

IQ scores in relation to web browser choice - exterm
http://www.aptiquant.com/IQ-Browser-AptiQuant-2011.pdf

======
jleader
This is the first time I've ever heard of ads for a "free IQ test" actually
leading to the real thing!

The paper uses the word "significant" quite a few times, but never mentions
the significance level, or confidence intervals, or any other indication of
the statistical quality (or lack thereof) of this data. The large number of
subjects (100K) suggests that the results may be valid, but it would be nice
to see this quantified.

Also, the author says "the test worked properly in all of the major browsers",
but doesn't explain how he established that, which is important to rule out
the possibility that a problem with the test in some browsers skewed the
results.

Still, the graph at the end (showing distribution of browser usage across IQ
percentiles) is entertaining.

~~~
exterm
Yeah, the "free IQ test" thing made me wonder too. I always thought that
intelligent people would not be very likely to click on those ads.

~~~
redthrowaway
Furthermore, what would the usage of adblock be by IQ percentile? Opera's high
showing may be due to it's adblock extension still not being as mature as
those of Chrome and FF, and so the average Opera user might be less likely to
use it. There's no doubt that Opera users would tend to be geeks and nerds
anyway, but you could say the same thing of the top FF users. I'm not
convinced that the methodology supports the apparent conclusion that the
smartest people use Opera, just that of those who took the test, Opera users
scored best.

~~~
waterlesscloud
I bet adblock usage peaks between 120-130 iq and drops off on either side.

This is a wild, completely speculative hunch for which I have no evidence.

~~~
redthrowaway
So I get putting a lower bound on it, as it would take exposure to technical
communities (even if it's just 4chan) that usually comes from inquisition and
information-seeking, but what do you propose as the means by which there would
exist an upper bound?

~~~
dorkwagon
I imagine that people of high intelligence would be more likely to understand
the greater implications of using ad blockers (driving the creations of
paywalls, etc.) and so would be less likely to block ads, even when they know
how to do so. It's hard to draw conclusions, though--who knows if this chain
of speculation actually leads back to a significant confounding factor?

~~~
redthrowaway
They would also be aware of game theory, and may choose to use adblock but not
tell anyone, or even actively campaign against it while using it themselves.

I'm not suggesting smart people are unethical, but rather that ethicality and
intelligence are fairly orthogonal, and that your proposed means seems to have
more to do with the former than the latter.

As to the speculation, you are of course right. I'm just putting off studying.
Speaking of which...

~~~
alexgartrell
It's also potentially the case that intelligent people recognize that it's
silly to be completely upset over ads and that few sides with really obnoxious
ads have good content in the first place. Perhaps, to them, it's just not
worth the trouble.

But neither is trying to convince anyone on the internet that you're smart in
the first place.

~~~
kingkilr
So we're all just projecting what we do onto the smart people here, right?

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dbdoug
A couple of points. First: In the paper, Aptiquant claims that over 100,000
took a Weschler (IV) test in 4 weeks. According to wikipedia, a Weschler test
takes about 15 minutes. That's an awful lot of people looking for free IQ
tests, and spending 15 minutes each on the site. Second: Check out Aptiquant's
site. Maybe I'm stupid, but I was unable to find a single active 'Free IQ
Test' link.

And another - Aptiquant's results (if they are real) are from a self-selected
group. Does the need to take a free online IQ test relate to your IQ?

~~~
jleader
I couldn't find a time estimate on Wikipedia, but Pearson (the publisher of
the WAIS-IV) says that it takes 60-90 minutes
([http://www.pearsonassessments.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-
us/Prod...](http://www.pearsonassessments.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-
us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=015-8980-808)).

It's also not clear to me how they determined correlations between scores on
their on-line version and on the standard pencil-and-paper version.

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davidbitter
This study almost seems believable until you read the last paragraph. Since
when are Web Standards "common knowledge"? How does understanding how IQ
relates to browser choice help IT companies save the extra money they spend
making websites work in IE? And does this conclusion mean that only IT
companies have websites, or only IT companies invest the extra money to make
them work in IE?

I didn't click on the IQ test... but I did click on the study. Dang.

------
neilk
Amusing, but it's kind of a truism. Changing your browser requires cognitive
capacity. Those who change it the fastest have the highest cognitive capacity.
Even without other explanations, that explains variations of version within a
single browser, and to some extent Chrome and Firefox.

The really surprising thing for me was Opera. You can't explain that with mere
willingness to update or try something new.

~~~
locci
Popular browsers are "dragged down to 100" by the mass of people who install
the browser because of techie friends, or fashion.

In the second graph you can notice there are many more high IQs individuals
using firefox and chrome rather than opera.

~~~
w1ntermute
> In the second graph you can notice there are many more high IQs individuals
> using firefox and chrome rather than opera.

You can also notice that as IQ increases, the numbers of Firefox, Chrome, and
Safari users eventually peak, but the number of Opera users never does.

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grandalf
IQ will be lower the more market share, so this is silly.

