Intelligence linked to ability to ignore distractions

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  • Grapesoda
    So Fucking Banned
    • Jul 2003
    • 46238

    #1

    Intelligence linked to ability to ignore distractions

    I've noticed that guys distracted by news stories, pending disasters, social unrest and shit like that don't do well... know a few guys like that... never could get their biz up and running because they were always reacting to shit on the news.... would you be surprised to find a few on GFY??? don't think I would be...

    -------------------------------

    People with higher IQs are slow to detect large background movements because their brains filter out non-essential information, say US researchers.

    Instead, they are good at detecting small moving objects.

    The findings come in a study of 53 people given a simple, visual test in Current Biology.

    The results could help scientists understand what makes a brain more efficient and more intelligent.

    In the study, individuals watched short video clips of black and white bars moving across a computer screen. Some clips were small and filled only the centre of the screen, while others filled the whole screen.

    The participants' sole task was to identify in which direction the bars were drifting - to the right or to the left.

    Participants also took a standardised intelligence test.

    The results showed that people with higher IQ scores were faster at noticing the movement of the bars when observing the smallest image - but they were slower at detecting movement in the larger images.

    Michael Melnick of the University of Rochester, who was part of the research team said the results were very clear.

    "From previous research, we expected that all participants would be worse at detecting the movement of large images, but high IQ individuals were much, much worse.

    The authors explain that in most scenarios, background movement is less important than small moving objects in the foreground, for example driving a car, walking down a hall or moving your eyes across the room.

    A woman focusing on reading a book while people rush around her People with higher IQs appear to be able to concentrate better
    As a person's IQ increases, so too does his or her ability to filter out distracting background motion and concentrate on the foreground.

    In an initial study on 12 people, there was a 64% correlation between motion suppression and IQ scores. In this larger study on 53 people, a 71% correlation was found.

    In contrast, previous research on the link between intelligence and reaction times, colour discrimination and sensitivity to pitch found only a 20-40% correlation.

    But the ability to ignore background movements is not the only indicator of intelligence.

    "Because intelligence is such a broad construct, you can't really track it back to one part of the brain," says Duje Tadin, who also worked on the study.

    "But since this task is so simple and so closely linked to IQ, it may give us clues about what makes a brain more efficient, and, consequently, more intelligent.

    "We know from prior research which parts of the brain are involved in visual suppression of background motion.

    "This new link to intelligence provides a good target for looking at what is different about the neural processing, what's different about the neurochemistry, what's different about the neurotransmitters of people with different IQs."


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22639039
  • L-Pink
    working on my tan
    • Mar 2005
    • 39151

    #2
    I found the length of your post distracting.

    Comment

    • Grapesoda
      So Fucking Banned
      • Jul 2003
      • 46238

      #3
      Originally posted by L-Pink
      I found the length of your post distracting.
      hey look..... a dog walked by a tree...

      Comment

      • L-Pink
        working on my tan
        • Mar 2005
        • 39151

        #4
        Where ?!

        Comment

        • Major (Tom)
          So Fucking Banned
          • Nov 2003
          • 32492

          #5
          Originally posted by Grapesoda
          I've noticed that guys distracted by news stories, pending disasters, social unrest and shit like that don't do well... know a few guys like that... never could get their biz up and running because they were always reacting to shit on the news.... would you be surprised to find a few on GFY??? don't think I would be...

          -------------------------------

          People with higher IQs are slow to detect large background movements because their brains filter out non-essential information, say US researchers.

          Instead, they are good at detecting small moving objects.

          The findings come in a study of 53 people given a simple, visual test in Current Biology.

          The results could help scientists understand what makes a brain more efficient and more intelligent.

          In the study, individuals watched short video clips of black and white bars moving across a computer screen. Some clips were small and filled only the centre of the screen, while others filled the whole screen.

          The participants' sole task was to identify in which direction the bars were drifting - to the right or to the left.

          Participants also took a standardised intelligence test.

          The results showed that people with higher IQ scores were faster at noticing the movement of the bars when observing the smallest image - but they were slower at detecting movement in the larger images.

          Michael Melnick of the University of Rochester, who was part of the research team said the results were very clear.

          "From previous research, we expected that all participants would be worse at detecting the movement of large images, but high IQ individuals were much, much worse.

          The authors explain that in most scenarios, background movement is less important than small moving objects in the foreground, for example driving a car, walking down a hall or moving your eyes across the room.

          A woman focusing on reading a book while people rush around her People with higher IQs appear to be able to concentrate better
          As a person's IQ increases, so too does his or her ability to filter out distracting background motion and concentrate on the foreground.

          In an initial study on 12 people, there was a 64% correlation between motion suppression and IQ scores. In this larger study on 53 people, a 71% correlation was found.

          In contrast, previous research on the link between intelligence and reaction times, colour discrimination and sensitivity to pitch found only a 20-40% correlation.

          But the ability to ignore background movements is not the only indicator of intelligence.

          "Because intelligence is such a broad construct, you can't really track it back to one part of the brain," says Duje Tadin, who also worked on the study.

          "But since this task is so simple and so closely linked to IQ, it may give us clues about what makes a brain more efficient, and, consequently, more intelligent.

          "We know from prior research which parts of the brain are involved in visual suppression of background motion.

          "This new link to intelligence provides a good target for looking at what is different about the neural processing, what's different about the neurochemistry, what's different about the neurotransmitters of people with different IQs."


          http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22639039
          53 people is not enough for valid statistical results. A 100 is the minimum for a statistical population. This is just a statistical coincidence.
          Ds

          Comment

          • TheSquealer
            Mayor of Thneedville
            • Oct 2004
            • 26172

            #6
            "People with higher IQs are slow to detect large background movements because their brains filter out non-essential information, say US researchers."

