The recent feat of an 8-year-old boy – the youngest Brazilian to conquer space in the most famous society of high IQ (Intelligence Quotient) – brought to light debates around the process of joining the group of gifted people.
To join Mensa International, also known as the “genius club”, Gustavo Saldanha underwent five days of evaluations and completed the WAIS-III test, which is intended for adults, with 99% of correct answers.
There are several dimensions of intelligence to measure.
But there is not just one dimension of intelligence, nor is there a way to measure it. Currently, there are a series of instruments that propose to measure the different human cognitive aspects that constitute intelligence.
Multidimensional assessments are a counterpoint to IQ tests, which are in the past.
“Back when the tests started, they had this characteristic of focusing only on problem solving. Over time, it was possible to observe that this type of instrument is not the only one to check intelligence, which is much broader”, reports psychologist Samarah Perszel de Freitas, who helped standardize the WISC-IV IQ test, considered one of the most multidimensional in Brazil. She also conducts Mensa evaluations in Paraná.
The WAIS-III is a faster test, used to screen specific skills and contexts, suitable for adults.
WISC-IV, on the other hand, is more complex and in-depth, taking longer and analyzing more skills, generally recommended for people aged 6 to 16 years. The costs for its realization depend on the number of sessions and each evaluator, and can reach R$ 6 thousand.
“There are very complete and complex IQ assessments, which cover memory, logical reasoning, attention, verbal communication and speed of information decoding and data processing”, says neuropsychologist Leninha Wagner, a specialist in IQ tests.
These tests are standardized and undergo periodic reviews, but despite following international regulations, they are adapted to the reality of each country.
What are the measured skills and competences?
In general, the assessments focus on the so-called matrix intelligence: that which consists of the ability to decode the most varied kinds of information and which unfolds in different domains of human knowledge.
“A gifted person has a high degree of matrix intelligence. It is different, for example, from someone very talented in a specific area of human intelligence, such as music, linguistics, mathematics, space, intrapersonal, interpersonal, sports or emotional”, enumerates Leninha.
Neuroscientist Fabiano de Abreu, who is also a member of the ‘genius club’, states that this matrix intelligence can, on the one hand, be stimulated or, on the other, suffer negative interference.
“Logical intelligence is the one that develops all the others, the one that orchestrates everything, and it is related to the frontal region of the brain. There are studies that show that, if a child goes through trauma or situations of violence, there may be an influence of the limbic region on the frontal region, harming their full development”, he comments.
The care of the gifted
For this reason, emotional health plays a key role throughout the growth of a gifted child.
“There must be follow-up and be careful with the emotional aspect. A boy like Gustavo, who has so much potential, if he has the right stimuli, he can go a long way,” says Leninha.
These issues are dealt with in the book. Affective and cognitive processes of gifted and talented people, organized by Samarah and a group of psychologists.
Among the necessary cares is the understanding that gifted children should not be subject to exaggerated demands regarding their performance.
“I’m concerned with the level of demand, with the imposition of expectations. It is necessary, yes, to value them, but not to treat them as different”, argues the psychologist. To avoid these charges and labels, she recommends caution in using the word “genius”.
The thinking of the gifted
There are several factors that indicate giftedness: in addition to high performance, according to Samarah, other criteria are creativity and intrinsic motivation — an incessant determination to learn something, however challenging it may be. Furthermore, the paths taken by the reasoning of someone with high abilities can also be different from the usual one.
“Most people associate information and turn it into specific information [no que é chamado de pensamento convergente]. People with high abilities have not only convergent thinking but divergent thinking. In other words, they have a lot of information and transform it into something different from what everyone else created”, he says.
The psychologist believes that the word giftedness helps to create misconceptions, normally associated with superhumans. She prefers the expression used in Portugal: giftedness.
To avoid the reinforcement of stereotypes, Samarah highlights that several studies have been carried out and none have indicated greater predisposition to emotional problems in gifted people.
