Do you agree with Ben’s reasoning in the comic above? Do you think that question is a valid test of IQ?
Which doesn’t belong in the following group: cow, rooster and hay?
David Brooks recently wrote an article in the New York Times saying people in an individualistic culture like America will be more apt to connect the cow with the rooster because they’re both animals…individualists are more apt to think in terms of categories. Asians are more collectivistic and think in terms of relationships. They’re more apt to say the rooster doesn’t belong because the cow depends on the hay. Brooks’ reasoning sounds good, but my husband is highly individualistic and was raised in a rural area. He also thinks the cow and hay are more closely linked. What do you think? Do you think questions like this are too culturally biased to be used on tests of intelligence and ability?
Are you as fascinated as I am by the different ways people think?
Picture Credits
Rooster: hddod. Creative Commons license.
Hay: Howard.Gees. Creative Commons license.
I can see where culture could have an impact on questions like these. Of course, sometimes with these questions you have to watch out for the not-so-obvious gotcha which for some cultures might actually be blatantly obvious.
I’m not so fascinated by the different ways that people think as realistic about it.
In classes that I taught, I would have engineers of various types along with the operators.
Nuclear power plant operators, by the nature of their work, have to be able to cope in real time with multidisciplinary issues. Engineers, on the other hand, as it appears to me, are better able to deal with in depth issues in their particular field or fields over a period of time. Trying to turn engineers into supervisory level operators had mixed results at our plant — and worse in other locations.
In hind sight, I guess the engineers’ difficulties were differences in the way that they’ve learned to process (think about) things from what the program was designed for — up-from-the-ranks operators.
Jean, it is one of the most fascinating things to observe how different people think about the same thing. Even within a close knit group, like the one that I belong to and meet every day, each one thinks differently about any unusual issue. For instance, I have been advocating that India should send assistance to Pakistan to cope with its internally displaced persons. You would think that this matter should receive unanimous approval. It does not. And what is more, the reasoning for whatever stand one takes, is also different.
That is what makes mankind different from the rest does it not?
No, I think that these kind of questions are alright to amuse oneself, but as real indicators of IQ or some such thing, they are useless. As Mike points out, context, training, background, conditioning and many other variables play important parts in one’s thinking.
rummusers last blog post..A Great Opportunity For India And All Countries Interested In Fighting Terror.
Mike,
My guess the differences were partly training and experience but also personality differences. Did you ever use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? I love that way of looking at things…no judgments, just trying to help people find positions in life that match their innate preferences.
rummuser,
I imagine one of the arguments is “How do you know the money it won’t be used against India?” I would love to hear more about the different kinds of reasoning. It sounds as if your group is having a discussion where everyone listens to the views of others rather than arguing for one’s own. If so, you are all to be commended.
Jean,
Yes, I’ve used the Myers-Briggs. In fact, I just took a quick online version and it came up the same way as almost always — INTP, (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving). Nothing surprising there, for me.
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Mike,
I’ve taken the standard MBTI several times. The first time I was an ENFP…very strongly N and P and borderline E/I and F/T. The other two times I was an INFP, again borderline extravert/introvert and feeling/thinking. The first time I took it and heard the results I felt that for the first time in my life someone really understood me. Myers and Briggs did one fantastic job. 🙂
Yes, that we do. Let me explain – There is a Sindhi couple who are both Hindu refugees from what is now Pakistan who came into India as young teenagers. Their conditioning is obviously vastly different from mine. Another couple are Dawoodi Bhora Muslims who have got relatives in Karachi even now. Obviously, their take is likely to be very different too. They are Shias who are subject to attrocities in Pakistan by the majority Sunnis. I am a rabid Hindu right winger! There- you put it all together and you get a nice goulash! If I set out to write all that goes on in our discussions, I can write tomes!
rummusers last blog post..A Great Opportunity For India And All Countries Interested In Fighting Terror.
rummuser,
I would love to hear more! You clearly are not at a loss for blog posts. 🙂
rummuser,
How did you all meet and become friends?
We are neighbors and live in the same cooperative housing society. There are a number of others who are regulars at the local joggers’ park where we meet for our earth shaking discussions and decision making.
Okay. You have asked for it. Some blog posts coming up based on the discussions that we have at the park.
rummusers last blog post..Freedom.
rummuser,
I was hoping you’d say that! I’m looking forward to reading them. 🙂
The grapes in the cartoon wouldn’t be my first choice, but I think it’s a valid one. The others are words with two syllables. I’m assuming the bird is a chicken, not necessarily a hen.
Similarly, the cow and hay are single syllable words, whereas the rooster (or chicken) is not. I also see the relationship between the cow and hay. But I’d still answer “hay” if I were being tested for a higher salary or some free ice cream. The cow and rooster are both animals, and they’re on the menu at every McDonalds in the USA!
One example question on an IQ test that was deemed to be “biased” asked which of the following items would you cover a window with. The correct answer was “blind” or “shade” — I can’t remember which. But the answer that was sometimes chosen by inner-city children was “sheet” because they couldn’t afford blinds, shades or curtains and used sheets instead.
Interesting stuff.
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Square Peg Guy,
I agree, it is interesting. It also reminds us how schools/society can sometimes limit our thinking.
Thanks for coming by. 🙂
Also, I awarded your blog the “One Lovely Blog Award”
Please visit my link to receive it:
http://square–peg.blogspot.com/2009/06/one-lovely-blog-award.html
Thanks!
Square Peg Guys last blog post..One Lovely Blog Award
I’m going to get out my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator book & find out who I am. Then I’ll categorize my husband & see why our conversations don’t always mesh. We were raised the same. Our parents were friends, same church, values, way of life. But we can be given the same info, see the same thing & have entirely different viewpoints about what we just heard & saw.
That we had the same family background is good overall.
Square Peg Guy,
🙂 Thank you for thinking of me! I will come over and make a comment, but I probably won’t come up with 15 new blogs.
bikehikebabe,
Let me know what you discover. The Enneagram is also a good thing to think about. I’d be willing to wager Tom is a Five.