~~~
CognitiveLens
not necessarily. Let's say my browser is targeted toward people with low IQ,
and I get 10% of the market, biased heavily toward low IQ. Suddenly, people
with high IQ realize that it's a great browser for them as well, and they all
start using it - I increase market share AND raise correlated IQ levels.

It is more accurate to say that increasing market share will tend to shift
average IQ score toward the population mean.

~~~
grandalf
Your last statement is indeed the phenomenon I was intending to describe.

However access to the internet (and tools) has gone to the wealthy and
educated first, who tend to have higher IQ (as measurable by most tests) than
the poor and uneducated. Hence adoption of new browser technology is often
among the cognitive elite (for access reasons) and penetration toward the
masses (average IQ) depends on the overall appeal and not just a small fad
among those with early access.

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katieben
Who uses Opera and why?

~~~
balakk
I've been using Opera for about 11 years now. When I started, there was
nothing that was better. Even with that huge advertisement widget. It still is
extremely competitive, if not leading in most things. For casual browsing it
is unmatched.

It's not about one feature; it's the completeness of the whole browser. Things
that you'd expect in Firefox/Chrome in extensions are built in here. It's
still as fast as Chrome to the user, never mind silly benchmarks. Give it a
spin some time.

~~~
jigs_up
I gave it shot for a while because I needed the Turbo feature. I liked using
Opera, it was fast and the new chrome-like GUI is nice. However... as soon as
my internet was back at full capacity I changed back to Chrome. You say you
like it because of the completeness, but I found that it was missing quite a
few small things which I cannot live without. Off the top off my head I can
only remember two things -

Tabs cannot be dragged in and out of windows

Text cannot be selected and dragged into the URL bar

~~~
ks
> Text cannot be selected and dragged into the URL bar

You can right click the text and select "Go to web address". It's quicker in
my opinion.

~~~
jigs_up
but i dont want to go to a web address, i want to drag some text into the url
bar and have my default engine run a query on that text

------
CognitiveLens
> it is a clear indication that individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale
> tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers.

AptiQuant needs to review their correlation/causation definitions. Resisting
change is one plausible explanation, but the only thing the data clearly show
is that the people who scored low on this IQ test tended to be using out of
date browsers at the time they took the test. "Resistance" implies agency,
which correlation studies do not establish.

I choose to go with the reverse explanation: older browsers actively reduce
user intelligence.

~~~
w1ntermute
> I choose to go with the reverse explanation: older browsers actively reduce
> user intelligence.

Do you have any reason for that? Because frankly it just sounds ridiculous.

It would make sense that someone with a higher IQ would be able to consider
the possibility that their browser was replaceable and take the necessary
steps to replace it. But I don't see how which browser you use could have an
appreciable effect on your intelligence.

~~~
inconditus
It was a joke, along the lines of xkcd comics. See: <http://xkcd.com/925/>

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younata
Excellent. Now I can convert all of the people I know who still use IE to
opera. "SMART PEOPLE USE OPERA, YOU WANT TO BE CONSIDERED SMART, DON'T YOU?!"

~~~
astrofinch
Did you see the second graph? Firefox is the most popular browser among people
who were in the 99th percentile.

~~~
waterlesscloud
But Opera had almost no users below 50th percentile.

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rachelbythebay
Perhaps some browsers are particularly hard to use and you need to use those
extra IQ points figuring out how to get them installed or running. In other
words, this might be a dubious accomplishment.

~~~
upthedale
Highly speculative. Conversely, maybe there's some subtle, innate quality that
higher IQ people appreciate about certain browsers.

Either way, as an Opera user, I have some ammunition next time I find myself
in a childish browser argument ;)

------
JoshTriplett
The study mentioned that they collect operating system data as well; the
subsequent writeup on that might prove quite interesting.

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buckwild
<sarcasm> In a similar study, they do an association study between IQ and
shower frequency... </sarcasm>

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chopsueyar
Lynx?

Or using telnet on port 80?

~~~
smoove
I for one exclusively use GNU wget for my surfing needs! Through GNU Emacs of
course.

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MetaMan
HAHAHAHAHA - I can't believe anyone is taking this seriously !!!

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jleader
The aptiquant.com site now says this was all a hoax.

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dlss
hahaha... judging by the IQ score, only the Opera devs are still using Opera
:p

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georgieporgie
_It is common knowledge, that Internet Explorer Versions to 6.0 to 8.0 are
highly incompatible with modern web standards. In order to make websites work
properly on these browsers, web developers have to spend a lot of unnecessary
effort. This results in an extra financial strain on web projects, and has
over the last decade cost millions of man-hours to IT companies_

So, dumb people keep IT employed.

~~~
eftpotrm
Or, dumb people reduce functionality for the rest of us because work has to go
into handling their mistakes rather than coding the better product the devs
really wanted to make.

------
blackboxxx
I would think IQ in relation to websites being visited would be a better.
Rupert Murdock websites = lower score, that sort of thing.

~~~
hugh3
Thankyou, sir, for misspelling Rupert Murdoch's name, and treating us all to
this delicious dose of irony.

~~~
blackboxxx
I don't care.

