Anyone here know about the International High IQ Society? I’m wondering if it would be worthwhile for me to try to get into it. Several of the free online IQ tests I’ve taken have put me at a few points below 120, so I probably wouldn’t be able to get into Mensa, but I might be able to squeeze out ~6-7 more points from practice in order to qualify for the IHIQS, which only requires a score of 124 (95th percentile).
I am not familiar with that organization. However, psychologist Carol Dweck, the author of the book “Mindset”, claims that it is better to praise children for their hard work instead of their innate intelligence, because this way one encourages them to develop “growth” mindset instead of “fixed” mindset, since the latter is less useful. On a similar note, I guess that organizations that are based on the “fixed” mindset are probably less useful than organizations or clubs that are based on some goal that could help you to develop “growth” mindset. Therefore it is probably better to join an organization that is working to achieve something and it is the result of your efforts that is measured, instead of unchanging abilities. Of course, being unfamiliar with International High IQ Society, I might be wrong about them. Perhaps instead of trying to find an organization that would help your personal growth you are simply trying to find a new place to meet new people and/or network. In that case I have very little idea whether this organization is useful for that goal, therefore I will not say anything about that.
Dweck sent four female research assistants into New York fifth-grade classrooms. The researchers would take a single child out of the classroom for a nonverbal IQ test consisting of a series of puzzles—puzzles easy enough that all the children would do fairly well. Once the child finished the test, the researchers told each student his score, then gave him a single line of praise. Randomly divided into groups, some were praised for their intelligence. They were told, “You must be smart at this.” Other students were praised for their effort: “You must have worked really hard.”
So, it was not efforts or intelligence per se they were praised for. They were praised for having a reason to be good in that series of puzzles (of course, in this particular case, children were told what the “reason” was). Of course, it would probably be interesting to test whether praising children for results and results only, without any allusions to what might have been a reason for their success (leaving that to children themselves to deduce), is good or not.
Interesting. I am a bit suspicious of the results as my priors keep telling me that the effect looks too large for a single sentence (kids aren’t THAT easy to influence), but yes, I see what you mean.
Free online IQ tests mean nothing. Don’t take them more seriously than you would take a horoscope.
I don’t have an experience with the organization you linked, but if it is similar to Mensa, my advice would be: don’t worry about anything, just go there and take the test. If they are a serious organization, the test will probably be very different from the online tests you took. If you pass the test, there is a high probability you will be disappointed with the organization. Also, try the Mensa test.
My experience with Mensa is that it collects smart people (on the other hand, not that smart—if you had a decent university, most of your classmates would be on that level; also most of the LW meetup participants) but then it does… pretty much nothing. You will find there also people who technically have high IQ, but otherwise are boring and/or irrational. My advice would be to pick the few individuals who seem better than the rest of the crowd, and focus on those individuals. Mensa can give you contact to these few cool people, but that’s pretty much all it can do.
I don’t have an experience with the organization you linked, but if it is similar to Mensa, my advice would be: don’t worry about anything, just go there and take the test. If they are a serious organization, the test will probably be very different from the online tests you took.
The IHIQS admission test actually is taken online for a fee of $5, in contrast to Mensa’s which is taken in a controlled environment for a fee of $40, so I don’t know how serious the IHIQS is. That’s one of the reasons I was hoping someone here could share their experiences with them.
If you pass the test, there is a high probability you will be disappointed with the organization.
Yeah, that’s kinda what I figured, but I thought I might as well see if the LW community knew anything about it.
You will find [in Mensa] also people who technically have high IQ, but otherwise are boring and/or irrational.
I’m sure I’d fit right in then. :)
My advice would be to pick the few individuals who seem better than the rest of the crowd, and focus on those individuals. Mensa can give you contact to these few cool people, but that’s pretty much all it can do.
If networking with smart people is pretty much all Mensa’s good for, could I just as well stick to LW?
Also, try the Mensa test.
I’m thinking about trying that. I wonder, though, if I should wait and try to practice for it, as the test batteries can only be taken once each. I would be very interested to hear more about your experience taking Mensa tests, even if you can only share general information about the tests themselves.
Anyone here know about the International High IQ Society? I’m wondering if it would be worthwhile for me to try to get into it. Several of the free online IQ tests I’ve taken have put me at a few points below 120, so I probably wouldn’t be able to get into Mensa, but I might be able to squeeze out ~6-7 more points from practice in order to qualify for the IHIQS, which only requires a score of 124 (95th percentile).
I am not familiar with that organization. However, psychologist Carol Dweck, the author of the book “Mindset”, claims that it is better to praise children for their hard work instead of their innate intelligence, because this way one encourages them to develop “growth” mindset instead of “fixed” mindset, since the latter is less useful. On a similar note, I guess that organizations that are based on the “fixed” mindset are probably less useful than organizations or clubs that are based on some goal that could help you to develop “growth” mindset. Therefore it is probably better to join an organization that is working to achieve something and it is the result of your efforts that is measured, instead of unchanging abilities. Of course, being unfamiliar with International High IQ Society, I might be wrong about them. Perhaps instead of trying to find an organization that would help your personal growth you are simply trying to find a new place to meet new people and/or network. In that case I have very little idea whether this organization is useful for that goal, therefore I will not say anything about that.
That dichotomy looks funny to me. What about praising for results?
Carol Dweck’s assistants praised the children after they did well on a test.
So, it was not efforts or intelligence per se they were praised for. They were praised for having a reason to be good in that series of puzzles (of course, in this particular case, children were told what the “reason” was). Of course, it would probably be interesting to test whether praising children for results and results only, without any allusions to what might have been a reason for their success (leaving that to children themselves to deduce), is good or not.
Interesting. I am a bit suspicious of the results as my priors keep telling me that the effect looks too large for a single sentence (kids aren’t THAT easy to influence), but yes, I see what you mean.
Relevant TED talk.
Free online IQ tests mean nothing. Don’t take them more seriously than you would take a horoscope.
I don’t have an experience with the organization you linked, but if it is similar to Mensa, my advice would be: don’t worry about anything, just go there and take the test. If they are a serious organization, the test will probably be very different from the online tests you took. If you pass the test, there is a high probability you will be disappointed with the organization. Also, try the Mensa test.
My experience with Mensa is that it collects smart people (on the other hand, not that smart—if you had a decent university, most of your classmates would be on that level; also most of the LW meetup participants) but then it does… pretty much nothing. You will find there also people who technically have high IQ, but otherwise are boring and/or irrational. My advice would be to pick the few individuals who seem better than the rest of the crowd, and focus on those individuals. Mensa can give you contact to these few cool people, but that’s pretty much all it can do.
The IHIQS admission test actually is taken online for a fee of $5, in contrast to Mensa’s which is taken in a controlled environment for a fee of $40, so I don’t know how serious the IHIQS is. That’s one of the reasons I was hoping someone here could share their experiences with them.
Yeah, that’s kinda what I figured, but I thought I might as well see if the LW community knew anything about it.
I’m sure I’d fit right in then. :)
If networking with smart people is pretty much all Mensa’s good for, could I just as well stick to LW?
I’m thinking about trying that. I wonder, though, if I should wait and try to practice for it, as the test batteries can only be taken once each. I would be very interested to hear more about your experience taking Mensa tests, even if you can only share general information about the tests themselves.