Sloan responds to questions on IQ and SQ:

Any message I get that may be of general interest to visitors to the SQ web site is added to this section, along with my reply. This preserves the dialogue as a sort of FAQ (frequently asked questions).

Lisa Nilsen

On ACT and SAT being fair representation of IQ, there are many leading professors (as Gardner and Steele) who feel they are. See their comments at http://SQ.4mg.com/IQ-SAT.htm The IQ's of SAT and ACT test takers have been reduced by an average of 10 points to generate a set of state IQ scores averaging 100. For most states, a very large percentage of high school graduates took one of the two tests. There is no reason to suspect that actual IQ's in states with significant Black populations not taking the test would be higher than states with largely Whites not taking the test. If anything, the actual IQ's in Southern states might be lower than I calculated.

Sloan replies: Ted, it will be fun to meet and exchange ideas face to face. On a recent trip to Bali, I heard much about corruption in Indonesia. America has some well publicized business problems, but corruption does not pervade everyday affairs. When you revisit my SQ website, you might want to start with http://SQ.4mg.com/site_outline.htm which lists all pages. I have added several recently, such as http://SQ.4mg.com/latino.htm which starts with data you developed and presents observations for Central and South American nations.

Mr. Sloan:    I have enjoyed a great deal of what you have written on your websites; however, one comment, for such an intelligent man, struck me as being just plain silly. You write:

Response from SaVaGeAssMeXiCaN: For the SAT scores, I was unable to find the same article I read before. But let me present some more information that supports my statement that oppressed, poor, and uneducated people are less likely to have higher IQ and SAT scores.

In Northern Ireland, Protestants, who are the dominant group, score 15 points higher than Catholics, the oppressed minority, on IQ tests.

Polish Jews were discriminated against when they first migrated to this country. During this time, they were considered to be an inferior race, and their IQs at the time reflected this. Russian Jews scored very low on IQ tests when they first came to America. Now both groups' IQs are above the average 100. You do not believe their oppression upon arrival had anything to do with those low scores?

Koreans & Japanese people are of the same race. The individual countries score around the same on IQ tests, as do Americans of those races. If they are the same, then why is it that Koreans who migrate to Japan, who become oppressed, score much lower on IQ tests than the Japanese or Koreans in Korea?

Perhaps the most dramatic example is the Northern Irish. Even though they come from the same ethnic group, Catholics (the discriminated minority) score 15 points lower on IQ tests than Protestants.

As I have stated before, oppression creates ignorance. As my GATE (class for students with IQs above 132) teacher once told me, you either know how to spell a word or you don't. Knowing a word doesn't make you any smarter than the next man. This can be applied to IQ and especially SAT tests, which uses vocabulary as a large part of the exam.

Sloan replies:  Your theory that oppression affects IQ may relate mostly to inadequate test procedures.  Immigrants to America and Japan often do not understand the questions as well as native born speakers, nor do they know the local culture of the tests. Your example of Northern Ireland is harder to explain.  I would welcome seeing the 15 point data you mention, plus what others have said about it.  Race does seem to contribute to differences in average group intelligence. Nobody would claim that Whites in America are oppressed because they get lower average SAT scores than Asian-Americans.  Might not African-American and Latino SAT results also reflect naturally different average IQ's, even after allowing for oppression and test imperfections?

NOTE: SaVaGeAssMeXiCaN appears to get many of his "facts" from http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-inferiorIQ.htm This website seems biased and scientifically unreliable.

Respectfully,  D.H. Andrews

hi, I'm a 15 year old half hispanic male that recently took an IQ test that said my IQ is 130 and I was wondering If that is like an advanced kind of placement because on your website it says the average IQ of americans is 98 which is significantly lower then my score and I'm akso presuming that is of adults  I just really wanted to know if that was a good thing?

According to the mean IQs of different nations, Arab and South Asian mean IQs are below average.  How is it that in the United States' leading technological institutions (such as MIT, Caltech, Rensselaer, etc), Arabs and South Asians make up a significant portion of the student body? Next, if India's mean IQ is 81 (well below average), then how come all the high tech jobs are being outsourced to India? Also, how is the average IQ measured in a country so greatly populated as India?

Sloan replies:  A populous country like India with an average IQ of only 81 still has a bell curve distribution of intelligence.  Thus the percentage of its citizens who are very bright may not be high, but they number in the millions.  There are plenty with high IQ's to compete for positions at top US colleges or in getting outsourced jobs.  India was one of the countries where the available IQ testing data seemed sufficiently reliable to the authors of IQ and the Wealth of Nations to be included in the 81 countries they list.  IQ data for neighbors like Pakistan are only estimates.

