Human Potential Beyond IQ

While IQ may be the gold standard measurement in matters of intelligence, there are other factors that are just as essential for success.

IQ has become the absolute reference point for intelligence, whether it's in everyday language, in the media or within the psychology community. On Google, the key words ‘IQ' and ‘IQ test' are among the most commonly searched words on the web. The Central Test Research and Development team has been looking at the benefits and limitations of IQ analysis, as well as at its impact on our professional success. Here are their findings.

Briefly:

IQ is the principal worldwide recognized standard measurement of intelligence.

Up to a certain level, professional and educational performance are correlated with IQ; however, there are other elements that play a more important role.

IQ tests accounted for only 8% of the tests used by Central Test's 3500 clients around the world in 2011. Generally, HR experts use a combination of different tests.

Intelligence is complex. There are two conflicting concepts of intelligence: one describes intelligence as ‘singular' and centres on the general idea of intelligence; the other sees intelligence as ‘multi-faceted'.

IQ is regarded as being less important to achieving success in certain jobs, than are other capacities, such as emotional intelligence, creativity, language, critical thinking, intuition and global vision.

The complexity of intelligence

In a general sense, psychologists agreed that intelligence can be defined as the overall capacity to act in a purposeful manner, to think rationally, and to adapt effectively to one's environment. Some experts in the field, such as British psychologist, Charles Spearman, favour a unitary approach and saw intelligence as a general, unified capacity of judgment, practical sense, initiative and adapting to circumstances, and this capacity could be measured and numerically expressed. Others favoured a multiple approach which differentiates between different types of intelligence. Howard Gardner speaks of eight types of intelligence : Visual-spatial, Verbal-linguistic, Bodily-kinesthetic, Logical-mathematical, Interpersonal, Musical, Intra-personal and Naturalistic intelligence. and fellow American cognitive psychologist, Robert Sternberg, also proposed three types of intelligence, analytical, creative and practical intelligence. Without any doubt, these different approaches can be reconciled. Intelligence is a complex phenomenon and we are still far from discovering all its subtleties. However, the combined progress being made in psychology and neuroscience should help us considerably.

What is IQ?

A common way to measure intelligence is through IQ tests.The first IQ tests were developed in 1904 by the French psychologist, Alfred Binet, who wanted to find a way of identifying children with learning difficulties. This method was adopted a few years later by American researchers, H. H. Goddard and Lewis M. Terman working at Stanford University. Their aim was to standardize intelligence evaluation and assess individuals in relation to their reference populations. In the decades that followed, the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler Scales became the norm for IQ tests and led to a veritable industry in the evaluation of intellectual aptitude.

Most IQ tests evaluate cognitive capacities such as logical reasoning and verbal and numerical skills (see Reasoning Test). Typically, global IQ scores are converted according to a scale on which the average is 100 and the standard deviation is 15. Around 95% of the population has a score located somewhere between two standard deviations, in other words, between 70 and 130.

What determines whether someone has a high or a low IQ? This is question that has long been debated by psychologists, sociologists and educational specialists. However there's now a consensus that IQ in a child is determined by the interaction of hereditary factors and the child's environment.For adults, there is a heightened correlation between IQ and the level of education, and thus between IQ and the profession.

IQ and performance

Most people believe that IQ is the only benchmark to evaluate an individual's intelligence and abilities. But this is not the case. Recent scientific research shows that when IQ is correlated with academic and work performance, however, the correlation is not linear.Up to a certain point, performance increases according to IQ, but after that point, performance starts to correlate more with other factors, such as personality, motivation and emotional intelligence.

IQ tests at work place

How effective are IQ tests when used in business? Latest statistics from Central Test, a European leader in psychometric testing, IQ tests account for only 8% of the tests taken by our 3500 human resources clients around the world. Personality tests, which give an insight into the psychological profile of the subject, account for more than 60% of tests taken so far this year. The next most frequently administered tests determine management potential and sales potential.

IQ tests are mainly used for more junior jobs. Emotional intelligence tests, more usually used at management level, account for around 5% of tests taken. However, generally businesses use a combination of personality and aptitude tests in order to evaluate the potential of a candidate or an employee.

Other abilities - beyond IQ

There are many different systems which purport to give an overview of the intellectual faculties. What is certain is that we have inherited numerous aptitudes important to our self-fulfilment, apart from the logical reasoning which we apply to a structured environment. Here are the factors relevant to professional performance:

Emotional Intelligence: This concept is defined as the capacity to identify and manage the emotions. It can be measured on the same basis as IQ using the ‘emotional quotient' (EQ), which is the common denominator of the emotional faculties. Less well known than IQ but equally important, emotional intelligence has begun to claim its place within human resources systems.

Creativity: This is all about knowing how to leave the beaten paths and find new, unconventional routes. However, it's not just about generating original ideas. Before Archimedes was able to cry ‘Eureka!' he first had to ask the right question. In other words, to find innovative solutions one must be capable of setting a goal and approaching it and envisaging outcomes from a new, original perspective. See article on this topic.

Language: This involves complex capabilities such as comprehension, writing, conversation or the art of improvisation. What's measured in intelligence tests as ‘verbal intelligence' represents only a tiny part of our capacity for communication.

Method: This is the ability to choose the best way to solve a problem, and is applied particularly in areas such as IT development. It can be evaluated using different scenarios. For instance, ask an engineer to develop a programme to calculate a simple piece of addition and an average using a list of numbers; the ‘methodical' engineer will develop a generic programme and will use the functions ‘add' or ‘average' as variables. The ‘non-methodical' engineer will duplicate the same programme for both the ‘addition' and the ‘average' functions, thus creating a more restrictive solution.

Critical thinking: This is closely aligned to IQ, but also surpasses it. It's a matter of being able to exercise judgment which is both considered and purposeful in response to any situation, set of remarks, or series of complex arguments. The General Analytical Aptitude Test (GAAT) published by Central Test to assess a candidate's aptitude for critical thinking. It has an in-built destabilizing factor for candidates who have been trained for IQ tests.( available in french)

Intuition: This is also largely ignored, though it is certain that our brains are equipped with many capabilities that remain unsuspected. Our subconscious records information from our environment, and can then act subtly on our consciousness to alert us to particular dangers. Intuition is indispensible for a variety of different jobs, such as for a business person or a journalist for instance, who must judge the credibility of information before verifying it.

Global Vision: This is the ability to analyze a situation in its entirety, with appropriate detachment. For example, a manager equipped with good global vision keeps in mind his aims and his strategy. He knows how to integrate different approaches and points of view (financial, technical and commercial) leading to a synthesis that allows him to make the correct decision.

The tools published by Central Test allow the evaluation of several of these capabilities, including emotional intelligence and critical thinking. Other capabilities, such as creativity and global vision are catered for through personality tests. Despite a plethora of existing tools, there is a long way to go before we know how to evaluate, in a scientific manner, aptitudes such as creativity, intuition, organization, language, and certain aspects of emotional intelligence. This is a real challenge for our research and development team.

By Patrick Leguide, Founder and CEO of Central Test