Marek: What is an IQ score worth?

Ever since grade school, we have heard the two letters I and Q run together to form that mysterious number that scared us for several years. So, what exactly is an intelligence quotient and how important is it? Over the years IQ has been considered to be the gold standard for measuring intelligence. Perhaps a strong, bullet-proof measure of one’s brain power.

The IQ test was the brainchild (pun intended) of Alfred Binetti in the early 1900s. Better known as Binet, he collaborated with mathematician Theodore Simon to invent what many call the first practical intelligence test later known as the Binet-Simon Test.

The test was created at the request of the French government in order to identify students with learning disabilities and to help diagnose deficiencies in young children. This test measured five weighted factors in both verbal and non-verbal subjects.

The test helped find aspects of thinking that contributed to a student’s ability to do well in the things taught in school. There was little thought at the time of applying it to adults as the whole idea was to give the child a mental age and compare that number to other students of various ages. The idea was to define intelligence by comparison of the performance with other children of the same age.

Today, the most trusted adult IQ test is the Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale or WAIS. This testing is intended more for someone older than 16 but takes little more than an hour to complete. Some of the test is verbal reasoning, some mathematics, some memory, and a lot is dealing with visual spatial relationships.

Can the brain relate to figures and subtle changes in shape or form?

The average IQ score is set at 100, meaning about half of the people tested score above 100 while half score below 100. The standard deviation is around 15 points meaning around two-thirds of all test-takers score between 85 and 115 points. Classifications vary, but anything over 120 is considered “very high” while under 80 is called “borderline impaired.”

Some studies have suggested that those with the higher IQs will perform better in school, have more successful careers and will enjoy more economic comforts. Another study found that people with more rational thinking skills tend to experience significantly fewer negative events which could include suffering from serious credit card debt, school expulsion and even unplanned pregnancy.

Some of these theorists also believe that the testing discriminates against children with racial differences, as they had not been exposed to the same intellectual upbringing as other children. It’s hoped that such accusations and even their truth are being eliminated as education becomes more equal with inclusion of all rather than the separate but equal basis of an earlier Supreme Court opinion.

Likewise. there is a good argument that the standardized tests may not account for some aspects of brain power such as creativity, hands-on practical knowledge or even factors in emotion. Bottom line is that these exceptions in the standard tests have later results to financial income, job performance, or even the level of criminality in some geniuses. Watch the show “White Collar."

Some studies have indicated that IQ scores have risen from the 1930s through the end of the 20th century. One researcher, James Flynn, equated these changes at almost 14 points between those two years. Are we smarter? Do the young people have more available education outlets?

Maybe it was better nutrition, less disease and just a better environment. IQ scores also have risen in nations where war has stopped, and more welfare is available. But a scary thought – will this rise disappear in today’s children with their heads in their phones and social media?

I know there has been talk about which president has the higher IQ, but in one article I read, none were in the top 10 historically. Leading all-time was a man named YoungHoon Kim, a South Korean, with a measured IQ of over 240. Also suggested in the top 10, although there weren’t the tests available for some, include Johann Goethe, Leonardo da Vinci, Voltaire, and not to forget, Nikola Tesla.

In the long run, better lives create better brains. There are several tests on the internet that can give you a rough estimate as to where you stand. But as we age, our thinking does slow down. Time to react is delayed.

For that reason, when I watch Jeopardy, it would help if I could put it in slo-mo. I often get the answers to many of the questions but just a bit later than the contestants on the show. Then again, maybe I couldn’t have written all these columns if I had been born in the 1800s.

• Dennis Marek can be contacted at llamalaw23@gmail.com.