From: "Phillip M. Hallam-Baker" <hallam@ai.mit.edu>
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 11:44:35 -0800 (PST)
To: "Cypherpunks (E-mail)" <cypherpunks@toad.com>
Subject: IQ and age
Message-ID: <01BBDC71.A2A247E0@crecy.ai.mit.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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>Contrary to popular armchair psychology, there is no significant evidence 
>that IQ and age are inversely related.  In general, however, the older we 
>get, the less we use our brain, and it becomes like a muscle that we no 
>longer use.

Contrary to popular belief there is no sound evidence for believing many
of the claims made for IQ tests. IQ measures ones ability to do IQ 
tests and little else. 

They were originally invented as a means of measuring the response of 
mentally defective patients so that their progress under different
treatment regimes could be compared. 

There is no evidence to support the many claims made that IQ measures
"innate" intelligence. If you practice IQ tests your score will increase.
When I was 10 I used to spend each Friday afternoon practicing IQ tests 
for the entry examination to the upper school. My "IQ" increased by
30 points over that time, an most of the people in the class managed
to improve their score by at least 10.

>The point: Yes, you can improve your brain, and you can take proactive 
>steps to increase your IQ.

Absolutely, it may not be the best idea if you want to be able to fit
in socially however. You will then have to leave in a world where 
everyone you meet has a lower IQ.


	Phill