But working memory capacity made a statistically significant contribution as 
well (about 7 percent, a medium-size effect). 

In the absence of experimental manipulation, are we to assume causation. And 
who declared 7% to be a medium sized effect? Sounds pretty piddling to me....It 
might be medium sized to those who wish to be impressed, to others, not so much.

Isn't is possible that both factors matter deeply? Why is there controversy? If 
you don't make any effort, a high IQ is not going to bring rewards to you just 
because you possess it. You have to apply it. Right? Sitting on your high-IQ 
"rump" isn't going to get you anywhere.
 
And of course, when you are smart, and others detect it, they praise it. All of 
us do more of what brings us rewards. Most of us, at any rate.
 
Also, a question about the study: was there any way to find the people with the 
high IQs who didn't make anything of themselves? The researchers looked in:  
universities, research institutions, places where you find those people?  A 
study of talented youth, most of whom hail from affluent backgrounds?  This 
reminds me of the "children of divorce are miserable adults" research based on 
the presence of adults whose parents divorced on therapists' case load. What 
about the non-miserable adults whose parents divorced who never went to 
therapy?  Smart people who don't work hard don't get to top-flight positions in 
these places.
 
Also I am not sure why this argument is continually framed in terms of 
minimizing the role of one or the other factor. Most of what goes on in our 
lives represents a nexus of what we come to the table with genetically and how 
that interacts with the environment/how we use it. The problem is that there 
are ideological forces on both sides invested in having it be substantially 
more of one or the other. It's probably better not to take either one (gene or 
environment) at face value.
 
Nancy Melucci
Long Beach City College
Long Beach CA


-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher D. Green <[email protected]>
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) <[email protected]>
Sent: Sun, Nov 20, 2011 8:10 am
Subject: [tips] Sorry, Strivers - Talent Matters - NYTimes.com


 


 


 

In recent years, it has been widely reported that it's 10,000 hours of practice 
that makes perfect. The idea of inborn talent has been on the decline. But 
here's another view. Is good old IQ making a comeback?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/opinion/sunday/sorry-strivers-talent-matters.html?_r=1

Snippet: "compared with the participants who were 'only' in the 99.1 percentile 
for intellectual ability at age 12, those who were in the 99.9 percentile — the 
profoundly gifted — were between three and five times more likely to go on to 
earn a doctorate, secure a patent, publish an article in a scientific journal 
or publish a literary work."

Chris

-- 

Christopher D. Green
Department of Psychology
York University
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
Canada
 
416-736-2100 ex. 66164
[email protected]
http://www.yorku.ca/christo/
==========================


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