Originally posted by dottewellIt depends on your definition of "mental age below seven". I don't like this "mental age" thing anyway, it just doesn't work this way. An adult with severe mental retardation may be like a 3 y.o. in some respects, like a 10 y.o. in some other respects, and maybe even above his true age in some areas. And a very gifted adult can also be like a 3 y.o. in some respects.
Is it not possible that most people have a mental age below seven?
Originally posted by NordlysOkay, clever, complete this sentence:
It depends on your definition of "mental age below seven". I don't like this "mental age" thing anyway, it just doesn't work this way. An adult with severe mental retardation may be like a 3 y.o. in some respects, like a 10 y.o. in some other respects, and maybe even above his true age in some areas. And a very gifted adult can also be like a 3 y.o. in some respects.
"It is logically impossible for most of the population to have a mental age of below the age of seven, if by 'mental age below the age of seven' we mean __________."
Originally posted by dottewellHmm, that's actually not as easy as it sounds. Let's forget for a moment that the population might consist mainly of people under seven... I think the way "mental age" is determined is by taking an average, i.e. if a big number of randomly chosen 7 y.o. take a test, and the average score is, say, 100, this number will be used to determine the mental age of a person. So if a 100 y.o. scores 100 on that test, he has a mental age of 7. But now comes the funny bit, it's not logically impossible for most of the population to have a mental age of below the age of seven if we use that method. There could be a population in which the majority is mentally retarded, while a small number is extremely gifted and drags the average up.
Okay, clever, complete this sentence:
"It is logically impossible for most of the population to have a mental age of below the age of seven, if by 'mental age below the age of seven' we mean __________."
Originally posted by NordlysExactly. So can the sentence be completed?
Hmm, that's actually not as easy as it sounds. Let's forget for a moment that the population might consist mainly of people under seven... I think the way "mental age" is determined is by taking an average, i.e. if a big number of randomly chosen 7 y.o. take a test, and the average score is, say, 100, this number will be used to determine the mental age of a ...[text shortened]... ty is mentally retarded, while a small number is extremely gifted and drags the average up.
Originally posted by NordlysAlthough we, ahem, they share reasoning traits with chimpanzees and human beings, ascertaining their mental age is problematic. At a guess, three.
What about baboons?
There's some humour in this article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2001/10/14/national1901EDT0566.DTL
Did you know that the he baboon was very admired in Egypt for its intelligence and sexual lustfulness? Baboon feces was an ingredient in Egyptian aphrodisiac ointments.
Originally posted by Bosse de NageOh, my goodness, how could someone get stiffy with that smell !?!?!? 😲
Although we, ahem, they share reasoning traits with chimpanzees and human beings, ascertaining their mental age is problematic. At a guess, three.
There's some humour in this article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2001/10/14/national1901EDT0566.DTL
Did you know that the he baboon was very admired in Egypt for its ...[text shortened]... gence and sexual lustfulness? Baboon feces was an ingredient in Egyptian aphrodisiac ointments.
Originally posted by rhbThat's assuming we are talking about five years here. Maybe it really means that they have the mental age of five humans (probably five humans who are the same age). I am not sure what it means to have the mental age of several people, but it somehow sounds intriguing.
I'd be impressed if it was a new born chimp that had a mental age of five. If the chimp in question was 30 however....