Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Nothing really. People like that tend to be focused on solving problems in one narrow field if they're actually using their full potential, so I wouldn't expect them to be especially capable in any other area.
It's mostly on TV where you have the "tech expert" who is a genius at engineering, software development, physics, chemistry, and polarity reversal all at once.
I'm smarter than most people according to IQ tests (98th - 99th percentile depending on the test) but I'm not as good at running a business as my "less smart" boss, nor do I have any skills at creating art or music, designing a house, or writing a good novel. The list of subjects where my mighty brain is of no use is endless
That's because an IQ test isn't an achievement or performance test, but an aptitude or potential ability test. So somebody with an IQ at 150 isn't necessarily 'smart' in all areas, but is capable of being smart in those areas... they would be able to learn or adapt to those situations better than somebody with an IQ of 100.
I'm not a big fan of the IQ test, not because it's not a good concept... it's fantastic, it's just is the tests really measuring aptitude, or is it measuring achievements? There's been many studies done, and if you look at the tests like WISCs and other popular tests, the aptitude tests are very similar to their achievement tests... and the studies that have been done, has shown that as much as 70% of the aptitude tests really are testing achievements. For example, if somebody has a low reading ability, perhaps because English is their second language... they're obviously not going to understand the questions as well as somebody who is fluent in English, so their score wouldn't be reflective of their true ability.
And IQ tests these days goes much beyond mental age... that was given up years ago in measuring adults, and almost all receive aptitude tests believe that aptitude consists of many abilities... they include verbal, perceptual, processing speed... even how you handle distractions.
Although IQ test may not really measure true 'intelligence' (which is a vague definition in most cases)... there is an extremely high correlation between IQ and achievement in school.... but not only current achievement, but predictive achievement as well.