Have you ever suspected that you are the smartest person in the room? Well, experts now think that there are five ways to determine a person’s intelligence and only one of them is IQ.
Two science YouTubers, Mitch Moffit, a biologist, and Greg Brown, a science teacher, presented a deep dive into intelligence testing in their channel As soon as possible SCIENCE.
And the pair highlighted the fact that assessing a person’s intellectual ability came down to more than just IQ.
Although the measure (IQ is short for intelligence quotient) is the best-known way to rate intellect, it is by no means the only one.
In the clip, which has been viewed more than three million times, other measures stand out, such as emotional, musical and visual intelligence.
Here, MailOnline details the four key questions Mr Moffit and Mr Brown selected. The answers are at the end of this article.
QUESTION 1
The first test is emotional intelligence, which helps measure a person’s ability to empathize and communicate effectively with others.
Can you determine what emotion the man’s face below is trying to convey? Is it a) shame b) sadness c) fun or d) shame?
Can you determine what emotion the man’s face below is trying to convey?
QUESTION 2
The second question is an example of one that would appear on a standard IQ test.
IQ stands for “intelligence quotient” and is the most famous measure of intelligence.
It measures a person’s ability with mathematical skills, memory, spatial perception and language skills.
This is combined with a person’s age to determine their final IQ score.
IQ tests have been widely used for years, but, as Moffit and Brown highlight, they are not the only measure of intelligence.
In this example of an IQ question, you must determine the next image, from a selection of eight, which should appear next in a series of shapes.
Can you determine which image, from the selection of eight, should be next in a series of shapes in the box?
QUESTION 3
The next question determines your musical-rhythmic intelligence, one of the alternative ways that scientists are exploring in terms of intelligence.
They are part of what experts call “multiple intelligences,” which essentially means that people can be smarter in different ways than a standard IQ test might suggest.
For example, some people may be more intelligent when it comes to interpreting and discerning patterns within a collection of sounds.
Called the musical-rhythmic intelligence test or the distorted melody test, it involves listening to a series of music and determining which one sounds “off.”
To see and, more importantly, hear the question, watch the video below. Fast forward to the 1 minute and 27 second mark.
Be sure to pause after song three to make sure you don’t get spoiled by the answers below.
A more detailed test with more songs can also be found. here.
QUESTION 4
The fourth and final question aims to test a person’s visual intelligence.
This is done by asking a person to try to memorize a series of ‘ziggerins’ which are complex shapes.
Look at the image below for 20 seconds. Then move the slider to the right and try to remember which of these three shapes was in the previous alignment.
Moffit highlights how people who score high on visual intelligence tests don’t necessarily score high in terms of IQ, but they are amazing at other tasks.
“This could mean you excel at tasks like matching fingerprints, interpreting medical x-rays, or tracking airplanes on radar screens,” he said.
Another intelligence test is based on testing a person’s ‘visual intelligence’ by asking them to memorize a series of complex artificial shapes called ‘ziggerins’.
The last intelligence metric discussed in the video (and the one that is most difficult to assess) is known as bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.
There is no specific question here, but it refers to the natural ability to manipulate objects or use the body skillfully, for example in sports, juggling or dancing.
Moffit points out that compared to other intelligence tests, this has proven difficult to measure.
This is because it is difficult to find people without experience in an activity, or similar activity, to compare them.
For example, Moffit referenced a study of four-year-olds taking ballet that could not determine bodily-kinesthetic intelligence because some children had already taken classes or danced at home on their own time.
In conclusion, Moffit stressed that it was crucial to remember that IQ is not the entire determination of a person’s intelligence.
“What this research underscores is that there are many ways to be smart, and it’s not just about taking an IQ test,” he said.