Can instructions to nonverbal IQ tests be given in pantomime? Additional applications of a general theory of signs

The long-standing claim that IQ tests measure innate ability & are language-independent is refuted by an application of general semiotics to existing studies of verbal & nonverbal IQ tests. Recent advances in semiotic theory are argued to establish conclusively that nonverbal IQ tests & the performance inventories of standardized IQ tests depend on conventional concepts for both their solutions & comprehension of instructions, as both require social consensus to be workable. Oller's (1975) notion of pragmatic mapping & his subsequent theories of true narrative representations & abstraction are summarized to show that sign systems depend on reliable sensory judgments & that social consensus regarding the objects of sensory judgments can only be attained using conventional signs of a shared language. The assessment of nonverbal abilities therefore depends on the signs of a particular language. 4 Figures, 54 References. J. Hitchcock