Focus on working memory not IQ, use Facebook not Twitter says expert

Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, delivers a keynote address at the company's annual conference in San Francisco (Reuters)

Leading Psychologist, Dr Tracy Alloway has published research today that suggests our measures of intelligence should be based on working memory rather than IQ.

Her team at Stirling University will tell the British Science Association festival this week that our working memory not our IQ is more important to success and happiness.

Dr Alloway, worked with children aged between 11 and 14 and found that after using video games and social networking sites, IQ could improve dramatically by up to ten points.

This increase in IQ, also affected literacy and numeracy tests, leading Dr Alloway to conclude that these children were 'cleverer' than before.

This increase in 'intelligence' was a direct result of their improving working memory.

Further evidence showed that playing video games that involved planning and strategy such as the real time strategy series 'Total War' increased working memory.

Also, using creativity and thought-processing to write messages on Facebook, but NOT twitter, youtube were also helpful.

She said: "Those using longer and more creative sentences (on Facebook) showed fewer signs of memory loss."

But Twitter apparently doesn't due to the 'instant' nature of information that doesn't require processing.