Computer Scores 150 on IQ Test

Intelligence – what does it really mean? In the 1800s, it meant that you were good at memorizing things, today intelligence is measured through (disputed) IQ tests where the average score for humans is 100. Researchers at the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science at the University of Gothenburg have now created a computer program that can score 150.

IQ tests are based on two types of problems: progressive matrices, which test the ability to see patterns in pictures, and number sequences, which test the ability to see patterns in numbers. The most common math computer programs score below 100 on IQ tests with number sequences. According to the researchers number sequence problems are only partly a matter of mathematics – psychology is important too. When equipped with a psychological model of human patterns their computer program specialized in number sequences managed to obtain an IQ of 150.

The technique of combining mathematics and psychology can potentially be used to identify patterns in data with a psychological component, such as financial data, but it is not as good at finding patterns in more objective data, such as weather data, where the human psyche is not involved.