IQ
What is IQ? Introduction to IQ IQ is a type of standard score that indicates how far above, or how far below, his/her peer group an individual stands in mental ability. The peer group score is an IQ of 100; this is obtained by applying the same test to huge numbers of people from all socio-economic strata of society, and taking the average. The term 'IQ' was coined in 1912 by the psychologist William Stern in relation to the German term Intelligenzquotient . At that time, IQ was represented as a ratio of mental age to chronological age x 100. So, if an individual of 10 years of age had a mental age of 10, their IQ would be 100. However, if their mental age was greater than their chronological age (e.g., 12 rather than 10), their IQ would be 120. Similarly, if their mental age was lower than their chronological age, their IQ would be lower than 100. When current IQ tests were developed, the average score of the norming s...