Sir,  I'm in need of information to compare and contrast  Howard Gardner (Multiple Intelligence) and Charles Spearman (Model Intelligence) for a research paper. Any help possible will be a life saver.     Thanks, Klo

Sloan replies:  Klo, when I placed "Charles Spearman  Model Intelligence" in Google search, one quite helpful entry came up: http://admin.vmi.edu/IR/ltsi.htm  - which includes

I am working on a master's project to prove that using MI in the classroom will improve student success/ achievement/ test scores.  Can you help me find links, articles, etc. on this subject.  I am having trouble finding data.  Thanks, Holly Shaw

Additionally, there are a number of pages in my website  which you might want to copy and use with your classes.  Here are some of them:

Sir: We are great fans of your web-site and recent postings stirred us to add something that your readers may be stimulated to see as interesting and relatively new. These thoughts were triggered by 'IQ and the Wealth of Nations' and 'The effect of European people on Sub-Saharan African economies' discussed earlier in this electronic colloquy.

As far as we are aware, the first intelligence tests were formulated in the 1880's by the eminent British eugenicist, Sir Francis Galton, so IQ testing is over 120 years old. The need for the understanding of cultural effects in any kind of testing was apparently first formally identified in 1935 by the British military in India. Graham's old friend Victor Serebriakoff (late chairman of Mensa International) spent much time on the subject of IQ and its effects on the general population. Victor used to say that, in theory, a group of people working together should show the same IQ as the average of the IQ's of the group (e.g. if each member of the group had an IQ of 100, then the decisions and actions of the group as a whole should suggest a similar 100 IQ. In reality, of course, this is rarely - if ever - found. A well run family would probably show the highest 'group IQ', followed by successful companies and corporations, followed by western governments, followed by third world governments, with mankind as a whole showing precious little more intelligence than an amoeba growing in a laboratory-dish until its food was exhausted and it died in its own excrement. In other words, the world population - with its inability to work together and its destructive effects on our planet - exhibits a compound IQ close to zero.

One of the influences on this effect is that of culture. We were told that, in the attempts by the British army to identify 'officer material' from amongst the Indian recruits, they used a simple intelligence test that incorporated some visual puzzles. One of these was the side view of a simple pen-knife with the blade open about 45 degrees. In the handle of the knife were shown the three rivets - labelled a, b and c - that are classically used to hold a pen-knife together. The question asked the testee to identify the rivet that constituted the hinge for the blade. A puzzlingly high proportion of the Indian testees provided the wrong answer and a little research immediately showed why. Virtually none of the Indian recruits had ever seen a pen-knife before because they were not yet in common use in India. Clearly the question was not 'culture fair'. As a result of that observation, and in recognition of the need to remove all such imbalances, the negative effects of 'culture unfairness' have been effectively eliminated from all modern, British-based intelligence tests from reputable sources.

There was an interesting corollary to this story however, the test markers noted that if the testee was of above average intelligence, then he (no she's in the army) tended to be able to figure it out anyway and provide the right answer. This showed an important trend, that generally, any obstructive effect of culture fairness reduces in inverse proportion with the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the involved person (e.g. the higher the IQ, the less the apparent effect of culture fairness, and vice-versa); this is known as the 'Culture-Fairness-Effect'. It already helps to explain why, in general, high-flyers love IQ tests and low intelligence people vehemently object to them.

 Importantly, through empirical and eclectic evidence and logical deduction, it is easy to see this effect in action in such charts as the 'Bush / Gore / IQ' table shown elsewhere on these sites, and the results of government elections in all countries, but particularly third world countries. It may help to explain why democracy in Africa doesn't work, and why it will probably fail to work for at least the next ten decades (if IQ grows at 3 points a decade according to the 'Flynn effect'). To illustrate the point in broad-brush terms, the voting in democratic countries can be dramatically skewed by the 'IQ : Culture-Fairness-Effect' ratio. This is seen where the (minority) voters at the high IQ end of the scale will tend to be more results oriented and thus vote for the best political candidates or parties in terms of their ability to deliver, versus the (majority) voters at the low IQ end of the scale, who will tend to be more culture orientated and vote for a tribal or racial result which may be the least appropriate for the future as it will be largely constituted of the same low average IQ individuals found in the majority voting group. And the excellent book 'IQ and the Wealth of Nations' by Lynn and Vanhanen shows us what happens then.

This may also be a predictor of disaster with the current South African government 'reverse apartheid' policy of the deliberate displacement of whites from government and financial control and their replacement with blacks. Simple logic says that this is not a smart move. The chart earlier in your e-mail colloquy by Richard Sime showing 'The effect European people on Sub-Saharan African economies' appears to prove this by illustrating it graphically.

