Dave Boothman notes that factors that could be regarded as strong indicators of intelligence, such as the number of patents awarded and performance at university, do not necessarily correlate well, which leads him to conclude that IQ is not a good measure of intelligence (19 December 2009, p 30). He is right.
Tests of any description follow a convergent model, in which the answer must be either right or wrong. Yet one of the key components of high ability is the capacity to diverge. Coming up with a different answer from everyone else does not get you marks in an IQ test, but it is precisely what is needed to innovate. As divergent responses cannot be marked right or wrong, tests do not reflect this vital dimension of mental functioning.
The existence of a test for divergence could make a difference to our ability to identify those who have ...
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.