Based on Catharine Morris Cox. (1926) The early mental traits of three hundred geniuses.
Genetic Studies of Genius (Vol. II). Stanford University Press.
20 Selected Geniuses... [More]
Name | Dates | Years Lived | Nationality | Eminence | Average Reliability Grade** | Obtained Est. IQ* | Corrected Est. IQ* |
| Adams, John Quincy | 1767-1848 | 81 | American | statesman | 3.0 | 165 | 175 |
| Balzac, Honoré de | 1799-1850 | 51 | French | writer | 3.5 | 145 | 155 |
| Beethoven, Ludwig van | 1770-1827 | 57 | German | musician | 5.5 | 140 | 165 |
| Copernicus, Nicolas | 1473-1543 | 70 | Prussian*** | scientist | 5.5 | 130 | 160 |
| Da Vinci, Leonardo | 1452-1519 | 67 | Italian | artist | 6.0 | 150 | 180 |
| Descartes, René | 1596-1650 | 54 | French | philosopher | 4.5 | 160 | 180 |
| Emerson, Ralph Waldo | 1803-1882 | 79 | American | writer | 3.5 | 145 | 155 |
| Franklin, Benjamin | 1706-1790 | 84 | American | statesman | 4.5 | 145 | 160 |
| Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von | 1749-1832 | 83 | German | writer | 3.0 | 200 | 210 |
| Handel, George Frideric | 1685-1759 | 74 | German | musician | 4.5 | 155 | 170 |
| Jefferson, Thomas | 1743-1826 | 83 | American | statesman | 4.0 | 150 | 160 |
| Johnson, Samuel | 1709-1784 | 75 | English | writer | 4.0 | 155 | 165 |
| Kant, Immanuel | 1724-1804 | 80 | German | philosopher | 5.5 | 145 | 175 |
| Lincoln, Abraham | 1809-1865 | 56 | American | statesman | 4.0 | 140 | 150 |
| Mill, John Stuart | 1806-1873 | 67 | English | philosopher | 3.0 | 170 | 180 |
| Napoleon Bonaparte | 1769-1821 | 52 | French | soldier | 3.5 | 140 | 145 |
| Newton, Isaac | 1642-1727 | 85 | English | scientist | 4.5 | 170 | 190 |
| Pascal, Blaise | 1623-1662 | 39 | French | scientist | 3.5 | 180 | 195 |
| Rembrandt van Rijn | 1606-1669 | 63 | Dutch | artist | 5.5 | 135 | 155 |
| Spinoza, Baruch de | 1632-1677 | 45 | Dutch | philosopher | 5.5 | 145 | 175 |
| Voltaire, Arouet de | 1694-1778 | 84 | French | writer | 3.5 | 180 | 190 |
* IQ scores are based on ratings of individual case histories of the behavior and performance of 301 eminent young men and women, between 17 and 26 years of age, born 1450 to 1850, prepared from 1,500 biographical sources, reported as estimated intelligence quotients based onThe Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale, and corrected for regression to the mean. (See Genius: An Overview) ** These are the average grades assigned by raters who rated the reliability of the data of each of the cases on the following seven point scale: |
| Grade 1. Rating based on data equal to a Stanford-Binet test. Grade 2. Rating based on data for which standardize norms are available or which are closely correlated with Stanford-Binet norms. (Example: Galton.) Grade 3. Rating based on documentary evidence combined with diagnostic descriptive material. (Example: John Quincy Adams.) Grade 4. Rating based on less satisfactory documentary evidence and descriptive material, or on descriptive material (definite statements as to school rank, etc.) without documents. (Example: Melanchthon.) Grade 5. Rating based on general descriptive material. General statements of superiority (or inferiority) or of school standing, intellectual interests, etc. (Example: Fénelon.) Grade 6. Rating based on slight evidence. Standing of the family combined with a statement as to school attendance. (Example: Bernadotte.) Grade 7. Guess, based on no data. (Example: Drake.) |
| *** Cox listed Copernicus' nationality as Prussian, a designation that is not without controversy, since he is regarded today as one of Poland's greatest geniuses. His birthplace, Torun (Thorn), was in Royal Prussia, now Poland, and was part of the Prussian Confederation at the time of his birth. According to Wikipedia, his native language was German, his working language was Latin, and there are no extant letters written by Copernicus in Polish, only German and Latin. Sources: Wikipedia.comCopernicus' Nationality and Answers.comRoyal Prussia |
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Issues The Flynn Effect In his study of IQ tests scores for different populations over the past sixty years, James R. Flynn discovered that IQ scores increased from one generation to the next for all of the countries for which data existed (Flynn, 1994). This interesting phenomena has been called "the Flynn Effect." Many of the questions about why this effect occurs have not yet been answered by researchers. This site attempts to explain the issues involved in a way that will better help you to understand the Flynn Effect. It also provides references for further inquiry. Renorming IQ tests due to Flynn effect may have unintended consequences Making IQ tests harder has educational, financial, legal and military recruiting implicationsWASHINGTON -- The steady rising of IQ scores over the last century – known as the Flynn effect – causes IQ tests norms to become obsolete over time. To counter this effect, IQ tests are "renormed" (made harder) every 15-20 years by resetting the mean score to 100 to account for the previous gains in IQ scores. But according to new research, such renorming may have unintended consequences, particularly in the area of special education placements for children with borderline or mild mental retardation. The findings are reported on in the October issue of American Psychologist, a journal of the American Psychological Association (APA). |