Kind Regards

Graham Swanborough and August Ndlovu

Sloan replies: Hello Graham and August - It's good to know that my website is stimulating thinking, as evidenced by your email. I too have been concerned about the outlook for places with substantially below average IQ's, as in Africa. Globalization has placed a large income value on IQ, where in the past other traits like physical strength or warlike attitudes have been associated the most successful. Now, within countries and in international competition, IQ is likely be a dominant force for the foreseeable future. There may be no easy ways to help nations with well below average IQ's. (Your letter and this response are now part of http://SQ.4mg.com/usingSQ.htm)

Hey there My name is Jeff and I am really interested in your site. But I was wondering if you have any information on how IQ is related to the nations educational budget, per capita. I am doing a project on this and even a website or anything would be appricated. Thanks a lot

Sloan replies: Jeff, by entering "spending per student primary" in a Google search, the first website shown provides the kind spending data I think you are looking for: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/edu_pub_spe_per_stu_pri_lev

There is a similar page for secondary school expenditures. You could match it up with the IQ by nation data on my http://SQ.4mg.com/NationIQ.htm page. The education spending information is from UNESCO and shows "Public expenditure per student, primary level is the total reported current spending by the government on primary education, divided by the total number of pupils in primary education, expressed as a percentage of per capita GDP." You can get GDP/person data from my webpage http://SQ.4mg.com/corrupt.htm - which came from http://www.worldfactsandfigures.com/gdp_country_desc.php

Hopefully this gives you a start on your project. When you have completed it, please send me an email copy. Your work may well be of interest to other readers of my site, which now gets around 2000 page views a day. For example, the /corrupt.htm page now on my site was offered by a reader in Thailand.

We are students from St. John's College Junior College, we have conducted a research similar to that of male-female IQ.(which is the smarter sex) We have read and studied the results and the overview in the website. We would like to know who conducted this research, or which organization sponsored this research. And why and how you have obtain these results and what are the reasons for obtaining these results? Can you kindly email me at dnhdth@btl.net as soon as possible.

Thanks, students of SJC-JC

In this discussion of sex differences I rely mostly on chapter 13, "Sex differences in g", from Arthur Jensen's book "The g factor", and a little bit on chapter 4, "Conditions for excellence", from Hans Eysenck's book "Genius - The natural history of creativity".

Check out the chapters mentioned in the two above books. You should find there the supporting research you seek. The material is in my site because it seems to be of great interest and has been well researched. Do your findings differ? I would welcome getting a summary of what your research shows.

Dear Sloan:

Just to say hi about your information on IQ is the best I have found. I am currently helping out a friend on sociology PhD. thesis, which the information is based on my sources about nearly 2 decade ago.

At that time I also found a relationship between GDP and IQ, which was something like .60 correlation. However, looking at various cultures I found their levels of ethics is what really killing them or helping them.

So I drew a variable called corruption index (more like ethics index really) in relation to the country's GDP per capita. Its correlation was about .91 (probably an error then since corruption index was arbitrary but this later was corrected), later about two years ago I redid it and still I got an .82 correlation, which is acceptable based on about 100 countries. (I would like to do all but data were lacking).

Four outliers turns out to be a country torn by politics and war (China and Vietnam) and Japan (a country with an unusual culture of cooperation -which effects them economically and another country torn by an epidemic (AIDS). Of course, if I plug in the variable of "cooperative" variable along with "cooperation" (ethics, really) it went up to about.90. Of course, as in all social science, you get coincidence variables now and then.

I am sure you are not interested in this since it has nothing to do with IQ, but I come to say hi as I need some information on IQ (thank you), that might be useful towards helping out some minor outliers for my friend's thesis on white collar crime. (Occupation crime is really serious compared to street crime (20 times more damaging), what is more scarier is really human ethics!!! - no wonder businessmen and millionaires say that integrity and honesty is SO IMPORTANT!)

Again, I will always be a fan on your IQ website and will visit and read everything here, especially how you deal sensitively with the issue of race - not like the book on "Bell Curve". I find it very interesting and very fasciating. Thank you very much for the information provided for me on your website.

Ted

Sloan replies: Ted, thanks for your compliments. Yes, I do try to present an impartial view on IQ and other success factors. My website includes material from other sources that I find readable, balanced, and in tune with the latest research findings. It bothers me that much that is written in the social sciences seems to push various points of view. (That would never be tolerated in chemistry, for example. That's one reason the "hard" sciences are more respected and have progressed further.)

If you would email me your findings on corruption's relation to national wealth, I would likely want to include a page on it in my website, crediting you of course. My site has grown well beyond providing information on the research I did on social skills. IQ and its effect on success are now what readers seem to want most (64% of page views). Your material on the effects of corruption could become another popular addition to my site!

I am very interested in this topic. Can you give me guidance in getting more information on this topic. As a school psychologist, can you guide me toward research related to methods used to teach these skills to kids? Thanks for your help!!!

Becky Emens, Eds level school psychologist completing phd at Mississippi State University

Sloan replies: Becky, you have identified a key word on teaching likeability - research. There are a number of common sense programs available for teaching social skills. But none of them has rigorous supporting research, largely because there has been no standard for measuring improvement in student performance. My Social Quotient measuring system could provide reliable research results. But it has not yet been applied seriously to any likeability training program.

