3 years ago
about Elise Tan Roberts
What does Elise Tan Roberts getting accepted to Mensa at the age of two say about intelligence and intelligence testing?
From the Mahalo page:
Elise Tan-Roberts, at the age of two, became the youngest member of the high-intelligence organization, Mensa. Her estimated IQ is 156, placing her in the top 0.2 percentile of children her age.
At two years old, Britain's Tan-Roberts could name 35 country capitals, name the three different types of triangles and spell her own name, among other feats of intelligence.
Fast Facts
Born December 2006
Was five months old when she said first word, "Dada"1
Began walking at eight months, running at 10 months1
Could count to 10 in Spanish by age 21
Became youngest member of Mensa in April 20091
Mensa normally only tests IQ of children 10 and over1
IQ measured at 1561
Albert Einstein's IQ estimated to be 1601
Her heritage is a mix of England, Malaysia, China, Nigeria, Sierra Leone1
Professor attributed her intelligence to "superb memory"1
Father, Edward, a car buyer and motor consultant1
Mother, Louise, a part-time accounts manager for Pickford’s removals1
Elise Tan-Roberts, at the age of two, became the youngest member of the high-intelligence organization, Mensa. Her estimated IQ is 156, placing her in the top 0.2 percentile of children her age.
At two years old, Britain's Tan-Roberts could name 35 country capitals, name the three different types of triangles and spell her own name, among other feats of intelligence.
Fast Facts
Born December 2006
Was five months old when she said first word, "Dada"1
Began walking at eight months, running at 10 months1
Could count to 10 in Spanish by age 21
Became youngest member of Mensa in April 20091
Mensa normally only tests IQ of children 10 and over1
IQ measured at 1561
Albert Einstein's IQ estimated to be 1601
Her heritage is a mix of England, Malaysia, China, Nigeria, Sierra Leone1
Professor attributed her intelligence to "superb memory"1
Father, Edward, a car buyer and motor consultant1
Mother, Louise, a part-time accounts manager for Pickford’s removals1
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M$2 Answers
I'm not quite sure if testing a two year old for intelligence is a meaningful task. Intelligence itself is a somewhat elusive concept, to begin with.
In any case, being able to name 35 country capitals certainly points to "superb memory", as pointed out in your question. The question is, what those 35 capitals mean to Elise? That's 35 new words, but, what do they stand for, in the mind of that child? What good are they to her, anyway?
I think that small children like that should not be thought about the world in words, but should be allowed to experience it, and express themselves, on a more abstract level, like, I believe, all children do. In fact, these 35 words are mere abstractions to her, no one knows what's in her mind really when she says "Amsterdam!".
This is not to say that I'm suspicious about child's abilities, which are remarkable, indeed. What I mean is that it's all contextualized in a wrong way, not necessarily to her benefit.
In any case, being able to name 35 country capitals certainly points to "superb memory", as pointed out in your question. The question is, what those 35 capitals mean to Elise? That's 35 new words, but, what do they stand for, in the mind of that child? What good are they to her, anyway?
I think that small children like that should not be thought about the world in words, but should be allowed to experience it, and express themselves, on a more abstract level, like, I believe, all children do. In fact, these 35 words are mere abstractions to her, no one knows what's in her mind really when she says "Amsterdam!".
This is not to say that I'm suspicious about child's abilities, which are remarkable, indeed. What I mean is that it's all contextualized in a wrong way, not necessarily to her benefit.
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M$
IQ testing is bunk. I'm sure you probably know this already. I tend to score well on them but I only consider myself of average intelligence. They are based too much on memory. Because kids are sponges at that age you probably could train them enough to score so high that they would be considered god. The problem is kids at that age are sponges. They leak. So over the next few years that memorization will drop off quickly.
If your only goal is to score high on those tests, anybody(With in reason.) could do quite well. Maybe not make the final cut and it make take some time but most can do quite well on those types of tests.
Test the 2 year on practicality of that knowledge and I'm sure you'll find a totally different answer. She may be able to build an atom bomb but not understand the implications of actually having one lying around the house.
If your only goal is to score high on those tests, anybody(With in reason.) could do quite well. Maybe not make the final cut and it make take some time but most can do quite well on those types of tests.
Test the 2 year on practicality of that knowledge and I'm sure you'll find a totally different answer. She may be able to build an atom bomb but not understand the implications of actually having one lying around the house.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I'm not sure naming being able to name thirty-five somethings even points to a surprising memory. What's surprising is that the thirty-five somethings are capital cities rather than children's TV characters.
However, IQ tests as I remember them involve things like figuring out what's going on a in sequence of numbers and being able to say what the next one would be. That would be pretty darn impressive for a two year old.
Not sure how she did the test though as it sounds like she can't read much apart from "mummy" and "daddy".