Re:Superior IQs associated with mental and physical disorder...
by JohnBooty on Tuesday October 15, 2019 @12:43AM
(#21255628)
I did pretty well on standardized tests (e.g. great
scores on SAT and ACT with no prep) and people were
always saying I was smart. Usually it was something
like this: I was obviously capable of doing the work,
so why didn't I?
I experienced this as well. I think many did!
Two explanations come to mind. I think both of them are probably true to some degree for many people.
1. High intelligence does not always equate to high executive functioning. Lots of smart people have trouble focusing on things they don't want to do, and that focus is generally a requirement for people who become "high achievers" by society's traditional standards.
2a. Those standardized tests only cover certain sorts of intelligence. My brother did well on those tests, but I did quite a bit better. Yet I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is at least my equal if not my better when it comes to smarts. It's just that those tests tended to cover things that weren't his strengths. In my case I feel like perhaps those tests may have painted a too-rosy picture of my intelligence since they catered to some of my strengths.
Two explanations come to mind. I think both of them are probably true to some degree for many people.
1. High intelligence does not always equate to high executive functioning. Lots of smart people have trouble focusing on things they don't want to do, and that focus is generally a requirement for people who become "high achievers" by society's traditional standards.
2a. Those standardized tests only cover certain sorts of intelligence. My brother did well on those tests, but I did quite a bit better. Yet I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is at least my equal if not my better when it comes to smarts. It's just that those tests tended to cover things that weren't his strengths. In my case I feel like perhaps those tests may have painted a too-rosy picture of my intelligence since they catered to some of my strengths.