How does one raise one's sq as an adult? j

Sloan replies: June, people of all ages can and should work to raise their SQ - their ability to get along. Many have found these work:

Interesting info re earnings, IQ and ethnicity. For what it is worth, you may post the following one comment I have re environment and race. Sailer maintains that the percentgage of white genes appears to have little effect on black IQ scores. There is some other data to support this. As the Bell Curve showed, among those blacks that test at "genius" level, persons of African (continental Africa) and black Caribbean descent are overwhelmingly represented. Such persons typically have LESS white genetic material than African-Americans, supporting Sailer's point about the apparent limited effect of white genes. This confirms my own ancecdotal observations over many years in the US - the black "brainiacs" I have encountered were overwhelmingly very dark skinned people- i.e. people with less "white blood". Of course, the Asian example confirms the limited effect of white genes in a more dramatic way.

Also as conservative scholar Thomas Sowell points out, entire nations and ethnic groups have raised their IQ scores over time. This fact has often been concealed by the "renorming" of the scroes in various years to yield a "base average" of 100. But when researchers like James Flynn went back to the original baselines, entire ethnic groups (including white ethnics) and nations have registered increases, some of major proportions. This undermines theories that intelligence in certain groups is static or "in decline". See Sowell's article in "The Bell Curve Wars" and his seminal "Race and Intelligence" for the data.

Carlos Alberto

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

African explanation from book comments by Steve Sailer from http://www.vdare.com/sailer/wealth_of_nations.htm

"A clear example of how a bad environment can hurt IQ can be seen in the IQ scores for sub-Saharan African countries. They average only around 70. In contrast, African-Americans average about 85. It appears unlikely that African-Americans' white admixture can account for most of this 15-point gap because they are only around 17%-18% white on average, according to the latest genetic research. (Thus African-Americans white genes probably couldn't account for more than 3 points of the gap between African-Americans and African-Africans.) This suggests that the harshness of life in Africa might be cutting ten points or more off African IQ scores...

"One potential explanation for why IQ gaps don't seem to be narrowing (for example, the white-black IQ gap in America has been about 15 points for 80 years or so) was offered by Flynn* recently. He argued that smart people, because they find cognitive challenges pleasurable, seek out more mentally stimulating environments, which in turn exercise their brains more, making them even smarter." (Flynn worked with book author Lynn in analyzing the "Lynn-Flynn effect," the increase in raw IQ scores about 2 to 3 points per decade)."

hello: my name is eman i am a teacher in the faculty of education in psychology. i interrested in the programs for developing social intelligence. i want your help about previous dissertation

with my all thanks

To my knowledge, there are no tested methods for improving social skills. My recommendations would be to:

Van, check out Trump's Apprentice show on NBC tonight at 8pm - bet you would like it. It largely deals with what makes for success, and reminds me of your Social Quotient website, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Lex

Sloan replies: Lex, thanks for your suggestion regarding The Apprentice. Yes, that TV show definitely ties in to my http://SQ.4mg.com website on how one's social skills, ambition, and IQ affect success.

Title: 3SmartCubes.com - IQ & Personality Tests

Description: Check out our range of PhD certified Personality, IQ, Aptitude & other

Self-Assessment Tests. We also have loads of other fun tests that you would love.

Thanks,

Linda Chaudhuri, 3SmartCubes.com

Sloan replies: Thanks for putting a link to my SQ website on your site. In return, links to your site are now on my http://SQ.4mg.com/UsingSQ.htm page.

Figure 1.

Black Africans appear to lack the entrepreneurial skills for wealth generation. A strong education focus on business skills may partially alleviate this problem.

 Sloan replies: Richard, your analysis does not surprise me. I do not claim to be an expert on IQ, but intelligence does interact with the social skills emphasized in my SQ website. While social skills do not seem to vary by ethnic group, IQ does, which seems to strongly affect a country's economic output. Thank you for your interesting analysis.

Thanks for your website at http://sq.4mg.com/IQ-SAT.htm I found it very interesting and informative, including race and earnings findings.

Jim

Hello Sir,

I found your site about social skills and thought i'd drop you an email to ask you some things that have been a bit frustrating for me.

Ever since i was a little boy, I've always been interested in social interactions. My social skills has greatly improved, simply by the fact that I love people, and am a very empathetic person. But I continually feel a lack of confidence even though my social skills are above average compared to people in general. I am the type of person that can go to any part of town and know at least 5-10 people. I am the guy that can make the class reject feel awesome, while still being able to hang out with the coolest person in school. Yet, i still feel something missing, or rather, I would liek to improve EVEN more.

Please tell me what books i could read, what classes i could take, what to LOOK for, concerning development of social skills. Do i look under: Manners...social savvy, social interactions? I have no clue where to look, I just know that I want to be the one that is "IN the know" in social situations..the one that is aware and concious of what is actually going on underneath social interactions, and not be blinded by ignorance.

Please let me know if you could offer any advice. And thank you ahead of time.

