Run, mouse, run!

I spent three hours today going through a series of tests that included making shapes with blocks, reading off names of colours by ink colour rather than the word printed on the page, reciting back stories I'd heard, matching shapes, and the like. Basically it was a series of intelligence and cognitive tests. I feel like a mouse that's been let out of its maze. I'll get the results in a week or two, but the preliminary results were interesting, and it might help me ultimately do better in daily life and employment. I scored very high in verbal intelligence, within a couple of points of the old IQ test I took before junior high school, and in the 99 percentile of the population, but there's an indication that attention is an issue, and it's affecting my working memory. Years ago I was diagnosed with the non-hyperactive form of attention-deficit disorder based on a much less rigourous test, and I think she felt confident that I still show signs of that and could benefit from treatment. Although my working memory and processing things into practical, working solutions was normal, there was a huge discrepancy between that and my actual intelligence, so I definitely have room to improve there. She'll score the rest of the tests and I'll get more detailed information soon. But I suspect I will be going back on medication. I can definitely tell a difference without it, and things were harder not merely because they progressed in difficulty, but because I was having trouble concentrating at times. There was one test, the last one of the day, where you had to press the space bar on computer when a letter that was not X came on the screen, which sounds really simple, but was hard at times, given the speed, and a natural tendency I have to press buttons maniacally (this is also an issue in my field of vision tests, where I see reflections in my glasses and wind up treating the button like a joystick at times). Another hard one was reading a page of colour-related words not by the words, but by ink colour, except for the ones in boxes. So for example, the word 'red' might be printed in blue, and you would read aloud blue, unless it was in a box, and then it would red. Other things were relatively easy. But apparently I am better at auditory comprehension than spatial relations, or so it seemed when it was over.

Quote of the day

Commonly attributed to Albert Einstein, but it is disputed, so I'm really not sure of the source. I got it (as attributed to Einstein), from something George Takei shared on Facebook:

Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.

Welcome to my world. Most people think I'm smart, but I've spent years comparing myself to someone whose intelligence is probably off the charts, which I really need to stop doing. After all, people have so many unique qualities, it probably isn't fair to compare yourself to anyone else or to what others may think of you.

Just a little rambling thought for the morning.

What can I say, after a dearth of quizzes, I'm on a roll

But I'll cool it for a bit. I don't want to bore you with personality tests. Here's one last one for awhile:

Your result for Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test...

Linguistic

18% Logical, 24% Spatial, 41% Linguistic, 39% Intrapersonal, 24% Interpersonal, 25% Musical, 20% Bodily-Kinesthetic and 41% Naturalistic!

"Verbal-linguistic intelligence has to do with words, spoken or written. People with verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words and dates. They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and via discussion and debate. They are also frequently skilled at explaining, teaching and oration or persuasive speaking. Those with verbal-linguistic intelligence learn foreign languages very easily as they have high verbal memory and recall, and an ability to understand and manipulate syntax and structure.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include writers, lawyers, philosophers, journalists, politicians and teachers." (Wikipedia)

Take Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test at HelloQuizzy

Tired of people saying the Internet is making us dumber?

David Wolman of Wired has a different view, one I agree with:

The Critics Need a Reboot. The Internet Hasn't Led Us Into a New Dark Age.

Thanks to JediLibrarian for that one.

I needed a quiz or three

You Are Not Stupid

You got 10/10 questions right! While acing this quiz doesn't prove you're a genius, you're at least pretty darn smart.

Are You Stupid?

Your Life is Rated PG-13

Your life isn't totally scandalous, but you definitely don't shy away from adult themes!

What is Your Life Rated?

There's a 87% Chance That You Need Therapy

You needed a therapist many months ago. And you definitely need one now! You've let your problems take over your life in an unhealthy way. It's time for some professional help.

Do You Need Therapy?