Thread: How do psychologists estimate IQ?

I've had psychologists estimate my IQ before, what is the process behind this? Do they evaluate your speech, array of interests etc? I'd like a more in-depth view of the mechanisms behind their estimations. Anyone have any ideas?

It's based upon a standardized test.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient

Thanks for the reply. I'm aware of IQ tests and the like, I'm just wondering how they estimate your IQ before the test is even administered. I apologize in advance if I misunderstood.

Originally Posted by RecreationalDrugs

Thanks for the reply. I'm aware of IQ tests and the like, I'm just wondering how they estimate your IQ before the test is even administered. I apologize in advance if I misunderstood.

There are different test that measure different levels, lets say an average person 88-112 IQ from a Mensa candidate. Usually by talking to someone for a few minutes one can tell whether someone is average, genius or possibly retarded.

Thanks for a reply, I guess I'm looking for more "detailed" information. Do they evaluate a person's reasoning, level of education, etc?

So, does anyone else have a better conceptualization of how trained professionals unofficially assess intelligence? Sorry for being so persistent, it's just the process makes me a little perplexed.

I do not know, but I would suspect it based on the following. Any experienced psychologist will have observed many aspects of the behaviour of many individuals prior to formal assessment of their IQ. Over time they will have learnt that certain behaviours correlate with certain IQs. Much of this assessment will be sub-conscious. A layman might express it as having a gut feeling. The exact behavioural patterns used and the accuracy of the informal assessment will vary from psychologist to psychologist. Some may even have little 'tricks' they use to get a first feel for the number.

I repeat, this is all surmise, but seems ot me plausible.

I'd suggest that "accessing IQ" is not a common activity for most psychologists. IQ has long been known to be a limited measure of intelligence, especially since there are so many different types of intelligence. Most psychologists are looking at other things, generally listed in the DSM-IV, stuff like anxiety, depression, OCD, multiple personalities, schizophrenia, and other such disorders.

^^You make a very logical point, inow. I suppose they don't assess IQ typically, I guess I was just curious as to the general process, sometimes they will "estimate."

A little off topic, but I took the WAIS over a week ago but haven't gotten the full results back yet. Supposedly, my Verbal Comprehension is in the gifted range (Vocab, Similarities, Information), but my Perceptual Organization performance seemed pretty deplorable, I'm not sure about Processing Speed. On the Working Memory index, my performance on Digit Span caused my psych to say "most don't make it this far." The psych said this warrants a more complete investigation.

I'm worried this discrepancy might mean a Learning Disability, or my severe psychiatric issues are getting in the way of my performance (ADD/Depression/Anxiety). Does anyone have any insight into this, maybe?

Definitely if you have any psych issues, it's a good idea to see about looking for their root cause and addressing it. Those can hinder us in many ways, including intelligence and standardized measurements.

All IQ tests are useless because they have tonns of math if them. You can have extreme deductive skills, wisdom, reasoning and problem solving skills - but still have low IQ if youre not good at math.

Edit: They should rename IQ tests to "How good are you at math, and some other small stuff thatll contribute a tiny bit to your score"

Originally Posted by Raziell

They should rename IQ tests to "How good are you at math, and some other small stuff thatll contribute a tiny bit to your score"

It rolls right off the tongue.

I came once came across a study which suggested that IQ actually measures the degree of urbanisation in an individual. Anyone else come across this?

I got my official results back, my full scale IQ is 99. Psych said it wasn't representative of my intelligence, but I don't care this makes me a dummy. My verbal IQ is 130, from the same test how screwed up is that? He agreed that ADD/Depression/Anxiety were hurting the score.

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I came once came across a study which suggested that IQ actually measures the degree of urbanisation in an individual. Anyone else come across this?

Prom - I personally haven't heard about that, no, but I've not kept up with any research in quite some time.

Originally Posted by RecreationalDrugs

I got my official results back, my full scale IQ is 99. Psych said it wasn't representative of my intelligence, but I don't care this makes me a dummy. My verbal IQ is 130, from the same test how screwed up is that? He agreed that ADD/Depression/Anxiety were hurting the score.

RecDrugs - I think you should note that there are many many different types of intelligence. Different people are good at different things, and the IQ is just one limited measure. Don't fret.


http://skyview.vansd.org/lschmidt/Pr...telligence.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_..._intelligences

Also... Recreational Drugs WILL hurt your intelligence score when testing.

I'm not sure why I chose that nickname, but I wasn't under the influence of any kind when I did the testing. I might've taken a Vicodin the night before, but it shouldn't been out of my system.

I'm sure my anxiety/depression/ADD could've effected it somewhat, but not by much probably.