OCD and intelligence

Personally I don't think IQ tests are worth much more than the paper they're printed on. The idea of measuring something as complex as intelligence with such a crude device as a written test is ludicrous. You have to understand the process you're measuring before you can accurately interpret the results of your measurements and assign meaning to the results.

IQ test are wonderful devices for measuring performance on....IQ tests .

Shelly

Well... I think that the non-intelligence side of the argument kind of wins either way. If "intelligence" in it's broadest sense is qualitative, then there is no way for anyone to say with certainty that people with OCD are "smarter" than anyone else sinse that would be a relative term.

On the other side of the argument, if IQ is a credable measure of intelligence, then all of the actual statistics I can find suggest that OCDers fall within the average scope of human intelligence, and are far more influenced by geneology than anything else in regards to their IQ.

So, for those of you who argue OCDers as being more intelligent than an average person, what is your criteria for "intelligence"? If you have a criteria, then what evidence is there that OCDers meet that criteria? If you don't have any such evidence, then the entire notion of OCDers having higher intelligence is just boastful rumour.

Quadratic,
You point is well made. I know I haven't said so, but i am not ignorant of the possibility of our own biases. It would be great to think we are more intelligent, but it is not likely to be the case by common measurement based on today's standard definition of intelligence. A person with an excellent memory can ace an iq test while that same person may not have the analytical skills to negotiate his way out of a paper bag.
My opinion about some of the causes of ocd include a hint of intelligence in an area of life that is yet to be charted by science and therefore, untestable.
Furthermore, like I said before, if the socio-economic background of an individual plays a role in whether or not a person develops ocd then it will show a lesser level of intelligence in ocd sufferers because it is well known by those of us who do not take Darwin too seriously that people of lesser socio-economic classes are already getting lower test scores without having ocd.

Beccamon,
Those tests are good for measuring how well a child has come in school and or showing certain areas of problems. They are also good for creating statistics about which we can argue, lol
Other then that i agree with you. They have been manipulated in the past to show that certains races were of geneticaly inferior in intelligence so if an ocd scientist wants to run tests then maybe he can prove we have better intelligence, lol

There will not be any [u]concrete</u> evidence.

Gnostic,
Of course you're right, I was just being amusing (in my own mind, anyhow ). IQ tests do a wonderful job of predicting school performance, I'm hypothesizing that's because they're a snapshot of the school system itself in many ways.

I just hesitate to label and categorize people so readily, it seems that any time a number is attached to something, somehow it becomes weighty and "Official," with a capital O.

Quad is right, there doesn't seem to be the scientific evidence to support the idea of people with OCD having greater intelligence. I wish I could say otherwise, but that is what the current evidence suggests. Are there inherent limitations in administering an IQ test to a person with OCD? Since many OCD sufferers are known to have problems with decision making, and IQ tests have elements of both accuracy and speed, then I would say yes, that's a problem. How could you possibly test the reading comprehension of a person who has to read the same paragraph an even number of times? Or someone who can't write the number nine because it's unlucky?

There's a funny story that relates to the idea of testing in this fashion involving my daughter. We had to have her evaluated by an OT (occupational therapist) for gross motor difficulties. One of the tests is to touch one side and then the other, which she "failed." Why? Because at the time she had symmetry compulsions and literally would not touch one side of her body without touching the other at the same time. She ended up going through almost an entire year of OT when the problem was OCD! Pretty amusing in retrospect, at least her gross motor skills are top notch now .

Interesting question, one way or the other.

Shelly

[MrCowbell]

Men in my family have the tendency to be very brave but very dumb at the same time. For example, My grandfather stormed the beaches of Normandy, unfortunately he did it during the Korean war.

[runningincircles]

I might be an exception here; my intelligence is low. I mean, as far as the IQ goes. I've always been a different kind of smart.

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by MrCowbell

Men in my family have the tendency to be very brave but very dumb at the same time. For example, My grandfather stormed the beaches of Normandy, unfortunately he did it during the Korean war.

Nice one Cowbell

[Londonboy]

Originally Posted by J.L

Nice one Cowbell

I agree. I like the fact that he responded in such a manner, particularly to this absolutely pointless and ridiculous thread.