Boreth

What does one do "if" they score more HIGHS than LOWS, but still don't feel they are socially adept at social skills? It kind of cracks me up because getting along with others has always been a challenge. I am a good friend to friends, but friends eventually, lie to me, borrow money and never return it, avoid me, don't invite me to funtions, however will ask me for favors, first person they ask to babysit, or confide in me.

In all honesty, if a person follows all the social skills, they are in essance "fitting in" to a role to be popular regardless of other people. Face it people are rude, selfish, imposing, ungrateful in general. Finding the few, who aren't this way is a blessing.

I am interested in improving interactions, communications with people. It's been a lifelong battle for me. Any information you can forward will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Melanie

Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 21:49:14 -0900

Thank you Van Sloan.

It was a rewarding treat to learn I have some social skills, as far SQ test suggests. Often times, it "feels" as though I have very few. No doubt you're terribly busy with these tests. Just wanted to say thanks for kind words. Happy New Year 2004....may be be popular!

xo,....Melanie

dear sir

i m prerna from India. i am planning to work on the relationship between EI and work performance. please send me some studies favoring and unfavoring it. i ll be very grateful to you.

thanks, prerna

Hello, The information on your web site is very interesting. I teach some at-risk youth for the Vermont Department of Corrections, (not in the prison). I wonder how I might use your information to illustrate the criticality of education. Thanks very much, Carol Truesdell

dear sir, I am a student of MBA hospital management, I would require specific details for a power point presentation for around 15 minutes on social quotient. Net gives a very eloborate notes so kindly send me relevant details for the same. thank u

Sloan replies: Unfortunately I do not have a power point presentation on Social Quotient. In my presentations (many in high school classrooms), I find that the data from my webpage http://SQ.4mg.com/r_iq_ei.htm is a good starter. The graph there on income, and the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 breakdown on success in point 4 on the page are attention getters.

Next, you might want to show the basic SQ survey form (at http://SQ.4mg.com/ side_a.htm) and describe how the marks a person gets on it are determined only by others in his group. Your presentation might end with information from http://SQ.4mg.com/sq_jobs.htm - including the traits employers look for in those they hire and other links on that page.

Good luck in developing your presentation. I definitely would welcome a copy of what you develop (perhaps to add to the SQ website). Do let me know if you have further questions. I'll be interested to hear how your presentation is received.

hello sir, thank u very much sir for the reply sent. I've already collected those information from the google. If not a power point presentation, a overall summary of SQ is essential sir. i've already got the information u've sent in the respective sites. can u just provide me some applications of SQ. Await ur reply, thank u M.Nandhini

Sloan replies again: For an overall summary on SQ, see http://SQ.4mg.com/conf.htm (a conference presentation I gave). There are many applications of SQ and of the unique method used to collect SQ information.:

http://SQ.4mg.com/sq_jobs.htm - for getting a higher paying job

http://SQ.4mg.com/difficult.htm - a new system to help employees with poor social skills

http://SQ.4mg.com/univ_admit.htm - to help in one's college admissions

http://SQ.4mg.com/integrity.htm - on using the SQ method to get a handle on traits difficult to measure

I just tried your male test for SQ online and I could not get a score. Can you email me a rubric for the test? Do you have any other links/sites that I can visit regarding social skills? Thanks.

Jason J. Popoff, Behavior Manager

Hope Classroom, Spring Grove High School, Spring Grove, PA 17362

For other links/ sites on social skills, there are many of them throughout my SQ website. My http://SQ.4mg.com/r_iq_ei.htm page has a number of links on how social skills relate to an individual's financial success. For other types of links, you might start with the page that outlines my entire SQ site (http://SQ.4mg.com/site_outline.htm). You could click there on topics that interest you, such as how social skills help in getting jobs.

hello! i am yashwardhini chauhan, i am doing my masters in psychology from maharaja sayaji rao university , baroda, gujarat, india.i am doing my dissertation on emotional intelligence in university students, it would be kind of you if you can send me resarch articles done on emotional intelligence on students.as very less work has been done in this area in my country.thanking you in anticipation.

Sloan replies: My webpage http://SQ.4mg.com/ r_iq_ei.htm outlines current research findings on emotional intelligence. For example, my work with high school students shows that females score higher on the social skills aspects of EI, while males may score higher on other parts of EI. My whole website http://SQ.4mg.com details those social skills findings for 2500+ students. For site links to related research findings, see: http://SQ.4mg.com/research.htm

I am a graduate student doing research on leadership self-efficacy and social skills. Could the SQ be used in this kind of research and if so does the SQ have any subscales?

Lance Freeman

Sloan replies: My webpage http://SQ.4mg.com/r_iq_ei.htm summarizes current research findings how self-skills and social skills contribute to success. SQ is the only unbiased measure of social skills that I am aware of, and it could be helpful in your research. SQ does not have subscales. However, the process for measuring SQ (using the opinions of others) can be easily adapted to measure other important but elusive traits, such as integrity. See http://SQ.4mg.com/integrity.htm/ If you could let me know more about your project, I might be able to help further.

