Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Biological Influences on Intelligence01:30

Biological Influences on Intelligence

83
Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter...
83
Measures of Intelligence01:29

Measures of Intelligence

7.1K
Psychologists measure intelligence by using standardized tests that produce a score known as the intelligence quotient or IQ. To understand IQ tests, it's important to recognize the key principles behind their construction: validity, reliability, and standardization.
Validity refers to how well a test measures what it claims to measure. An intelligence test should accurately assess intelligence rather than another characteristic, like anxiety. Criterion validity is one way to evaluate this;...
7.1K
Environmental Influences on Intelligence01:29

Environmental Influences on Intelligence

234
Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children...
234
Gene-Environment Interactions01:20

Gene-Environment Interactions

270
Gene expression is a dynamic process that is significantly influenced by environmental factors. This interaction underlies the complex nature of biological development and the phenotypic differences observed among individuals, even among those with identical genetic makeups. Factors such as radiation, temperature, behavior, nutrition, and stress play pivotal roles in determining how genes are expressed. The concept of the reaction range is central to understanding this interaction. It posits...
270
Human Genetics01:28

Human Genetics

547
Human genetics provides a profound framework for understanding the interplay between genetic predispositions and human psychology. At the heart of this discipline lies the study of how genes influence physical traits, behaviors, and susceptibility to diseases. Each person carries a unique genetic code that subtly or significantly shapes their psychological and behavioral landscape.
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
547
Cause and Effect01:53

Cause and Effect

10.9K
While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?
10.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

What Childhood Leaves Behind: Cognitive Ability and Trust in Adulthood.

Personality & social psychology bulletin·2026
Same author

Associations of genetic variants for educational success with risk and time preferences vary by childhood environment.

Communications psychology·2026
Same author

Asymmetric Anticipatory Emotions and Economic Preferences: Dread, Savoring, Risk, and Time.

Cognitive science·2026
Same author

Looking on the (B)right Side of Life: Cognitive Ability and Miscalibrated Financial Expectations.

Personality & social psychology bulletin·2023
Same author

Gender differences in optimism, loss aversion and attitudes towards risk.

British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)·2023
Same author

Neither an Optimist Nor a Pessimist Be: Mistaken Expectations Lower Well-Being.

Personality & social psychology bulletin·2020
Same journal

Outgroup friendships and social influence in the development of adolescent attitudes toward secondary outgroups.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2026
Same journal

The impact of "relational" Artificial Intelligence on human well-being: A self-determination theory analysis.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2026
Same journal

Is my loneliness killing me? Effects of loneliness and social isolation on transitions between cognitive status categories and death.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2026
Same journal

Listening across the divide: High-quality listening promotes speakers' state well-being through basic psychological need satisfaction during disagreements.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2026
Same journal

Morality cut both ways: The role of cognition and emotion in attitude moralization and demoralization.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2026
Same journal

The predictive validity of vocational interests for life outcomes across adulthood.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Quantification of Information Encoded by Gene Expression Levels During Lifespan Modulation Under Broad-range Dietary Restriction in C. elegans
09:23

Quantification of Information Encoded by Gene Expression Levels During Lifespan Modulation Under Broad-range Dietary Restriction in C. elegans

Published on: August 16, 2017

8.0K

IQ, genes, and miscalibrated expectations.

Chris Dawson1

  • 1School of Management, University of Bath.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|June 12, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Higher intelligence (IQ) is linked to more accurate survival expectations in adults over 50. This finding suggests IQ influences how people perceive risks and make decisions.

More Related Videos

Automated, Quantitative Cognitive/Behavioral Screening of Mice: For Genetics, Pharmacology, Animal Cognition and Undergraduate Instruction
16:23

Automated, Quantitative Cognitive/Behavioral Screening of Mice: For Genetics, Pharmacology, Animal Cognition and Undergraduate Instruction

Published on: February 26, 2014

14.3K
Using Cholesky Decomposition to Explore Individual Differences in Longitudinal Relations between Reading Skills
06:52

Using Cholesky Decomposition to Explore Individual Differences in Longitudinal Relations between Reading Skills

Published on: September 17, 2019

6.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Quantification of Information Encoded by Gene Expression Levels During Lifespan Modulation Under Broad-range Dietary Restriction in C. elegans
09:23

Quantification of Information Encoded by Gene Expression Levels During Lifespan Modulation Under Broad-range Dietary Restriction in C. elegans

Published on: August 16, 2017

8.0K
Automated, Quantitative Cognitive/Behavioral Screening of Mice: For Genetics, Pharmacology, Animal Cognition and Undergraduate Instruction
16:23

Automated, Quantitative Cognitive/Behavioral Screening of Mice: For Genetics, Pharmacology, Animal Cognition and Undergraduate Instruction

Published on: February 26, 2014

14.3K
Using Cholesky Decomposition to Explore Individual Differences in Longitudinal Relations between Reading Skills
06:52

Using Cholesky Decomposition to Explore Individual Differences in Longitudinal Relations between Reading Skills

Published on: September 17, 2019

6.3K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Accurate judgment of uncertainty is crucial for effective decision-making.
  • Subjective survival expectations are a key area where probabilistic judgments are made.
  • Previous research suggests a link between cognitive ability and decision-making quality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between intelligence quotient (IQ) and calibration in probabilistic subjective survival expectations.
  • To determine if higher IQ correlates with more accurate and less variable survival predictions.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a nationally representative English sample (N = 3,946) of adults aged over 50.
  • Statistical assessment of IQ's impact on forecast errors and prediction noise in survival expectations.
  • Utilized Mendelian randomization with genetic variants linked to IQ and educational attainment for robust validation.

Main Results:

  • Strong evidence indicates that individuals with higher IQ exhibit significantly lower forecast errors.
  • High-IQ respondents produced less noise (more consistent predictions) in their survival expectations compared to low-IQ respondents.
  • Results were consistent across direct IQ measures and genetic instrumental variable approaches.

Conclusions:

  • Intelligence quotient (IQ) is positively associated with accurate probabilistic judgment, specifically in survival expectations.
  • These findings illuminate cognitive pathways linking IQ to real-world outcomes like financial decision-making and economic welfare.
  • Low IQ may contribute to judgmental biases and poorer decision-making, impacting individual and societal well-being.