The smartest are slower to determinewhich way large objects are moving. It is the conclusion reached by scientists at the University of Rochester when applying simplevisual test of people with different intelligence quotient (IQ). Of course, the smartest ones are also much better when it comes to small objects.
Although at first glance it is difficult to understand, thisinability to perceive large moving images has a logical explanation. It is related to the brain’s ability to suppress background, unimportant information, and thus cget into the relevant details. “Our result underscores the fact that high intelligence is simply a reflection of efficient and effective brain processing,” explains Duje Tadin, lead author of the study published today inCurrent Biology, in statements to SINC Agency.
The brain is unable to process the immense amount of stimuli that come to it from the senses. “Since we are limited in the amount of information we can process, the second best thing to do is be selective,” says Tadin. In most situations in everyday life – for example, driving, walking, or simply moving your eyes around a room – background movement is less important than that of small objects. The test indicated thatHigh IQ people are not only faster at processing important information, they are better at suppressing irrelevant information.
In the study, participants watched a video with short sequences of black and white bars of different sizes moving on the screen, and were asked to indicate the direction of movement. As expected, identification of the movement of the large bars was worse than that of the small bars in all individuals. But, to the researchers’ surprise, the high-IQ volunteers did much worse.
The test results showed aCorrelation of up to 71% between having a high IQ and a good ability to filter information. “This link between visual suppression of background movement and intelligence provides a clue to what is different in neural processing, neurochemistry, and neurotransmitters in people with high IQs,” Tadin remarks.