I consider myself a loving, caring, sensitive, giving man...but because I am not deemed "great looking," my life is that much harder. Trying to find a date that doesn't reject me; dealing with being teased about being "unattractive," is extremely difficult. Looks/beauty opens many many doors. When people say "its whats on the inside that counts," they are full of bullshit. How do people get to know you if they don't like your looks. Plus, being in the gay world, putting up with looksism i to the extreme. I like who I am. I hate what I look like because it makes my life 100 times more difficult. Inclosed my pic so you can see the beast

> ATTACHMENT part 2 image/jpeg name=c000.jpg

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

Hi

Thanks for writing back. They had done studies with a group of 200 gay men. Gay men will complain they can't "make friends," because the bar scene isn't conducive.

The researchers paired rated the men according to a beauty scale. They paired off the men and created an environment where they would have to talk/share. At the end of the "long" date, the researchers would ask the guys if 1) they enjoyed the date; and 2) would you go out again with this person. They found that men answered yes, if and only if, they were physically attracted. Things such as interests/hobbies, social skills, friendliness etc... had nothing to do with if they would go out on a date again.

I have found this to be true, especially with men. I do smile/joke/empathize/listen/show care and concern....all this doesn't matter. It's "if I find you attractive, then I'll consider your other qualities." This has been shown in so many studies. Of course "once and a while" I meet someone who doesn't judge on looks; but this is soooooo rare.

I've gone to gay bowlig groups, rap groups, dating personals, meet people at concerts/museums etc... basically it's the same story. Looks first, ask questions later!

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

Hi Sloan,

I'm enjoying our dialouge! True, inner confidence, self esteem etc... are extremely important. However, unattractive people are at a disadvantage. They "do" get treat differently than their attractive counterparts.

Studies have shown that more attractive children get hugged and cuddled more often; attractive students get called on by teachers more often; attractive people have an edge over salaries/promotions and getting hired in the workforce. Being constantly teased, ignored, taunted, rejected, called names....leads unattractive people to develop more self esteem problems and social problems than the attractives.

It's great to say "inner beauty" is what counts. But unfortunately, many don't see or respect the inner beauty. It takes an unattractive person and incredible amount of fortitude and striving to feel okay about themselves. Attractive people don't go through this...they are already welcomed with open arms by others. An unattractive person on a date has to work his personality and charms overtime to try to impress his date. I myself have had dates with very average or slightly below average guys. Many times I've heard: "You seem really nice and interesting, your very funny, I feel comfortable with you.." etc... BUT "You're just not my type!" So much for inner beauty. Very few people, especially men, cannot get beyond the "looks thing." They lose out in the end, but also they make everyone else miserable.

Hi, i am a senior at the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. I came accross your website on Social Quotient. It was of particular interest to me because my thesis is on the effects of computer use by pre-school children on their development of social competence. Would you have any insights to contribute on the subject? And what would be more appropriate for me to use as part of my theoretical framework, Thorndike's social intelligence or Gardner's interpersonal intelligence? Thanks for your time!

Katrina Velayo

Sloan replies: Katrina, one insight I would offer is that there is a measurable difference between social (or interpersonal) intelligence vs likability. Likability (Social Quotient) is the quality more tied to a child's future success. You can read about the differences at my www.SQ,4mg.com/k_gardner.html/ I don't see much if any difference between Thorndike's and Gardner's intelligences on relating to other people. Personally, I find most useful the view of Spearman that intelligence is one unified quality, with likability, musical skills, and other so-called "intelligences" better defined as talents. For example, interpersonal skill seems to be much more related to an attractive smile than to brainpower. I don't have any Social Quotient experience with pre-school children, and would welcome hearing about your findings in that area.

Dear Van,

My name is Paul Angelopoulos. I am currently employed for the Research and Development branch of the Canadian Department of National Defence, in Toronto Canada. I am currently assessing the psychometric properties and the utility of the AQ, developed by Paul Stoltz. I had the opportunity to come across your comments concerning the this measure, and found them to be quite intriguing. I was wondering if you had any other information that might be helpful in my assessment of the AQ. I would greatly appreciate your input and value your opinion.

I would also appreciate any information that you could forward concerning the SQ that you have developed. Any information that you posses pertaining to the psychometric properties, or overall utility of either scale would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time,

Paul Angelopoulos, MSc.

DRDC, Toronto Canada (416) 899-7224

Sloan replies: Paul, thanks for contacting me. Sharing thoughts should contribute to greater knowledge for each of us! Your email reflects the limited state of current findings on the factors that lead to success. I believe that Adversity Quotient and Social Quotient are both reasonable attempts to measure some of the many skills that lead to success. In a group of similar individuals (as employees in the same line of work), both AQ and SQ can point out likely winners - each based on different talents.

