User talk:71.175.41.54

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[edit] Giftedness

Deleted text:

'There is a positive correlation that one who is good at one thing will generally do better at many other tasks. For example, good nutrition, health and mental exercises improve people in many intellectual spheres. However, genetically speaking, giftedness is frequently not evenly distributed throughout all intellectual spheres. For example, a person with a higher amount of testosterone than average will generally do better in logic, mathematical, spatial and musical tasks; but expected to be generally worser in language precessing, emotional recognition, verbal memory and multitasking.'

It is found in many accurate sources so why is it incorrect? 71.175.41.54 23:00, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

Because it is dated, simplistic, discredited, and at odds with reality. Some of it is true, but much is misleading or completely false. E.g.: 'genetically speaking, giftedness is frequently not evenly distributed'. Giftedness is not evenly distributed, but this has very little to do with genetics. The statements about testosterone are complete bollocks. I could give you ancedotal evidence (e.g. the student body of Caltech), or I could quote the statistics on academic performance of elementary and high-school students. Michaelbusch 23:10, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

Why is the statement about testosterone was wrong? It said in many sources: [1] [2] —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.175.41.54 (talk • contribs).

That something is said in many places does not make it correct. Your sources are not particularly reliable: they do not present the needed data to support their conclusions, nor do they draw the same conclusions you presented in your text. It is likely that the data to support your text does not exist. More importantly, there is considerable contradictory information. I don't have all of the statistics at my fingertips, so I will resort to personal experience: the best linguist I know is a man who probably has a higher than average testosterone level, while a number of the best mathematians are women. I could continue, but that would not address the actual issue.
The main problem with your statements, and the sources you cited (again, they do not say what you said), is the classic trap of correlation-causation. Testosterone may be correlated with particular sets of skills, but how do you separate the effects of a society that still hasn't reached parity? Michaelbusch 23:49, 16 February 2007 (UTC)
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