However, some external aspects, such as social pressure, can lead to the development of anxiety components, for example.
What does the ‘genius club’ do
Although the stereotype of the gifted person who has difficulty interacting with people is widespread, there are many whose most prominent area is, precisely, communication and social relations.
Still, it’s possible that isolated, bored, or uninterested in the world when high-IQ people feel around you. That’s because, according to Fabiano de Abreu, gifted people have a constant need to learn and to feel challenged, and their interests, therefore, focus on these goals. That’s why ‘genius clubs’ can be important stimuli for this group.
“I like being at Mensa Internacional to be able to relate to people with similar conditions, with affinities. This is very important. We interact, help each other, participate in championships, games, and have opportunities to take courses and win scholarships,” says Abreu.
“It’s essential to have people to debate with, in a conversation that challenges us. We need to feel this difficulty.” There is an estimate that 2% of the world’s population is gifted. In the case of Mensa International, the select group is made up of 100,000 members.
why test intelligence
Being considered intelligent is a desire intrinsic to human nature, highlights Abreu. It is assumed that being intelligent is synonymous with being better and, for this reason, we need to test (and compare) our intelligence.
He rejects the numerical scale, commonly associated with IQ tests, and prefers to use the percentage of correct answers in the evaluations, considering that the standard deviation tends to have a very big impact on the result.
For the neuropsychologist, however, a high IQ does not equate to superiority in relation to others.
“We have to think of intelligence as something cultural within a society. At a bar table, for example, someone who talks about more topics is smart, who knows how to listen, who knows how to argue, who knows the right time to speak up”, he declares.
“You may not have a high IQ and be an excellent football player, journalist, scientist or engineer. The size of your effort tells you who you are.”
family expectations
Neurophysiologist and neuropediatrician Ana Crippa got used to seeing mothers and fathers arrive at the office excited about the possibility of a gifted diagnosis, mainly because they project wonderful futures for their children.
“But they don’t realize that the diagnosis often represents suffering.” In addition to the demands, there are emotional issues, especially if there is no follow-up.
“Nobody understands this child. She doesn’t find pairs. She wants to talk about Van Gogh, for example, and she doesn’t have anyone to talk to”, he comments, adding that the adults are impressed and start testing informally, causing a lot of discomfort.
At the other end, the doctor perceives the sadness with the diagnosis of a disorder, such as attention deficit, as if it were a label that the child is not intelligent. “It’s nothing like that,” he fires.
For her, it is also necessary to differentiate what is usually seen as a manifestation of intelligence.
For example, there are children on the autism spectrum who know a lot about certain topics of interest, who are seen, in the layman’s eyes, as gifted.
When there is the result of a cognitive intelligence test, the multidisciplinary team needs to analyze other aspects of the child, especially the emotional one. “Child development needs to be respected”, he comments, noting that playing, for example, is essential.
The gifted child, with emotional problems, grew up and decided to help others
Damião Silva, now 37 years old, has a clear memory of the pain he faced as a gifted child in the 1990s – a time when little was said about it in the school environment and there was no support whatsoever.
He was only diagnosed at age 18, after going through a series of problems. “People didn’t understand me,” he says.
He learned to read on his own, at the age of four, but was seen only as a child who learned very quickly.
In living at school, challenges began to appear. “I had the best grades, but few friends,” he says. He also experienced episodes of bullying and distrust. “I was getting sad”, she reports.
As he was easily bored with the content, he ended up “cutting” two years and being placed in a high school class. “It was horrible, I no longer had the attention of the teachers”, he points out.
When he came to understand his condition, Silva decided he wanted to help others get an early diagnosis, mainly to provide emotional help. He studied Psychology, created the Instagram profile @vivendosuperdotação and today works with the assessment of people with high abilities and other issues related to learning. It even applies tests that you haven’t had the opportunity to do in the past.
Reference: CNN Brasil
