In the November 2007 issue of "Growth Strategies," political scientist Charles Murray seems to support the idea of IQ or "intelligence quotient" tests. According to Murray, 50 percent of all people in the United States have a below average IQ. He believes too many low-IQ school children grow up to enroll in college when they shouldn't and students with high IQs don't receive the support they need in order to make the most out of their superior brain power. But there are those who don't agree with Murray's opinion.
Alternate Viewpoint
In his 2004 book "Inequality in America: What Role for Human Capital Policies?" economist James Hekman maintains that qualities that can't be measured on traditional IQ tests can propel students to economic success. Speaking of his research, Heckman said, "Our analysis challenges the conventional point of view that equates skill with intelligence, and draws on a body of research that demonstrates the importance of both cognitive and non-cognitive skills in determining socioeconomic success."
Research Findings
In other words, Heckman believes the kind of intelligence that can be measured on standard IQ tests may play a role in a child's future economic success, but it's not the only deciding factor. He said what employers value most in their workers, according to his studies, are perseverance and dependability. In ""Inequality in America," Heckman wrote of people who scored high on IQ tests but failed miserably when it came to coping with the ups and downs of reality while others scored low on IQ tests but went on to achieve high marks on the biggest exam of all--life.
History
In 1983 educator Howard Gardner, Ph.D., published his groundbreaking book "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences." Gardner's theory is that being a whiz at book learning is only one way intelligence expresses itself. In "Frames of Mind" he identified six types of intelligence. Later, educator Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D., summed these up as: "word-smart," "numbers smart," "picture smart," "body smart," "people smart," "self smart" and "nature smart." Gardner stated that a person can have above-average intelligence in more than one of these areas. He advised educators to stimulate students in all of the intelligences in order to build upon their strengths and enable them to develop beyond their weaknesses.
Significance
While Murray appears to equate "word smarts" and "numbers smart"-- or being good at acing language arts and math tests--with being a superior thinker, Gardner and Armstrong's view is that intelligence comes in many forms with no one form better than others. Gardner's findings about multiple intelligences changed the face of education in the United States. Entire schools launched programs that incorporated his theory. However, today, IQ tests---and other assessments that mainly focus on word and number smarts---still play a major role in shaping school policies.
Recommendation
In light of the contrasting views about the relevancy of defining intelligence in only one way, perhaps the question is not whether IQ tests have meaning. Rather, we need to do as Gardner recommended in the article "Does IQ Matter?" that ran in the November 1998 issue of "Commentary Magazine." He said we should create intelligence tests that authentically measure a person's abilities in multiple areas, not only in regard to book learning.
References
- bNET: "Growth Strategies": Three Simple Truths; Charles Murray; November 2007
- "Inequality in America: What Role for Human Capital Policies?"; James J. Heckman; 2005
- "Frames Of Mind: The Theory Of Multiple Intelligences"; Howard E. Gardner; 1993
- Dr. Thomas Armstrong: Multiple Intelligences
- "Commentary Magazine"; IQ: Does it Matter?; Christopher F Chabris & Critics; November 1998
