Is IQ the same as intelligence?

A frequent confusion in the world of psychology: are IQ and intelligence synonymous?

The concept of intelligence quotient, also known by its abbreviation (IQ), is very often used as if it were equivalent to intelligence, or at least a definitive measure of this construct. However, IQ and intelligence are not synonymous nor should they be understood as such, despite the close relationship between the two concepts.

In this article we will focus on answering one question: Is IQ the same as intelligence? To do so, we will show several definitions of these two terms and analyze the relationships and differences that exist between them.

What is intelligence?

The term "intelligere" comes from Latin and can be translated as the ability to understand or perceive. During the Middle Ages the words "intellectus" and "intelligentia" began to be used in a similar way to the Christian concept of the soul.

There are many different conceptions of the construct "intelligence". Although each of them emphasizes different aspects, most of them agree that it is a relatively stable aptitude that varies according to the individual and is associated with problem-solving, problem-solving, problem-solving, problem-solving, problem-solving, problem-solving, problem-solving, problem-solving, problem-solving and problem-solving. associated with problem-solving and other higher-order cognitive functions, as well as with the and other higher order cognitive functions, as well as with adaptation to the environment.

The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy includes several relevant factors in its definition of intelligence: the ability to understand and know things (similar to the original Latin word), as well as to solve problems. In addition, one of the meanings describes intelligence as an ability derived from experience.

Albert Binet, creator of the first IQ test, equated intelligence with judgment or common sense. David Wechsler, author of the WAIS and WISC intelligence tests, affirmed that it is a global capacity that allows us to achieve goals, think rationally and cope with our environment.. Charles Spearman, pioneer of psychometrics, also emphasized this unitary character.

In contrast, the author of the theory of multiple intelligences, Howard Gardner, defines intelligence as a set of differentiated skills that allow us to solve problems that arise throughout our lives and to acquire new knowledge. We will discuss Gardner's perspective and that of other critics of the IQ concept below.

Defining intelligence quotient (IQ)

The intelligence quotient or IQ is the overall score obtained in various instruments whose objective is to measure intelligence.. Its origin is the concept of "mental age", which comes from the first intelligence scale: the one developed by Binet and Simon to assess the special needs of children with learning difficulties.

The term "intelligence quotient" was coined by William Stern, a German psychologist and expert in the field of intelligence.a German psychologist and expert in interindividual differences. This author developed the contributions of Binet and Simon: he proposed dividing mental age by chronological age to improve the ability of intelligence tests to discriminate between people of the same age. The result was the IQ.

Later Lewis Terman revised the Binet-Simon test by adding the concept of IQ proposed by Stern. He also perfected the way of calculating it; by multiplying by 100 the result of dividing the mental age by the chronological age, fractions were avoided. On the other hand, Terman popularized the abbreviation "IQ".

Wechsler's intelligence tests

Today, and since the appearance of Wechsler's intelligence tests in the 1950s, IQ is obtained by comparing a given subject's scores on the test with those of other people. with those of other persons of the same age. Normal scores with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 are used for this purpose.

Following this distribution, two-thirds of the population have an IQ that can be considered normal, i.e., between approximately 85 and 115. Scores between 75 and 90 denote, according to Wechsler, borderline intelligence, while those between 115 and 130 are slightly high.

The Wechsler tests are also notable because they include not only total IQ, but also several subfactors. The two main ones are verbal IQ and manipulative IQ.The first is measured with tests of acquired knowledge and verbal comprehension, and the manipulative IQ has to do with fluid reasoning and information processing.

The relationship between IQ and intelligence

Nowadays IQ is frequently used in the evaluation of different types of people, such as students or applicants for a particular job. In this sense, it is often used primarily on the basis of the predictive capacity of fluid intelligence in academic and professional performance..

The strongest correlation at the psychosocial level is that between IQ and grades during basic education; its value is estimated to be approximately 0.50. The ability of IQ to predict job performance varies with employment but tends to be lower than academic performance, probably because its effect is mediated by education.

On the other hand, a very common criticism of IQ tests is their ethnocentrismIt is argued that they favor those who have grown up in certain environments (e.g., in Europe or Japan) to the detriment of intellectual skills that are more highly valued in others. Intelligence is a very broad concept, and it is difficult to avoid reductionism when operationalizing it.

Many authors, such as Sternberg and Gardner, have opposed the unitary conception of intelligence that results from the widespread use of IQ tests. From these perspectives, a broadening of the concept of "intelligence" is advocated, to include abilities related to interpersonal relationships, motor skills, creativity or self-knowledge. or self-knowledge.

Lev Vygotsky, a key theorist in the psychology of education, emphasized the dynamic nature of intellectual abilities, giving rise to a series of interventions that assess progress in IQ-like measures repeatedly as the corresponding abilities are trained. This contrasts with the idea of intelligence as a stable factor.

It is convenient to understand IQ as a fragmentary measure of intelligence that focuses on some domains which focuses on some domains, such as language or spatial reasoning, while leaving aside others that are also relevant for everyday life. It is also important to bear in mind that intelligence may be more modifiable than we think.