MyGiftedLife.org

SueBlue wrote:
On another board, the consensus seemed to be that if gifties can't figure out a way to communicate to the masses, then it doesn't say much for our people skills.

Yeah, I heard that, too... so many times. So as not to hijack the thread, I've posted my reply on a new thread:

mygiftedlife.org/forum/26-personality-an...n-qsocialq-myth#1612

There are other ways to evaluate intelligence and I'm a bit skeptical about the value of the Mensa test for saying someone is gifted or not.

To start with it assumes a lot (eg from one that I did, I had to choose the odd one out from birds I'd never heard of, being on the wrong continent their names weren't common knowledge) Also it doesn't measure certain types of giftedness well, like artistic/creative talents and imagination. You could fail a Mensa test yet excel in these fields.

Also what happens as the gifted person ages and loses some of their faculties? Or if they suffer an injury, tumor or illness that affects their brain or cognition? Are they still gifted? Is the test adjusted to allow for slower processing times when the thought processes and creativity are still intact? What if they have a relapsing/remitting illness that affects cognition speed and memory? Are they only gifted when the illness is remitting?

I'm more inclined to believe someone is gifted because they think differently to people who are not and are disadvantaged trying to think the same way as someone who is not gifted. I don't see it as knowing more or being further ahead in learning, rather an entirely different way of learning. More like a different mind culture where the thought processes evaluates in a broader context and connections are made that create new ideas and expand upon what already exists. I think you could identify a giftie by the way they tackle problems, they way they respond to stimuli and how they respond to different learning styles.

As far as processing speed, Mensa UK does allow for age.

As stated by their website, "British Mensa uses two main tests to identify people's IQ scores, the Cattell III B and the Cattell Culture Fair III A.

A score which puts you in the top two per cent of the population on either of these papers would qualify you for membership of Mensa.

An adult can only get a maximum IQ of 161 on the Cattell III B test."

But as you say we have to remember that Mensa is not looking for the broader definition of giftedness. They're looking for the older definition, a high IQ; specifically for an IQ in the top 2% range. And the tests themselves cannot measure cognition -- too intangible -- they can only measure the performance of applied knowledge and pattern-matching.

Which is why I always advise the same thing:
I can understand wanting to know your IQ (I did it last time to make sure it wasn't declining!), but if you're going to do it, do it for your own reasons when you're ready. And be prepared for a non-amazing score regardless of who you are -- not everyone tests well, anyone can have a bad day and the tests are not perfect.

The biggest problem I had with the Mensa test when I took it was that it was obvious that it was old, that it has not been updated in probably at least 30 years. Some of the analogies where you had to say (someone else posted which bird was different from the other, for me it was boats) how one picture was different from another, I couldn't think of anything other than cultural bias, because you had to have had certain experiences to be able to spot what difference they were seeking.

I never thought before about the timed portion, but it is a good point that the amount of time it takes to get an answer may not necessarily be a sign of intelligence or lack of it.

From what I know about Mensa, it does seem like they are more a social organization than one where people get together to solve social or economic problems. There are probably SIGs though, where they do that.

But the one time I went to hang out with Mensans, it was a trivia night at a restaurant here in Cincinnati. Pretty laid back.

I'm not very familiar with the MENSA test but IQ tests are not culturally biased. That is an old saw that was conceived in response to a book called "The Bell Curve" written in the 60s that showed that certain ethnic groups had higher IQs than others. There never was validity to the claim but the issue was so racially charged that many people went along with it for fear of being labeled racist.

As for IQ alone, I'm pretty sure people with learning disabilities such as dyslexia wind up with a skewed total score. Also, people from different backgrounds will do better than others as the tests do to an extent treat knowledge as indicia of intelligence. And yes there are people who are slow processors who prefer to take their time in problem solving. I think it is a mistake to use speed as a criteria.

If you regularly find your self talking to people who clearly can't understand what you are saying you may be gifted. Either that or schizophrenic or just a poor communicator.

That being said, MENSA has their own criteria and they are entitled.