Smoking Pot Lowers IQ

[Slartibartfast]

Is there any real consensus about what the IQ tests actually measure? Other than the ability to solve IQ tests?

[Champ]

Thank you 'Burg, I appreciate it :3

I'll make sure to keep those questions in mind while I'm reviewing the papers.

Slartibartfast, you're right, but have you developed a better scaled measure of intelligence? Sadly, as an inaccessible construct it's very hard to operationalise - simply, it's difficult to define, and even harder to test. You can either use this data which is some of humanity's best efforts at measuring intelligence, or you can just look at the fMRIs of brain activity and I can show you all the unnatural changes in activity. Which one is more useful really depends on what you're after. At the end of the day, IQ tests aren't perfect, but we rely on them for more important things than this already. Question their usage in those things instead, not just when it threatens marijuana.

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[Mímir]

Meh this study shows nothing about causality.

It could be that socially and intellectually challenged people are more inclined to smoke marihuana in the first place.

Besides, IQ is only measures particular angles of intelligence. Some of the most intelligent people I have ever met smoke weed on a daily basis, some of the most talented writers do the same.

Not that weed makes you "smart" but it appeals to a lot of people who poke around at the confines of reality - and dreamers are the ones that propels humanity further.

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[Champ]

Besides, IQ is only measures particular angles of intelligence. Some of the most intelligent people I have ever met smoke weed on a daily basis, some of the most talented writers do the same.

I need to highlight that this is your opinion, not fact, or else I will explode.

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[Mímir]

I need to highlight that this is your opinion, not fact, or else I will explode.

Naturally, it goes without saying that it's my opinion/experience. However it is a fact that some of the most intelligent people I know smoke weed on a daily basis - not thereby saying that all intelligent people smoke weed on a daily basis.

As a personal anecdote, my best buddy growing up is now doing his postdoc and is teaching at Duke's (Scalable Algorithmics) - he blows the lid off IQ-tests but have troubles tying his shoelace, communicating and understanding basic human emotions. Go figure.

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[Slartibartfast]

Thank you 'Burg, I appreciate it :3

I'll make sure to keep those questions in mind while I'm reviewing the papers.

Slartibartfast, you're right, but have you developed a better scaled measure of intelligence? Sadly, as an inaccessible construct it's very hard to operationalise - simply, it's difficult to define, and even harder to test. You can either use this data which is some of humanity's best efforts at measuring intelligence, or you can just look at the fMRIs of brain activity and I can show you all the unnatural changes in activity. Which one is more useful really depends on what you're after. At the end of the day, IQ tests aren't perfect, but we rely on them for more important things than this already. Question their usage in those things instead, not just when it threatens marijuana.

I question their usage at every chance I get already :P

It's also to do with the very nature of "technology"-based longitudinal research, doesn't it though. 25 years ago, IQ tests'... Legitimacy probably wasn't qustioned as much as it is today, when we know they only measure one kind of... Something. Set of scores that are used as "predictors of educational achievement, special needs, job performance and income" (from Wipedia(yeah, I know)). And I dare say it's not the sole predictor of those things as well.

So whenever you see a minor smoking a joint, feel free to tell him that he might, by some not-quite-there research, be making a small dent in his potential economical value to the society.

quick edit: Though I know that it doesn't make for such a catchy headline.

[Kenjinagano]

people need to read this article a bit better (either that or they are decieved by the topic title and did not read the article at all which is also a huge possibility)

people who picked up the habit as adults had no IQ drop, suggesting that marijuana may not be as harmful to the mature brain.

The study proved that smoking pot as a teenager

saw their IQ drop an average of 8 points, the equivalent of going from an A to a B student.

they do not know why the adult brain didn't suffer from an IQ drop but If I had to guess (personal opinion here) then its probably similar to the effects alcohol has on a teenagers brain.

Edit: that said IQ is not an exact measure of your intelligence but more of a way to see how fast you can take up knowledge.

[lw'nafh]

I love how it says

saw their IQ drop an average of 8 points, the equivalent of going from an A to a B student.

When realistically, just about anyone can get band six marks if they study hard enough unless their brain is incapable of retaining information.

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вellυм ѕe ιpѕυм aleт

[TFinnegan]

Is there any real consensus about what the IQ tests actually measure? Other than the ability to solve IQ tests?

Yes, there is quite a bit of consensus, actually....
IQ; from the wiki

It's fairly hard science....dare ya to read it all.

...when we know they only measure one kind of... Something.

That's just not true.
IQ tests are compound tests, that among other things (for the TL:DR crowd) test:
Fluid intelligence
Crystallized intelligence
Quantitative reasoning
Reading and writing ability
Short-term memory
Long-term storage and retrieval
Visual processing
Auditory processing
Processing speed

Of course it's not a complete study, but then nothing is.
But there's something in the realm of 60 years of hard data that confirms IQ testing with achievement, cognition, and comprehension levels.

I'd say that a 'standard' IQ test holds something in the realm of a hundred times more weight than the 'study' we're talking about in this thread.
But still, not infallible.

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[Jihadjoe]

Is there any real consensus about what the IQ tests actually measure? Other than the ability to solve IQ tests?

This is a pretty major issue with drawing any conclusions from IQ tests. It doesn't measure perceptiveness, observation, social or emotional "intelligence". For a long time IQ tests were based heavily on western geometry... This left those who grew up in culture where straight lines, squares and triangles, were not the norm, at a massive disadvantage. They were therefore labelled as "less intelligent".

You'll notice a pattern with IQ tests. The more IQ tests you do, the faster and more adept you become at doing them, as you teach yourself how to quickly solve the sort of problems they present. That doesn't mean you are becoming more intelligent, it just means you're learning the patterns of the tests.

I'd suggest that your social situation directly effects how focused you can be on an IQ test. If you are wondering about the myriad other problems in your life, or are struggling to cope with an underlying depression, then the effort and focus you'll be able to direct towards getting a good score is going to be a something less than awesome, especially when compared to people who don't have such pressing distractions in their life...

As for weed smoked during teenage years contributing to a lower IQ score, I'd suggest it's probably a more pressing concern to look at the social background of the individuals in question. The people who I know who's use of pot would be described as "heavy" or "a problem" are people who were pretty damned unhappy before starting to use the drug.

As for the mental effects of marijuana... Yeah, there is an increased tendancy towards certain mental illnesses and yeah, there's a tendancy towards people ending up with anxiety disorders... But primarily in those who use the drug heavily.

The best thing to look at here would be "why the heavy drug use?"

Social and environmental factors play into this a huge amount. People don't go "Oh hey, I think I'll develop a massive cocaine habit! That seems like fun!" and by the same token, they don't think "Today I will develop a psychological dependancy to weed."

So what is it that's lacking in people's lives for them to try and seek it, whatever 'it' may be, by sinking into a red-eyed coma?

Comfort? A distraction? If your life requires those things to be generated externally, then you're already in a pretty bad state socially anyway.

There is a huge difference between recreational use of a substance (for example, alcohol) and a problem... A few glasses of wine in an evening with some friends over dinner definitely doesn't constitute a problem. A beer after work doesn't either.

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