What IQ Tests Can't Tell You

The Naked Scientist ^ | April 2008 | Catherine Zentile

[Wardenclyffe]

I.Q. scores have been rising steadily, by about 3 points per decade, ever since they were first administered. This is known as the Flynn Effect and it means that if we take the average teenager of today with an I.Q. of 100 and project the trend back to the 1900s, the average I.Q. would have been somewhere between 50 and 70. An I.Q. of 70 or below usually marks a mental disability. So, if I.Q. gains are in any sense real, "we are driven to the absurd conclusion that a majority of our ancestors were mentally retarded."

[Wardenclyffe]

If that's the case, then why can't the average teenager of today pass an 8th grade final exam from 1900? Just wondering.

[DannyTN]

Projecting back would be a problem in any case. To take a short term gain and assume it for long term history is ridiculous, unless you have very strong reasons for thinking that the rate of change was steady over time. And there is no reason to believe that in this case.

[aft_lizard]

Do you have proof that todays 8th grader couldn’t as you presume? Or are you using that already debinked multiple times 8th grader exam from Salina as your evidence?

[aft_lizard]

debinked=debunked

[GonzoGOP]

Unfortunately while the kids today score well on IQ test that are geared for theoretical reasoning, the completely lack the pratical skills our ancestors had. For example
X is a skunk
All skunks are pink
What color is X

The correct IQ test answer is pink, but a person grounded in reality would say blank and white, since that is the color skunks actually are.

This failure to check with the facts is why we have the global warming issue or the gun grabbers. CO2 can warm a planet. We are putting CO2 into the air. Hence the planet will get warmer. But nobody is bothering to go outside and check the darn thermometer. Or the example that criminals kill people. Criminals use guns. Hence if you eliminate guns nobody dies. But a person grounded in reality would say, well if they don't have a gun they would just use a knife. That's not a good IQ test answer, but it is much more likely to keep you alive in the real world.

[ml/nj]

I.Q. scores have been rising steadily

I thought IQ scores were statistically based: 100 meant you made the average score, 115 meant you were one standard deviation above the mean, 130 two standard deviations. How can such scores rise?

ML/NJ

[Tax-chick]

A person can’t pass an exam if he hasn’t learned the facts and skills tested, irrespective of the person’s basic intelligence.

[Wardenclyffe]

I am a former teacher and can tell you that students of today are not taught things like basic geography, for example. Social studies books are filled with politically correct "facts." There are more examples but I won't bore you with them.

I believe that students of today are not as well educated as students of 1900, and I will stick to that conclusion.

[rbg81]

Back in 1900, HS graduates were a lot less prevalent than they are today. In truth, graduating HS was probably today’s equivalent of a BS degree (from some schools).

[aft_lizard]

Being taught them and being able to learn them are two completely seperate things. Or did you not learn that? The simple fact is the only way you woulod be able to quantify your statement is to take a group of students from today and teach them as they were taught in 1900 and compare results. Something you can not do.

So as I said you statement stands with out merit.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

I don’t think the Flynn effect is as damning to the validity of IQ testing as many think. IQ is a combination of two things - learned information and innate g. More properly, I should say that it is an indicator of g that is modified by the application of learned information. A good IQ test, however, doesn’t rely on learned information (i.e. book knowledge) as much as it does innate thinking skills - which maximises the contribution from g. The Flynn effect reflects a rise in the absolute education standard in America, but I think it probably represents not so much a raising of actual IQ as it reflects a lessening of the DEPRESSION of tested IQ because of lower education standards.

[Wardenclyffe]

Being taught them and being able to learn them...

Ok aft_lizard, you win. Sorry to have troubled you.

[Wardenclyffe]

I agree with your statement on critical thinking skills. Increasing higher order thinking skills is something that needs to be addressed. Instead of outcome-based educational goals, teachers should be taught how to increase critical thinking skills of their students by various means.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Instead of outcome-based educational goals, teachers should be taught how to increase critical thinking skills of their students by various means.

Totally agree. An ounce of thinking skills would do more than a pound of $100 bills.

[LonePalm]

With an ounce of thinking skills you can go get a stack of $100 bills.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[achilles2000]

By renorming the test. I’ve seen articles lately that have said that there are indications that the Flynn effect is now reversing. Nobody knows what to make of it.

[Just another Joe]

Too often we give our children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. - Roger Lewin

[ml/nj]

I'm sure you know what you mean.

ML/NJ

[FelixFelicis]

>>students of today are not taught things like basic geography<<

The other day I caught a few minutes of the gameshow “Family Feud.” With the game on the line, the families were asked to name four countries, other than America, that begin with the letter “A.” One family got Argentina but then struck out with blank stares and guesses like “Asia.” The other family then got the chance to win the game by coming up with just one of the remaining answers. After putting their heads together and racking their collective brains... they guessed Amsterdam.

[Wardenclyffe]

After putting their heads together and racking their collective brains... they guessed Amsterdam.

LOL!