> I think you may have a different idea of what IQ is than me. I’m simply interested in some way to consider the raw horsepower of a given brain.

Entirely possible, and if that is all you want to use the metric for, then I have no qualms with that. I just get very leery about using the metrics for policy. In my state, for example, IQ <= 69 immune from death penalty and an IQ >= 70 makes one eligible (assuming a 1st degree murder conviction). I know there has to be a cut-off somewhere, but I do not think the tests are accurate enough to demonstrate a large difference between scores in that range (same on the other tail end too).

> Scientists aren’t inherently trying to answer the most useful questions, just the ones they find interesting enough to research.

Fair enough.

> intelligence is simply too complex multifaceted, or maybe it’ll simply turn out to be like BMI, where it’s only applicable to populations of sufficient size.

I still hold such views despite reading plenty of the research. IQ certainly measures something, but I am not entirely certain we fully understand what we are looking it. Plenty of low/moderate correlates. From what I can honestly tell, it appears that IQ is a great predictor at the speed of which one learns, but coincidentally, that does not predict domain mastery.

For example: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S01602... (Though, I do not agree the finds are "significant" -- those r^2 are brutal)

> Of course things like grit and training and emotional stability and socioeconomic status and… matter just as much in terms of how well we can use that engine/brain.

Well, thank you for being rational. It's quite rare these days.

> I think it was a study in 2012 in Neuron(?) that was considered the death knell for the IQ test as we see it today.

Ah! I know which one your talking about. Yes, that was a blow, but I think the field is chugging along just fine.

> this test would be more physical than mental

I have once considered how awesome this would be too. I think Sternberg, a field-famous psychologist, is working on something physical, albeit not in this realm. I believe he wants to create some kind obstacle course/escape room like measurement, if I am not mistaken. I was pay-walled a while back, so I couldn't quite tell what the paper was fully about.

The study sounds fascinating, I'll look it up. Thanks for the chat, this was enjoyable.