It would be handy if you could test a job applicant’s IQ in just 30 seconds. 
According to research, there is a link between IQ and the ability to detect the direction of motion of a set of animated vertical lines moving like ripples across a screen.
But before you decide to use such a test, maybe you should stop and ask yourself a few questions.
1. Generally, are IQ scores closely correlated with sensory discrimination? What about other aspects — like mathematical calculation, verbal fluency, logic, spatial orientation and relations, static pattern recognition, memorization skills, motor intelligence and others? Are all of these strongly correlated with sensory discrimination? And if they are, what kinds of senses? Visual only, or are auditory, olfactory, tactual, gustatory or even gravitational included in that?
2. Which sensory discrimination are markers for intelligence? It comes down to deciding which of the sensory discriminations are the most correlated to IQ.
3. Can we be “smart” in respect to one kind of sensory discrimination, but less “smart” in terms of a different one? If you have a good sense of smell but you can’t tell two different dog breeds apart by touch alone, does that mean you aren’t as intelligent as someone who can?
Until these questions have been answered, maybe you should hold off on deciding to use a visual for deciphering job applicants’ IQ when you are looking to hire new employees. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try it out and see what you think.
Read more about how Conselium Executive Search screens job applicants.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