But the developer of AQ believes it is a more powerful, universal success predictor than any other measure. Most researchers and business leaders do not agree. Instead, the consensus is that getting along with others is of greater importance to a person's success. The academic community at present believes that success is due roughly 1/3 to IQ, 1/3 to social skills, and 1/3 to self skills, like integrity and dealing with adversity.

Unfortunately, the psychometric properties of AQ and most other psychological measures are often much influenced by the test takers' bias. People mark answers consciously or unconsciously to fit with what they think will make them look good, rather than what they really feel. IQ tests are one instrument where that kind of bias is minimal. Social Quotient is another, because SQ results are totally based on what others think about you, not what you have marked for yourself. Self-bias is eliminated in the Social Quotient method.

Hopefully these thoughts are helpful to you, Paul. I would welcome hearing more about your assessments of AQ and similar measures. As you may gather, my interest (and prodding of colleagues - as you can see I got Sternberg to do to Gardner) is in hard analytical data, rather than broad-brush generalizations that sell books or become the latest fad. Let's keep the dialogue going!

Greetings!

I am a third year high school student of the Iloilo National High School - Special Science Class presently conducting a study entitled, "Work Attitude and Self-Esteem of Iloilo National High School Teachers."

In this connection, I would like to ask for a copy of your self-esteem inventory through this email. I would also like to ask for your permission to use the said Self-esteem Inventory in my thesis. I will give you proper citation.

Has the said questionnaire undergone validity and reliability test? I really need your help for the success of my study. Thank you very much.

Sincerely, Joseph P. Peñaflorida

Sloan responds: Joseph, you are certainly welcome to use any of the forms in my Social Quotient website. Those forms do not address self-esteem issues directly. Instead they are processed to measure social skills and social intelligence (as described at http://SQ.4mg.com/k_gardner.htm). In turn, social intelligence (the ability to understand the social dynamics within a group such as a classroom) correlates with well-respected, skilled teachers. In that way, SQ surveys can provide a measure related to the self-esteem of teachers. A useful example is on page http://SQ.4mg.com/r_hire_shelly - and a link at the bottom of that page goes to a page on SQ Validity, which you asked about. You also might want to see my http://SQ.4mg.com/reliability.htm page. To get copies of SQ survey form blanks, go to http://SQ.4mg.com/site_outline - it has links to all the pages on my Social Quotient site. You are tackling a challenging piece of work - good luck!

Dear Mr. Sloan,

Throughout my life, I've been told by everyone I know that I am a very social person. However, I find that highly unlikely. I constantly find myself struggling with keeping a conversation flowing, or taking a joke lightly. I do not make friends that easily, but am good at small talk. I find myself too anxious or uncomfortable when I am one-on-one with an unfamiliar individual. On the other hand, I seem to be very comfortable in busy crowded settings and/or events. I am confused as to how I may find some answers to all this confusion. I would like to find out more about your SQ or any "social skills" tests. Do I need to order it? If so, what is the price including shipping and handling. Would you have any further suggestions for me in addition to this? Thank you for all your help.

Sloan responds: You are fortunate that others see you as quite social. You would likely score well in my Social Quotient test. And you likely will earn more money than others who are thought to have fewer social skills.

But often individuals are better in either a one-on-one situation or in a group setting (your strength). Such differences can indicate more about one's self-esteem or confidence than one's social skills. You may be afraid to let others see you as you really are, feeling you won't measure up to their expectations. Perhaps if you realized that others you talk to privately also have their own anxieties, you might feel more confident in sharing your inner thoughts. You obviously understand that small talk is not true communication.

Unfortunately, my SQ test and expertise do not cover the kind of self-confidence/ interpersonal comfort you may need. While I appreciate your interest in purchasing my Social Quotient test, it probably would not be a big help in your situation. Instead, you might want to do some reading in the self-esteem area. It seems that your problem is with your own comfort level, rather than how others view you socially. I'll bet you view yourself more harshly than others do. Hope this helps!

Hello.

I hope your link is still "alive" (it was dated 2000). I discovered it doing a Web search on----guess what----'dealing with difficult people'. As a musician, trust me, you need a PhD in it to get through the average day. You just cannot beleive the egos, energy vampires, etc. However, living and working as a jazz musician in a worldwide hub for the music (I live and work in NY) the upside is you don't HAVE to take anyone's crap (at least when you lead the jobs, that is!)

