IQ by Profession

 Posted by on 15 January 2008 at 8:10 am  Psychology
Jan 152008
 

I have no definite opinion of IQ tests. The simple bubble-type tests are too narrow in scope to be of much value, I suspect. Some years ago, I was given an individually-administered WAIS-III test. I was impressed with the wide range of cognitive skills that it tested. I’ve never made any serious study of the subject though.

So with that proviso, I offer the following fascinating graphs of IQ distributions of various professions. (Click to view the full-size version.)

Figure 11. Wisconsin Women’s Henmon-Nelson IQ Distributions for 1992-94 Occupation Groups with 30 Cases or More
Figure 12. Wisconsin Men’s Henmon-Nelson IQ Distributions for 1992-94 Occupation Groups with 30 Cases or More

(I originally found that on Neatorama, but it’s actually from Hauser, Robert M. 2002. “Meritocracy, cognitive ability, and the sources of occupational success.” CDE Working Paper 98-07 (rev). Center for Demography and Ecology, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin. The PDF from which the graphs are taken is available here.)

   
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