The Flynn Effect: Are we getting more intelligent?

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The Flynn Effect: Are we getting more intelligent?

Tesni Rowlands

Deakin University Waurn Ponds

Subject: HPS309 Measurement and Testing

Assignment: Assignment 1 Essay

Student No.:  700165229

Word Count: 1,530

        

        Intelligence is one area of psychology that is widely debated. There are a variety of theories about how intelligence works, what influences it and how it exists, however the definition of intelligence has not been entirely agreed on. Intelligence is generally regarded as a property of the mind that covers many related abilities, such as the capacities to plan, reason, problem-solve, think abstractly, comprehend ideas, use language and to learn (Neisser et al., 1996).

        As intelligence involves numerous components and is the source of such contention, many have aimed to study this further, such as James R. Flynn, an Emeritus Professor of Political Studies at the University of Otago (Neisser, 1998). Flynn has become well known for his discovery of the ‘Flynn effect’: the continued increase of intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in most parts of the world over generations. Flynn first noticed the increase of IQ scores when he systematically documented evidence based on the test norms of the Stanford-Binet, Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and found that test scores were increasing each decade by up to .06 IQ points per year between 1930 and 1990. The test scores have been continuous and roughly linear from when testing begun to present (Hiscock, 2007). Although Flynn’s research has given evidence to support that IQ levels are rising, it is still unclear as to why this is happening.  

        Dramatic increases in IQ levels have proved puzzling to researchers in the field of intelligence, as no explanation has been yet accepted. Various theories have been presented to explain the phenomena, but none have completely identified the reason behind the Flynn effect. Three highly regarded theories exist as to why IQ scores are rising considerably, including better nutrition, improvement in cognitive stimulation and genetic factors (Lynn, 1990).

        In the 1920’s and 1930’s, nutrition was critically below standards for a large amount of people in the U.S. Living standards improved in the last half century, resulting in better nutrition and physical attributes such as height and brain size, and possibly resulting in higher intelligence. However, although brain size and intelligence have been positively correlated, the correlation was far too low to conclude that nutrition causes increased IQ scores (Lynn, 1990).

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        The second theory for increased IQ scores is improvement in cognitive stimulation. This includes parents that are better educated, availability of television and the internet, and improvements in education (Lynn, 1990). Improved cognitive stimulation appears to be the logical explanation for increased IQ scores, as each generation is exposed to far more information than the previous generation. However previous research have indicated that even infants only a few months of age, with no chance to be influenced by external cognitive stimulation, have demonstrated signs of accelerated cognitive development, therefore suggesting that cognitive stimulation is not the only influence on increased ...

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