Human cognition benchmark · General intelligence (g)
Intelligence Quotient Tests (WAIS, Raven's, Stanford-Binet)
Short name: IQ · Introduced 1905 · Binet, Wechsler, Raven and successors
Standardized batteries estimating general cognitive ability (g) relative to a normed population.
What it measures
A composite of fluid reasoning, working memory, processing speed, verbal comprehension, and perceptual organization that loads heavily on Spearman's g.
Format
Subtest battery (~10–15 tasks) administered individually. Raven's Progressive Matrices is a pure non-verbal fluid-reasoning subset.
Scoring
Deviation IQ on a normal distribution with mean 100 and SD 15. ±2 SD covers ~95% of the population.
Notable results
- g accounts for ~40–50% of variance across cognitive tests.
- Test-retest reliability typically r > 0.9.
- Predictive of academic, occupational, and health outcomes.
Strengths
- Most extensively validated construct in psychology.
- Strong predictive validity across life outcomes.
Limitations
- Cultural and educational confounds.
- Does not capture creativity, emotional, or social intelligence.
- Historically misused for biological essentialism.
Related entities
Other human cognition benchmarks
Working Memory
Tasks measuring the capacity to hold and manipulate information in mind over seconds.
Open
Processing Speed
Measures how quickly the brain executes simple cognitive operations.
Open
Executive Function
Tasks isolating inhibition, set-shifting, and monitoring - the brain's cognitive control suite.
Open
Attention
Tasks dissociating alerting, orienting, and executive attention networks.
Open