Do IQs really exist biologically speaking?

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Do IQs really exist biologically speaking? Or they just something that humans have made up? I think it's more of the latter.

I think that intelligence is biologically based--folks that are really smart often have smart parents.

Of course, what we consider as intelligence is entirely arbitrary--is this your real issue?

It could be biased to a particular mindset. Also it's a range of subjects. If there was a purely mathematical test someone might have the highest iq but not so well on purely verbal iq test. What if there was a street gangster iq? Or spiritual iq? Or wisdom quotient test? Or creative iq? Or emotional iq? Would everyone with a high iq do so good on those other ones? So it isn't the be all of intelligence.

that depends on what you mean by IQ

there is no chance of any simple number being truly descriptive of human inteeligence in its entirety,
but inteeligence is most certainlybased on both biology and upbringing.


that said inteeligence is one thing, whithout proper thought patterns it is useless.

Well, yes. I think so.

I misunderstood the question maybe? There was an experiment with mice which suggested there was potentially a slight inheritable iq advantage. There is no concrete evidence that iq is biological.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritability_of_IQ

Here is the Wiki page on the heritability of IQ.

I just thought of an interesting measure of IQ.

How well can you grow plants? Can you take a plant that doesn't normally grow where you live, and figure out where in your yard it will thrive? Does it count if you have to experiment for a few years, killing half the plants in the learning process? I did this--the plants that died were planted according to the rules that applied to where they normally grow--I needed to come up with different rules for my yard. This isn't just a theoretical exercise--it is much easier to live someplace if you can grow the food you are accustom to eating. And impossible if there is nothing to eat.

I think you may be asking the wrong question. I believe intelligence (which has many facets) is biologically based. Some idiot I worked for once believed the question of how bright someone was at their job was simply a matter of "effort" (mind you, the work was highly technical). Of course, he didn't try teaching those people who were more simply "normal" and seeing how much they were struggling at getting complex concepts and remotely operating at a high level. But, really this is clear to me on the speed some people's minds work at, which I've observed, in front of me, varies wildly.

However - Does this make me think IQ is the be-all, end-all quantification of that? No. But, it also, makes me think things like Jeopardy! aren't remotely an indicator of intelligence, either (it's just a memory recall show and covers zero intellectual comprehension).