Completely OT

AgentZero · #1 December 27th, 2004, 04:37 PM

Once again, I wish to avail of the vast repository of knowledge that is this forum to answer a question that has nothing to do with SE...
Just for fun, I decided to take an IQ test (www.tickle.com) and scored 156. Rather impressive, you may think, however I took a different IQ test from the same website a couple months ago and scored 182. The only difference between now and then is that right now I'm really quite sick.
My question is, why does being sick make you dumber?

Puke · #2 December 27th, 2004, 05:00 PM

IQ tests, especially the kind you will find at places like Tickle, are not very accurate. they usually express a bias towards certain language speakers and cultural upbringings. there is really no such thing as an entirely unbiased IQ test.

but to answer your question, your reaction time and ability to correlate information is controlled by your neurochemistry. which is impacted by being sick. or drunk. or emotionally distraught. or any number of other things.

Arkcon · #3 December 27th, 2004, 05:36 PM

AgentZero said:
"Just for fun, I decided to take an IQ test (www.tickle.com) and scored 156. Rather impressive, you may think, however I took a different IQ test from the same website a couple months ago and scored 182."

Search your local library for a tiny book written decades ago called -- "How to lie with statistics". It addresses this problem specifically.

Short answer, you won't get exactly the same answer with each measurement, and 25 IQ points is not a significant difference.

If the website wanted to be responsibile, they'd highlight that by providing % error information. Like political polls do.

Fyron · #4 December 27th, 2004, 05:38 PM

IQ tests really only test how good you are at taking IQ tests... IQ tests only test one small, not so significant in the big picture portion of your intellect.

Iansidious · #5 December 27th, 2004, 05:53 PM

Tell me about Mr. Fyron. I took a fun quiz on MSN a month ago. I SUCKED on the grammer protion. But, I passed with flying colours on the meaning of foreign words, like trompe l'oeil, auld lang syne, etcetera, iechyd da. I'm good with words, but, terrible with English grammer(I do know the basics, its the details I dilike.).

AgentZero · #6 December 27th, 2004, 06:05 PM

I am fully aware of the limitations of IQ tests, but in my Last two years of High School, I was subjected to an enormous battery of IQ Tests, EQ (emotional quotient) and even a few IQQ (IQ Quotient test -a test to see how good at taking IQ tests you are. Of course they didn't tell us that at the time). I think over the two years I took something like 140 of the things. All throughout, my IQ results never varied by more that 6 points up or down. So I found it a bit shocking that according to http://members.shaw.ca/delajara/IQtable.html being sick dropped me from having an IQ in the 1 in 6,709,882 range to the 1 in 4,298 range. Which one has to admit, is a pretty big drop.
The main point of my question was that if anyone, possibly someone with medical background, knows what's going on inside me that is making me, well, dumber, while I'm sick, I'm very curious to know what it is.

Fyron · #7 December 27th, 2004, 06:26 PM

Puke answered that question, more or less. Anything that alters the neurochemical balance in your brain will affect such tests.

Rathar · #8 December 27th, 2004, 08:50 PM

IQ tests were designed by and administered to largely a western european based/raised audience. As such they are only useful in determining the "intelligence" of such and are very very biased towards what such western european minds consider "intelligent".. And then you toss in the impact of error bars and it's not surprising that some internet lowest common denominator test produces wildly disparate results..

To make a long story short these types of tests aren't "science" but mostly polls registering popular opinion..

But let me get off my soapbox.

You are sick, your body only has so much resources, since you are sick it is forced to apply a greater amount of said resources to the disease and thus you have less left to be "smart" with.

Sleep inducing expansion on this basic idea framework available upon request.

Atrocities · #9 December 28th, 2004, 12:46 AM

USing those same tests I scored 188, then 140, then 55.

I can honestly say that I did have an IQ of 183, but over the years I have become stupid. All those years working around vented fumes from floor polishers, chemicals from working with semi-conductors, and thousands of gallons of chemically enhanced or produced products such as milk, pop, water, coffee, diet pop, and so on.

Basically put, living makes you stupid, having a cold just helps it along.

AgentZero · #10 December 28th, 2004, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Rathar said:

You are sick, your body only has so much resources, since you are sick it is forced to apply a greater amount of said resources to the disease and thus you have less left to be "smart" with.

Sleep inducing expansion on this basic idea framework available upon request.

I'd actually quite like a 'sleep inducing expansion on the basic idea framework'. It seems while I may be dumber than usual, my curiosity retains it's almighty appetite.