I'm sure if I challenged someone to come up with a result of 170, there'd be at least one person out there who could do it. My money is far better spent on tuition and beer.
Now, if I was a psych major, I might be able to get approval for a study comparing the congruency of self-reported IQ scores with measured, neutral ones in self-described intelligent communities. I'd apply for funding to set up testing for those who took the initial survey, and see what the results are.
That's a good plan too. They'd probably go for it. In the commentary on the survey, Eliezer (founder of the site, also present here) doubts the estimate too.
It's worth noting that one of the central tenets of LessWrong is that it can be just as bad to underestimate one's knowledge as to overestimate it. As a result, some things which look like boasting are really just attempts at accuracy, carried through to a level not normally seen in polite discourse.
I'm sure if I challenged someone to come up with a result of 170, there'd be at least one person out there who could do it. My money is far better spent on tuition and beer.
Now, if I was a psych major, I might be able to get approval for a study comparing the congruency of self-reported IQ scores with measured, neutral ones in self-described intelligent communities. I'd apply for funding to set up testing for those who took the initial survey, and see what the results are.