 

I skimmed through your SQ idea and will read more. The only thing that perplexes me, however, in my admittedly superficial reading of the material so far is a statement that seems to imply that if you smile enough and your 'self-esteem' is high, you'll make more money. I assume from the thrust of your discourse that you're coming from the business world. In the brutal racket of the arts, however, it's much more realistic to me to subsribe to the 'the good die young' school. I've known too many people in the jazz world that were brilliant, warm, open people that wound up either being ill-treated, ignored, self-destructed, or all of the above. I try to be positive and move straight ahead myself, but the stress of dealing with constant competion and rejection can be quite trying. On the other hand, no one puts a gun to anyone's head and tells them they better be a starving artist or else. We do it for love, and ideally because (at least to me) the purpose of music is to make friends. If you're in jazz---a woefully shunted aside endeavor as art OR entertainment---for the money or recognition (unless you're Wynton Marsalis or the lucky handful like him) BOY, are you barking up the wrong tree. Finally, self-esteem itself (such as it is---we humans are the only species that even bothers with this stuff) is compicated and fluid----predicated on many subtle and sometimes unknowable factors. Reading self-help books, etc. is OK, I guess, if someone wants to----but I personally think time is better spent not worrying about things like that----indeed, not contemplating such weighty matters at all; life has a way of going by VERY fast, especially if your thinking about and not LIVING it. Just try to be decent and fair along the way.

 

Enough digression. I guess what troubles me is that there don't seem to be any pat, formulaic answers to these or any of life's problems (should there be? We're all put together differently) other than to be humble, take it as it comes, and never let your dreams die but keep your expectations low. I personally can't smile when there's nothing to smile about. And there's NOTHING I'd rather do----I'm a well known cut-up (he said humbly). And, as I said, pay and/or accolades in my experience don't seem to have any proportional relation to the above-mentioned talents or qualities. It's the old story about the 'squeaky wheel', etc. I just accept it and live for those thrilling moments when I play with great (by that I mean mature, wise, and gifted) players, and magic happens. If I can just survive and have occasional experiences like that, almost nothing else (besides my many cherished friends, of course, and a few diversions)is even worthy of my consideration.

 

Also, under the rubric of 'difficult people' I think many people are threatened by blunt honesty. I personally can't help but be that way, though I try not to hurt anyone. I think such forthrightness critical to being a good musician. You just can't fake being genuine, you either are or you ain't----and I think it goes accross the board to personal (and business)relations. The thing is, I find myself more often than I care to be at loggerheads with equally intense people----and it's so DRAINING. Maybe what I'm saying is that, in my experience, honesty is so rare (especially in the business world) that if you look someone in the eye and tell 'em what you think (especially about them)they're often shocked and terrified. They can brand YOU as difficult, not a team player, etc. Bull. Anyone who doesn't respect well-modulated, non-self absorbed honesty senstively presented is not worth dealing with to me. The rub is that you HAVE TO deal with them. It can be pretty draining.

 

Well, I've gone on a bit and my opinions ARE strong, but only opinions----no more, no less and based on much reflection on experiences. If anything here resonates feel free to respond.

 

Best,

Joel Fass (Riverdale, NY)

 

Sloan replies: Joel, your lively note has encouraged me to think about what leads to success in the artistic and performing world. If success is defined in financial terms, then artists like Wynton Marsalis do seem to fit into the general mold. Marsalis' social skills (as in organizing groups and getting support) and his self-skills (like ambition and time management) probably play as important a role in his financial success as does his musicianship. There are likely some equally gifted horn players who lack Wynton's other skills, and consequently are earning much less money.

But if success is defined as impact on the world, then artists of sheer genius come out on top. Beethoven or Mozart rank higher today than their fellow Viennese, Joseph Strauss Jr. Yet Strauss earned far more money, due to his abundant non-musical talents. Today we don't care if Beethoven was a grouch, or that Mozart was crude, but their reputation then as "difficult people" hurt their money earning ability. Similarly in the sports field today, George Foreman has a bigger income than Mike Tyson, due to his greater people skills.

You described "warm, open people that wound up either being ill-treated, ignored, self-destructed, or all of the above." Having successful social skills involves much more than smiling a lot. Individuals in any field who are ill-treated or ignored are doing something ineffective in their relationships with others. Similarly, self-destructive behavior indicates a major flaw in a person's self-skills (which encompass much more than self-esteem). Often such individuals blame the world for their ills, when they might more profitably look to their own character and wonder if they are not a "difficult" person like Beethoven.

I sympathize with what must be a challenging world for performing artists. With tools like Social Quotient, we are just beginning to measure and understand the many traits that lead to financial success. For most people these include social and self-skills as well as technical competencies like musicianship. Good luck, and thanks for sharing your thoughts!

hello, i am doing a thesis titled " THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN BUSINESS".It will be of great help if you could provide me with information regarding the websites available and other sources available. regards, madhu.

Sloan replies: Madhu, let me recommend my webpage http://SQ.4mg.com/r_iq_ei.htm - it has links to much of the research findings on Emotional Intelligence. The link to the three BarOn workplace studies may be particularly relevant to your thesis topic. My whole website http://SQ.4mg.com deals with a way of measuring the social aspects of EI, or about 50% of total Emotional Intelligence.

When you put together a list of sites on EI, I would welcome getting an email copy. I am always looking for hard research data and findings on Emotional Intelligence.