From the Philippine Daily Inquirer editorial by Inez Ponce de Leon (https://opinion.inquirer.net/163365/of-about-and-beyond-iq),
The below-average IQ ranking of the Philippines in the World Population Review 2023 (WPR) is another indictment of the country’s poverty and learning crises. This may no longer come as a surprise given the dismal performance of Filipino high school students in reading, mathematics, and science literacy but it is worrisome for the country’s future in global competitiveness.
The Philippines ranked 111th out of 199 countries in the latest WPR measuring IQ scores defined as the “quality of education and resources available to people in their local geographic region.” It noted that areas with lower IQ scores were typically poorer and less developed, specifically in education. The Philippines scored 81.64, several percentage points below the average range of 85-115. Japan topped the list (106.48), while Nepal (42.99) took the bottom. Among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, only Laos (80.99) and Indonesia (78.49) ranked lower than the Philippines.
PDI,, May 21, 2023
The data can be found here: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/average-iq-by-country
Why is this a problem? Consider the graphs below.
The two normal curves, yellow and green, show the distribution, say, of IQ, in two populations of the same size. The average IQ in the green population is 100 (centered around 1), and the average IQ in the yellow population is 85 (centered around 0). The black line centered at 2 represents the minimum IQ required for a specific job, in this case, one that requires high intelligence such as a software engineer. The red area to the right of that line represents the number of people in the yellow population who are fit for that job. The green plus red area to the right of that line represents that number for the green population. We can see here that the talent pool in the yellow population for that job is about 1/3 to 1/4 that of the green population.
The implication is this: populations with higher IQ’s have a greater supply of manpower for any job, and their competitive advantage over populations with lower average IQ’s becomes more pronounced in jobs requiring higher and higher intelligence. Countries with high IQ’s have a greater talent pool of engineers, researchers, professors, and other jobs that add great value to a country’s wealth. Those countries will also have a larger pool of talent for intellectually less specialized work but which will require complex skills. A country with a very low IQ like South Sudan will have a large supply of stevedore talent, but not enough engineers to sustain any strong industry. Indeed, GDP is correlated with IQ and other measures of academic achievement (Hunt 2012, https://www.jstor.org/stable/41613567).
More specifically, what are the estimated IQ’s required for different jobs? I reproduce the data from a very interesting article, which you can find here: https://enhancingbrain.com/what-kind-of-job-fits-your-iq-by-jordan-peterson/
IQ 116-130
- Research Analyst, Attorney
- Advertising Manager, Editor
- Engineer, Chemist, Executive
- Trainee, Manager
- Auditor, Systems Analyst
IQ 110-115
- Accountant, Copywriter
- Manager/Supervisor
- Programmer, Sales
- Sales Manager
- Teacher, Analyst, Adjuster
- Purchasing Agent
- General Manager
- Registered Nurse
- Sales Accountant Executive
IQ 103-108
- Administrative Assistant
- Bookkeeper, Store Manager
- Drafter, Credit Clerk, Designer
- Assistant Manager, Lab Tester/tech
- Telephone Sales, General Sales
- Accounting Clerk, Secretary
- Medical Debt Collection
- Customer Service Representative
- Computer Operator
- Automotive Salesman, Technician
IQ 100-102
- General Office, Dispatcher
- Police Patrol Officer
- Cashier, Receptionist
- General Clerical
- Meter Reader, Inside Sales Clerk
- Data Entry, Printer, Teller,
- Electrical Helper
These figures suggest that in the Philippines, less than half will be qualified to be cashiers or receptionists.
A small talent pool is not a death sentence. A country can still grow rich picking fruits or digging rocks, perhaps fishing. Highly intelligent people from other countries may come in to employ the low IQ locals who may be fortunate to work with rich natural resources. The highly intelligent people will become rich.
Now is there a sweet spot for a high IQ?
According to Jordan Peterson in the article cited above, an IQ of 145 is necessary if one is to become the best in his or her field. The best performers are often the ones who get ahead first, and very high IQ people have the learning speed to get them there. However, having a high IQ does not guarantee success, only that those who do succeed enormously happen to have at least 145.
Ms. Ponce de Leon speculates on the causes of the Philippine problem. Proposed causes are poor nutrition, lack of training in critical thinking. She writes:
Children grow up in an environment where they are applauded for following orders, imitating moves, and meeting adults’ expectations of a docile, obedient child who is promised severe punishment for independent thinking.
Smart students might find school a safe place. Ms. Ponce de Leon says, however, that when these students return home, they must face family members who do not value learning. She also faults many students’ inability to take criticism productively, and an educational culture in general that rewards metrics such as grades that measure rote memory, not critical thinking.
I agree that good nutrition in the earliest years is essential for proper brain development. Beyond that, I agree with Hunt (2012, op. cit.) that intelligence is a function of training in the use of cognitive artifacts: physical instruments or styles of reasoning that amplify our ability to think.
Below are some examples of cognitive artifacts:
- Pen and Paper
- Algorithms, like long division
- Calculators
- Abacus
- Maps
- Books
- Spreadsheets
- Mind-mapping Software
- Smartphones
- Project Management Software
- Dictionaries
- Recipes
- Mental cognitive artifacts: rules of thumb, mnemonics, parables and proverbs
There is a strong tradition among East Asians and Europeans of using pen and paper, to memorize characters, to take dictation, to solve math problems. We should also credit the practice of reading and interpreting scripture and parables as powerful exercises to develop critical thinking and rhetorical skills.
It is important, of course, to know how to use these artifacts. Everyone knows how to use pen and paper, but not many know how to write good prose and poetry and teach others. When class sizes are very large, writing material is expensive, and movies and gaming are more important pursuits, how can students give the large amount of time needed to master cognitive artifacts?
Filipinos seem to still love to read. In a 2019 survey by the National Book Development Board, 76.75% of adults and 84.99% of kids say they’ve read a printed book within the past year (https://www.rappler.com/brandrap/beyond-the-buy/239878-filipinos-still-into-books-survey/). But this does not square with another finding: that the Philippines scored significantly below average compared to other countries in all three major areas: reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy. Only about 19 percent of Filipino students achieved at least the minimum proficiency level in overall reading literacy, and only about 20 percent achieved the minimum in mathematical literacy (https://opinion.inquirer.net/162422/local-international-tests-show-urgent-need-to-improve-quality-of-education). We may be reading, but not reading well.
And science? Poor science literacy may be the result of poor reading strategies, as suggested by one study (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-01705-y).
We’re really down to pen, paper, books, and the exquisite skills required to use them well.
(Q.C. 230524)
jaylazzo 