To think general knowledge quiz shows do not give a measure of intelligence, just of memorisation skills?

[pennypinchh]

I am totally rubbish at all quiz shows, trying to play along on the couch and never know anything! But I don't understand why my family say I'm not that smart just because I don't know some obscure fact about the TV show Frasier, which I've never even seen! Has anyone else been shamed because of this?

I don't know what foie gras is either.. I think I will slink away in shame before anyone else insults me

For what it's worth, I do have memory problems due to a period of severe illness... I probably knew what marmalade was before but now I can't remember much

@pennypinchh

For what it's worth, I do have memory problems due to a period of severe illness... I probably knew what marmalade was before but now I can't remember much

Well, there you go. You don't retain random information like most people do, because of illness. Therefore your family, who presumably know you have memory problems, are being dicks.

I’m not trying to insult you. I am sure I couldn’t answer a single question about anything in your field. But you do seem very cross about not knowing things that, to be very honest, most people do. Maybe it’s illness and how frustrating, but maybe you’re just not great at general knowledge and I’m quite biased because I always find that a bit weird.

A whizz at general knowledge normally possesses the kind of mind that stores up off-beat snippets of information like a computer. It's not the same thing as a critical, analytical capacity and it's not necessarily an indicator of 'intelligence', in whatever context you mean that by.

My mother was a woman you'd want on your pub quiz team. She knew weird, obscure facts, seemingly about everything. Maybe it was because of the oddities in the way she read things and stored up information - she even found reading the dictionary interesting - but in a broad-brush sense her bank of knowledge was formidable.

I could wipe the floor at Trivial Pursuit with question on literature, popular and classical music and the natural world, am quite fair on theatre, history and politics, but if when it comes to sport, TV and science-related topics I'm as thick as two short planks

It is hurtful though... I can't remember the name of a city in Spain, so now I'm classified as stupid? I hope none of you ever suffer from memory problems, then you will know what it feels like

Crystallised and fluid intelligence are different but correlated. So someone with high fluid intelligence is likely to have more crystallised intelligence.

You did rather drip feed your memory problems. And for someone who doesn’t take any enjoyment from quizzes, and isn’t very good at them you’re very invested.

It is hurtful though... I can't remember the name of a city in Spain, so now I'm classified as stupid? I hope none of you ever suffer from memory problems, then you will know what it feels like

Had you put this in your OP, you'd have been spared much.

And you'd have had very few responses because after all, what is there to say except your family are knobs?

Have you ever heard an interview with a professional quizzer? These people read, revise, have fantastic memory and are quick thinkers, definitely intelligent. They often (not always) have had decent previous careers and did well at school/university. Think about the Chasers or Eggheads. Someone like Paul Sinha orinally trained as a doctor and has a medical degree. I heard Anne Hegarty talking about her revision schedule on popular culture, they don’t necessarily watch Fraser but they read (revise) about it.

I don't think being good at general knowledge is the same as being intelligent, but I think they do generally correlate. That said, it's just one part of it. I'm great at facts, memorising, general knowledge etc. I probably get about a quarter of the questions on University Challenge, but give me a Countdown anagram and brain says bye bye.

Sorry about your illness and subsequent memory problems OP.

Rather than a test of memory regarding the flavour, what colour would you have said marmalade was if someone had asked? If you would have said “orange” and the next question was ‘what fruit is marmalade made from?’ would you have made the connection?

That’s where the intelligence comes in - being able to apply the knowledge you do have to fill the gaps of what you don’t.

OP different people are good at different things, for there to be people smarter than the average there also must be people less smart than the average.

You say yourself that you don’t read and avoid observing the world around you, you’re perfectly entitled to do that if you want but of course it will impact what you know and how smart people perceive you to be. If you were to ask a random group of 100 people in the UK what marmalade is made form, I’d say maybe 95% or more would know the answer. If you were to ask about foie gras, it wouldn’t be as high but would still be the majority.

It doesn’t mean you’re stupid but it does mean your general knowledge is way below average, and people may respond in surprise to that. Knocking about history, geography, basic culture etc. doesn’t mean you have great analytical abilities, but at least means you have a decent grasp of the world.

You can do various IQ tests if you want to check out your analytical abilities. There are also verbal reasoning tests you can try. If you score low in general knowledge, analysis and reasoning then yes few people would consider you on the more intelligent end of the spectrum. But nothing to be ashamed about

I do think the Chasers are very impressive to be able to memorise so much

Questions on sport usually have me stumped but I’m quite good on religion , history and mental arithmetic.

I know someone who pops up from time to time on these type of game shows.

Always does well.

I knew her years ago and she was a whizz at the pub quiz machines

She is also super intelligent and when I lived near her she had a very technical job.

My family were knocked out when I was able to answer three questions on University Challenge but it was something I had an interest in.

Well if you haven't read a book since school, which you admit, what do you expect?

I've got a weird memory in that I can remember odd facts pretty well, so I'm pretty good at quizzes. But I'm terrible at remembering conversations I've had with people, or events that happened only a few days previously. It's very frustrating and I think people think I'm being rude/don't care about what they said. I'm not though because I really listen to them at the time or enjoy the event when it's happening. It just slips my mind immediately afterwards, as do books and films.

I'm also really bad at the Only Connect type quizzes, so I think lateral thinkers are much cleverer than those who are good at straight feats of memory.

OP I think I retain odd facts, like a PP because I'm interested in them, so I tend to read a lot of stuff about things like health, science, psychology, history, sport etc. But I don't become specialist about any of the things, so I couldn't hold my own with an expert of any of them. I don't think being average at quizzes makes you stupid.

Honestly OP my general knowledge is terrible. I had never heard of Seville oranges and I thought Seville was in Italy. My Geography is so bad which generally means unless it's a music or a sport round I am terrible at quizzes. It doesn't bother me though, I am a running joke throughout the family on how bad my geography is but I just don't have the desire to learn because it won't sink in anyway.

Love51
It’s ‘Much Ado about Nothing* that has that ‘joke’ - Beatrice says it.

OP - the fact that you don’t read is probably part of it. I have one of the best general knowledges of people I know and so does my dad and we are both avid readers. You pick up lots of things by reading.

It’s also about wanting to know/ being interested. If I hear a fact I will tend to look it up and find out more info even if it’s not something I’m generally interested in. My husband has a good general knowledge but is only interested in certain things and won’t even try to learn about other things at all.

You are right that there are different types of intelligence though. As a teacher I see kids who will get 10 As who have almost no general knowledge and others who will get none who have a good range because they are interested in the world but don’t have the right kind of brain/ work ethic for school.

Try reading for pleasure Op.That will extend and improve your general knowledge.

Intellectual curiosity.

Most (but not all) intelligent people are interested in the world around them. They ask questions and enjoy learning new things. Over time they build up a large bank of general knowledge.

There is also a type of hyper-focused, obsessive intelligence that ignores everything outside the area of interest. Sherlock Holmes famously did not know that the planets in the solar system revolved around the sun. Having said that, he was a fictional character.

Can I just say OP that it isn't too late for you to improve your general knowledge if you want to. It never is. You can start today by showing curiosity in regular things, watch something different on TV, start reading again (not just textbooks for work), and plan some trips for after Covid. For example, although I travel independently and read a lot, I'm a sucker for a guided tour. Love hearing from a local expert and getting lots of info squeezed into a few hours.
You can find your interests.

Memory skills and intellectual curiosity are a pretty big part of intelligence, which is why we often view “clever” people as being knowledgeable.

However, there are other aspects, such as analytic skills too.