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Watch the Daily Show? You're Smart. Read Blogs or Watch FOX? Not So Much
It's always a treat when studies come out that link how much individuals know with where they get their news. In the following tables, the percentage next to a media outlet's name represents the number of viewers of that outlet that can answer 15 of 23 questions about political and world affairs correctly. Not a particularly high bar.
Daily Show/Colbert Report 54%
Major Newspapers' Websites 54%
NewsHour w/ Jim Lehrer 53%
Bill O'Reilly 51%
NPR 51%
Rush Limbaugh 50%
Those are the folks who did well. Here's the group that did just okay.
Newsmagazines 48%
Local Newspaper 43%
CNN 41%
Ouch, CNN. Clean up your act. And here's the folks that did really poorly. This is the funniest group.
Network Evening News 38%
Blogs 37%
Fox News 35%
Local TV News 35%
Network Morning Shows 34%
I'll let you digest all of that without making the numerous easy jokes. But I'll point out two facts: First, other questions from the same poll reveal that people are about as aware of major news events today as they were 20 years ago, so the information explosion has not helped anything. And second, the national average? 35%. So the majority of the country either gets their news from FOX, local news, morning shows, or doesn't get the news from anywhere at all.
For shame, Regis and Kelly.
Update: Some other tidbits that I love. Only 69% of people in America know Dick Cheney is the vice president. Also, this: "Democrats and Republicans were about equally represented in the most knowledgeable group but there were more Republicans in the least aware group." It's always a treat when studies come out that link how much individuals know with where they get their news. In the following ta... more -
Bush IQ: mild mental retardation
Researchers at the National Archives today uncovered a stack of the president's test scores from the 1960s. On a standardized IQ test given to him in seventh grade, President Bush scored a 57, which is within the range of mental retardation.
"Psychiatrists consider a score in the high fifties to be only mild mental retardation," said Dr. Herman Coddrick, White House staff physician. "There's no reason that a person with such a mental capacity couldn't hold a regular job, like being server at Dairy Queen, a digger of ditches or Commander-in-Chief of the United States military." [more]
--TheSkunk.org Researchers at the National Archives today uncovered a stack of the president's test scores from the 1960s. On a standardized IQ ... more -
More proof that videogames make you smart :)
Video games are not for dumbasses. Video games are serious buissiness and they can make you smarter, more decisive and more dangerous! Beware people! Video games are not for dumbasses. Video games are serious buissiness and they can make you smarter, more decisive and more dangerous!... more
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What are indigo children?
8-minute documentary on the new generation of children known for their abilities. The documentary touches on both scientific and theoretical aspects of the topic. Directed by Hector Sierra. Produced by Lucas Gath. 8-minute documentary on the new generation of children known for their abilities. The documentary touches on both scientific and theor... more
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How the Dark Knight, cartoons and video games make you s...
This article describes how popular culture (The Dark Knight, video games, cartoons, tv series etc.) contribute to the general increase in IQ called the Flynn Effect. This article describes how popular culture (The Dark Knight, video games, cartoons, tv series etc.) contribute to the general increase... more
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College grads more likely to keep the faith
A study at the University of Texas in Austin states that college graduates are less likely to abandon their religious identities. I am posting this in response to the story that was on Current.com not long ago about how less-religious people are more intelligent.
In my opinion, people who are truly intelligent are those who respect people of all religions, including people of no faith. After all, MLK was a pretty smart guy.
Science and Religion are not enemies. People who are scientists are often religious and people who are religious often support science 100%.
What do you think? A study at the University of Texas in Austin states that college graduates are less likely to abandon their religious identities. I a... more -
New views of human intelligence
"Intelligence - the dark secret of American social science and education - is coming out of the closet. Once intelligence was perceived as a narrow group of mental abilities, those measurable by an I.Q. test. But according to that view great groups of the population turned out to be not very smart or educable ..."
By Marie Winn "Intelligence - the dark secret of American social science and education - is coming out of the closet. Once intelligence was per... more -
Plastic Brain Outsmarts Experts
"...new research, led by Swiss postdoctoral fellows Susanne M. Jaeggi and Martin Buschkuehl, working at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, suggests that at least one aspect of a person's IQ can be improved by training a certain type of memory. " "...new research, led by Swiss postdoctoral fellows Susanne M. Jaeggi and Martin Buschkuehl, working at the University of Michiga... more
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Test reveals: highest IQs use Firefox on MacPPC, lowest use Firefox on Win98
"IQLeague guys have some kind of online IQ test on their site and they group IQ scores of all visitors by different geographical locations (city, country, etc.)
Here is an interesting part - they also group IQ Scores by referrer website and by client browser and operating system." "IQLeague guys have some kind of online IQ test on their site and they group IQ scores of all visitors by different geographical ... more -
First born children have higher IQs
Another new study claims that your position amongst siblings has an effect on your intelligence, personality and even life expectancy.
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He's not as smart as he thinks
Are men smarter than women? No. But they sure think they are. An analysis of some 30 studies by British researcher Adrian Furnham, a professor of psychology at University College London, shows that men and women are fairly equal overall in terms of IQ. But women, it seems, underestimate their own candlepower (and that of women in general), while men overestimate theirs. Are men smarter than women? No. But they sure think they are. An analysis of some 30 studies by British researcher Adrian Furnham, a p... more
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Do IQ tests actually measure IQ?
One theory suggests IQ tests actually measure MODERNITY, not inherent, genetic intelligence.
I just think it's very interesting to find out the criteria for measuring intelligence, both the INcluded and EXcluded factors. I would like to also find out the supposed IQ's of those who develop the tests, but I guess that's another article.
Also, Gladwell offers this correction to his article:
http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/2007/12/correct... One theory suggests IQ tests actually measure MODERNITY, not inherent, genetic intelligence. ... more -
Time to Train That Brain
Because all of our parts need exercise... even the brain. Plus, these are kinda fun.
I just attempted this... I think it's too early on a Saturday to get a good result. How did you do? Because all of our parts need exercise... even the brain. Plus, these are kinda fun. ... more -
Man Lives Normal Life With Egg Sized Brain
French doctors are puzzling over the case of 44-year-old civil servant who has led a quite normal life but with an extraordinarily tiny brain. French doctors are puzzling over the case of 44-year-old civil servant who has led a quite normal life but with an extraordinarily t... more
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Breastfeeding May Boost IQ in Babies
The known association between breast feeding and slightly higher IQ in children has been shown to relate to a particular gene in the babies, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The known association between breast feeding and slightly higher IQ in children has been shown to relate to a particular gene in the b... more
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Will Breastfeeding Create Brainiacs? It Depends
A single gene influences whether breastfeeding improves a child's intelligence, say London researchers.
Children with one version of the FADS2 gene scored seven points higher in IQ tests if they were breastfed. A single gene influences whether breastfeeding improves a child's intelligence, say London researchers. ... more -
3 Yr Old Picasso
3-year-old Jimmy paints a masterpiece strikingly similar to the paintings at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
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