Online IQ “quizzes” purport to be able to tell you whether or not “you have what it takes to be a member of the world’s most prestigious high IQ society”. But despite this hype, the relevance, usefulness and legitimacy of the IQ test is still hotly debated among educators, social scientists, and hard scientists.
Read more: The IQ test wars: why screening for intelligence is still so controversial
To understand why, it’s important to understand the history underpinning the birth, development and expansion of IQ tests – one that includes their use to further marginalise ethnic minorities and poor communities. Listen to our in depth article, which explores this history.
It is written by Daphne Martschenko and read by Gemma Ware.
You can read the text version of the article here. And click here to read or listen to more in depth articles.
The music in this episode is Night Caves, by Lee Rosevere from the Free Music Archive. A big thanks to City University London’s Department of Journalism for letting us use their studios to record this podcast.