IQ check magnet for 1.5m viewers

By REBECCA BARRY television reporter

Only the America's Cup racing and a documentary about Michael Jackson have been more popular this year than Monday night's televised IQ test.

Test the Nation, on TV One, enticed 1.5 million people to watch six groups of studio players and 10 celebrities test their grey matter.

The celebrities came out tops, followed by students, teachers, twins, builders, sports stars and blondes.

More than 10,000 viewers took the IQ test online or by texting in their answers by mobile phone.

Grey-haired people, the top scorers, had an average IQ of 100, red-heads 99, blondes and brunettes 98.

The IQ, on average, of the men was 98 and of the women 95. An IQ of 90 to 109 is considered average.

Tasman/Nelson/Marlborough proved the country's smartest region, with Auckland, Canterbury and Taranaki tying for second place.

Top town Nelson rated an average IQ of 102. Palmerston North and Timaru came second with an average of 100 each.

Dr Viviane Robinson, head of the University of Auckland's department of education, said the data results would be conclusive only if the characteristics of those taking part in the IQ test were known.

In other words, if more men than women did the online test, the results comparing their intelligence could be inconclusive.

Whether IQ tests were indicative of a person's intelligence depended on the way they were constructed and how the questions reflected a society.

"What counts as intelligence varies across cultures," Dr Robinson said. "How you measure it will be culture-specific. You've got to ask, 'Are the skills that the test is measuring important skills for the nation's children to have?'

"If you're saying that it is important for people to see analogies, similarities, have short-term memories and spot inconsistencies, then that sort of test is good for that.

"But there will be other ways of demonstrating intelligent behaviour, both in our culture and in others."