A simple visual test provides surprisingly accurate IQ prediction, according to a new study. A study published in the journal Current Biology found that a person’s ability to effectively filter visual information in the background and in the foreground focus is highly dependent on mental abilities (IQ). The findings can help scientists determine the brain processes responsible for intelligence.

General processes occurring in the brain may underlie data processing and effective visual processing.

IQ testing has been conducted by scientists since the 1800s. The founder of the science of fingerprinting believed that highly intelligent people are able to clearly distinguish anything visually. But studies conducted in recent decades have helped to find only a weak connection between IQ tests and the ability to quickly and accurately determine movement.

Scientists separately studied the visual perception of 12 participants and found a striking fact: IQ strongly correlates with performance at the visual level. Scientists were surprised by the results of the experiment, but because of the small number of participants, they considered the result random. To repeat a more reliable study, 53 people were invited, who also underwent full IQ testing. Repeated experiment proved that visual filtering of movements predicted IQ. Suppression of movements, the ability to concentrate and ignore the environment, predicted the overall IQ and the result of individual test tasks.

Scientists believe that the brain of highly intelligent people automatically processes the movements of small objects, while background changes are suppressed. The study allows scientists to take a fresh look at brain performance. Scientists note that although the relationship between IQ and visual filtering was very strong, IQ tests cannot be replaced with motion tracking in the near future.