choice.

As for MENSA, I can take it or leave it - so far I've not joined because it's primarily a social club, and my social card is full with other activities and groups that feature people like me - just like most people enjoy. That's all MENSA is. My Atheist group requires atheism as a condition for membership, most LUGs require some computer expertise or desire to learn, and MENSA requires a test. No problems there.

No.

[ex-zeugma416.livejournal.com]

Your latter point is manifestly wrong. MENSA is not just like any other club or belief group. While the club has a perfect right to exist, you must recognize that MENSA is elitist to the core. It's not like this is a club for people merely interested in logic puzzles or who have professed a belief of some sort -- this is a club for people who have achieved at least a certain high score on a certain exclusive exam, and if you don't make that score, you're out. The idea is to screen out people who are perceived to have less ability and intelligence. If THAT isn't elitist, I don't know what is.

MENSA is a club on the same model as those financially exclusive clubs that are technically open to all but which have enormous annual dues -- the kind of thing that only somebody with a fat income can afford.

Again, I'm not questioning the right of such exclusive clubs to exist -- I'm objecting to this notion that MENSA is "just like" either of the examples you gave, or indeed is "just like" most clubs, which are based on nothing more than a common interest in a given subject or activity. The elitist nature of MENSA has to be recognized.

Re: No.

[thegoodreverend.livejournal.com]

The elitist nature of MENSA has to be recognized

Why? Who cares? If you polled 100 Joes on the street, I'd bet less than 20% have even HEARD of MENSA. From what I can tell, it doesn't do politics at all outside its interest groups. It doesn't lobby. It's a private group, like thousands of others. MENSA's influence seems minimal, at best.

You're also grossly mistaken about MENSA requiring "a certain exclusive exam" - they'll take the results of dozens of different tests, given by dozens of different organizations. Sure, it's "exclusive", just like any group with membership requirements. If you don't like it, don't join. Not sure who they're hurting here...

To clarify:

[ex-zeugma416.livejournal.com]

My objection was to your characterization of MENSA as being "just like" the examples you mentioned, and to nothing else. Political influence is a non-issue, and I'm not sure why you've brought it up in response. MENSA more resembles a country-club type of organization than (say) a beer-brewing group or a congregation. To equate the former type of organization with the latter two is to miss an important distinction. That is my single point. Whether they do good or ill is nothing to the purpose. I stand well corrected on the testing issue, but the error hardly invalidates the point.

Internet presence

[garote]

I went poking around. There's a main Mensa page, which links to other pages by country. There US page has a spot for searching by zip code. That directed me to the "San Francisco Regional Mensa" site. All three sites dryly extoll the vague benefits of hanging out with other members, and refer you to offices that will administer a $40 test or accept various notarized equivalents. Absolutely not compelling.

Then I looked at the "calendar of events": http://www.sfmensa.org/events.html . 3/4 of these events are marked "NMPCW", which means essentially "non-members welcome". And I'll bet good money that if I were to show up to any one of these semi-organized gatherings, no one would ask me for any kind of official documentation or ID. It would simply be enough to introduce myself and say "I'm new around here."

To me, this demonstrates that Mensa should change its own policies to better reflect the apparent attitude of its own members: There should be NO compulsory testing to join. Simply exhibiting an interest in hanging with "other smarties" should be enough. (And if it isn't, then Fuck You, Mensa. Fuck You With A Big Rubber Cock.)

Re: Internet presence

[garote]

Well crap, I'M out of Mensa for sure. I type "There" instead of "Their". Someone's going to come around any minute and rip the epaulets off of my jacket.

Re: Internet presence

[garote]

Oops, I've omitted the letter D. There goes my time-share in Tuscany and filigree watch.

And incidentally,

[ex-zeugma416.livejournal.com]

My assumption that they gave a single test came from your opening sentence, "I've never taken the MENSA test."

[akki.livejournal.com]

Actually, I wasn't thinking of how they look, but rather how they sound. If that's the case, my answer is H because you have to aspirate it.

but yeah, standardized testing can suck it.

[garote]

I would have never thought of that one... Nice find!

[caffeina.livejournal.com]

I think the point of inane intelligence tests is to reward and encourage conformist thinking.

And those letters piss me off because they don't anagram out to a damned thing. (ocd issues, sorry)

[mommadona.livejournal.com]

but the things is... N isn't symmetrical

[garote]

Inverted symmetry?

P.S. That Bill Gates icon totally reminds me of playing with Photoshop 10 or so years ago :D

[mommadona.livejournal.com]

lol... it's john w. hickenlooper (http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/mayor), the mayor of denver

[shinkagakusha.livejournal.com]

Ah, group theory... my favorite.

[conflictdswitch.livejournal.com]

What is the point of questions like this?
To mess with your mind.

Of tests like this?
So some people can make themselves feel and seem superior than other people. And having a "standardized" test that says so is a real ego boost as well.

BTW, I would pick N because it doesn't have a horizontal stroke like all the other letters.

MENSA

[ex-zeugma416.livejournal.com]

As has been well-established, intelligence is not the same thing as pure ratiocination. My question about MENSA has always been, why would somebody with truly superior intelligence even want to BELONG to such a club in the first place? Snobbery is an enormous character flaw. Doesn't its existence in a given individual bespeak a fairly low wattage in some area that the famous IQ test does not cover?

Re: MENSA

[garote]

I was just thinking, "There's got to be a LOLCATS that summarizes this", but my search only turned up:



and

Re: MENSA

[conflictdswitch.livejournal.com]

If I was drinking anything while seeing that second image come up, it would've come out my nose and been all over the screen. That is frelling hilarious.

[graue.livejournal.com]

I agree with what everyone said by the way.

[graue.livejournal.com]

Especially the one about conformist thinking. I was just thinking the same thing!

[garote]

Huh. Sounds to me like they're shooting themselves in their metaphorical feet...

What they say: "Dude, Asia Carrera is in Mensa! That totally is not [ elitist | irrelevant | silly | sick and sad ]!"

What I hear: "Dude, Asia Carrera is in Mensa! That totally is not BANG! BANG! BANG! BANGBANG! arrrrrgh!"