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Stalin and Summary Statistics
Scott Alexander examines how different statistical presentations of the same data in social science studies can lead to vastly different interpretations, potentially misleading readers.
18 min read 2,663 words
A thread through the archive
IQ
Essays tagged “IQ”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on IQ
37 essaysSSC
The General Factor Of Correctness
Scott Alexander explores the possibility of a 'General Factor of Correctness' and its implications for rationality and decision-making across various fields.
18 min read 2,739 words
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Beware Summary Statistics
Scott Alexander explores how summary statistics can be misleading when describing relationships between variables, using examples of IQ's correlation with crime and income.
5 min read 661 words
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Talents Part 2: Attitude vs. Altitude
Scott Alexander uses NBA player heights as an analogy to discuss intelligence and IQ, advocating for a balanced view that acknowledges both innate talent and effort.
13 min read 1,993 words
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The Parable Of The Talents
Scott Alexander examines the concept of innate ability and argues for its acceptance, while cautioning against tying self-worth to intellectual achievement.
41 min read 6,231 words
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2013 Survey Results
Scott Alexander presents comprehensive results from the 2013 Less Wrong community survey, covering demographics, beliefs, and behavioral patterns of 1636 respondents.
38 min read 5,884 words
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Marijuana: Much More Than You Wanted To Know
Scott Alexander examines evidence on marijuana legalization's effects on usage, health, and drug war costs, finding uncertainties too large for firm conclusions but suggesting traffic accidents may be the key factor.
41 min read 6,326 words
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Links for December
Scott shares various interesting links and studies, covering topics from education research and IQ testing to controversial social issues and scientific discoveries, while adding his commentary on each.
13 min read 1,878 words
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Wisdom of the Ancients, Redux
Scott responds to authors of a Victorian intelligence paper, remaining skeptical of their findings and addressing critiques of his original post on IQ change speeds.
6 min read 862 words
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2012 Survey Results
Scott presents comprehensive results from the 2012 Less Wrong Survey of 1195 respondents, covering demographics, beliefs, IQ measures, and a concerning calibration test showing poor performance at avoiding overconfidence bias.
35 min read 5,419 words
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2011 Survey Results
Scott Alexander presents comprehensive results from the 2011 Less Wrong survey of 1090 respondents, covering demographics, beliefs, probability estimates on various topics, and a calibration test that shows the community performs better than average but has some calibration issues.
16 min read 2,383 words
LW
Survey Results
Scott analyzes results from a 166-person Less Wrong survey covering demographics, probability estimates on various topics, and philosophical positions, finding a highly educated, mostly male, atheist, politically libertarian/liberal community with surprisingly accurate collective knowledge but notable gaps between stated beliefs and actions.
15 min read 2,255 words