            All of our brains filter out and delete a great deal of information. This is an essential part of thinking and processing everything around us.

            Your brain deletes, distorts and generalizes information. Everyone's mental filters are in tune to their own understanding and internal representation of the world (how one understands things and the model one has constructed in ones brain to represent his/her understanding of "reality").

            A difference between people in this respect is in a better ability to filter out/delete more information that is less useful. All information that you are consciously aware of has already been filtered through your own mental filters before you are aware of it. We ultimately pay attention to what we believe is useful information. The difference between people in this regard is in discerning what is and isn't useful. One might notice a great deal of detail another doesn't. One might add a great deal of meaning where there isn't any and focus on useless information. For example, a meaningless event could be perceived by most to be just that and ignored where someone suffering from paranoid delusions might not only find significant meaning in it (create the meaning, significantly distorting the meaning/significance etc). That doesn't mean that a mentally disturbed person can't be extremely intelligent.

            Furthermore, the data size is far too small to determine anything at all. Flipping a coin 58 times and getting heads 64% of the time doesn't tell you anything useful and even less when you understand that it takes many millions of coin flips to get to 50%.
            .
            Yes, fewer illegal immigrants working equates to more job opportunities for American citizens.

            Rochard

            Comment

            • _Richard_
              Too lazy to set a custom title
              • Oct 2006
              • 30991

              #7
              Originally posted by L-Pink
              Where ?!

              Comment

              • Grapesoda
                So Fucking Banned
                • Jul 2003
                • 46238

                #8
                Originally posted by TheSquealer
                "People with higher IQs are slow to detect large background movements because their brains filter out non-essential information, say US researchers."

                All of our brains filter out and delete a great deal of information. This is an essential part of thinking and processing everything around us.

                Your brain deletes, distorts and generalizes information. Everyone's mental filters are in tune to their own understanding and internal representation of the world (how one understands things and the model one has constructed in ones brain to represent his/her understanding of "reality").

                A difference between people in this respect is in a better ability to filter out/delete more information that is less useful. All information that you are consciously aware of has already been filtered through your own mental filters before you are aware of it. We ultimately pay attention to what we believe is useful information. The difference between people in this regard is in discerning what is and isn't useful. One might notice a great deal of detail another doesn't. One might add a great deal of meaning where there isn't any and focus on useless information. For example, a meaningless event could be perceived by most to be just that and ignored where someone suffering from paranoid delusions might not only find significant meaning in it (create the meaning, significantly distorting the meaning/significance etc). That doesn't mean that a mentally disturbed person can't be extremely intelligent.

                Furthermore, the data size is far too small to determine anything at all. Flipping a coin 58 times and getting heads 64% of the time doesn't tell you anything useful and even less when you understand that it takes many millions of coin flips to get to 50%.
                Einstein once said he's not smarter than anyone else, that he just works the problem longer. my IQ is 140, I can work 14-18 hours without distraction. I know a guy with 172 IQ, he can work about 30 hours non stop
                Last edited by Grapesoda; 05-24-2013, 07:35 AM.

                Comment

                • Grapesoda
                  So Fucking Banned
                  • Jul 2003
                  • 46238

                  #9
                  Originally posted by L-Pink
                  Where ?!
                  oh crap a bird... look

                  Comment

                  • TheSquealer
                    Mayor of Thneedville
                    • Oct 2004
                    • 26172

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Grapesoda
                    Einstein once said he's not smarter than anyone else, that he just works the problem longer. my IQ is 140, I can work 14-18 hours without distraction. I know a guy with 172 IQ, he can work about 30 hours non stop
                    Yeah, i am not sure this study makes any sense at all. Forgetting about all the variances in how people perceive, process and interpret things and their significance or lack thereof, you can put any two random variables against each other with a limited data sample, look at correlations and proclaim a winner... hardly a great way to draw conclusions about a 6 Billion strong species.
                    .
                    Yes, fewer illegal immigrants working equates to more job opportunities for American citizens.

                    Rochard

                    Comment

                    • purecane
                      Annakin Skywalker
                      • Jan 2013
                      • 1324

                      #11
                      IQ's are overrated....
                      [email protected]

                      Comment

                      • L-Pink
                        working on my tan
                        • Mar 2005
                        • 39151

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Grapesoda
                        oh crap a bird... look
                        I'll be the first to admit I've got a very short attention span. Always have and can see the negatives.

                        Comment

                        • dyna mo
                          just a fucking jerk
                          • Dec 2008
                          • 68184

                          #13
                          it sounds to me like the results from teh study are going to be used as a starting point to do more brain research going in a particular direction, they aren't making a conclusion.

                          Comment

                          • Failed
                            Confirmed User
                            • Mar 2011
                            • 2301

                            #14
                            I wonder why they chose such a small sample. I've only taken an intro to statistics course, but even we weren't allowed to perform an experiment that involved less than 100 people, chosen at random. A sample size of 12, and then 53 seems unlikely to be considered valid.

                            Even though I did quite well in college, I was distracted by this story, and therefore hang my head in shame.
                            (ICQ - 664784872)

                            Comment

                            • dyna mo
                              just a fucking jerk
                              • Dec 2008
                              • 68184

                              #15
                              there are many possible reasons, financial, available subjects, pre-existing theory, a hunch, the 2ns set is 5x bigger than the 1st set and confirms results, etc.



                              "This new link to intelligence provides a good target for looking at what is different about the neural processing, what's different about the neurochemistry, what's different about the neurotransmitters of people with different IQs."

                              Comment

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