3 ms·
> The external evidence is lacking -- there's not some huge increase in SAT scores Plus you state in your article that people are getting less intelligent; wha
by llimllib 18y ago
> The external evidence is lacking -- there's not some huge increase in SAT scores
Plus you state in your article that people are getting less intelligent; what do you base that on? How do you explain the Flynn effect?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect
- yters 18y agoMaybe IQ scores are rising because they are becoming more important in society. The article says people who have attended school less do not score as well. So, if IQ has permeated the school system as an important metric, it makes sense that children will be trained to do well on IQ tests. As it is, the article states the IQ increase correlates well with better education, health, and family structure. Also, at the end of the article, it states there are indications the IQ increase has stopped, and may be reversing, in the Western world.
- DaniFong 18y agoI suggest you read the book "What is Intelligence?" by James Flynn himself. It's a cautious and erudite work, and the theory they float does seem to resolve quite a few of the mysteries. Perhaps most importantly, the data do not bear out universal and generic intellectual ascension. They contend that the rise in IQ has been spurred on by a change in cognitive environment over the past century, and I think the existence of a shift in cognitive demands of a massive scale is something tough to deny. Here's a paper where they discuss the theory, if you can't get the book. http://www.apa.org/journals/features/rev1082346.pdf http://www.apa.org/journals/features/rev1082346.pdf