The Flynn effect: if the mankind grows wiser, where is culture?

Psychologists have noticed that since the beginning of the last century held in different countries of tests for "intelligence quotient" gives every year more and more high results. This so-called Flynn effect, named the new Zealand political scientist James Flynn, for the first time observed this pattern in 1980 for long-term data for 20 countries. Russia is not one of them, we have mass measurements of this kind no, but in many countries the IQ measure, for example, when applying for a job or admission into the army.

People of average intelligence gets in these tests, 100 points. A graduate of the University 120. IQ above 130 are usually only 2% of the population.





James Flynn came to his observation, trying to refute the opinion of some anthropologists about the genetic mental inferiority of blacks. He wanted to prove that the case only to a lesser accessibility of education for blacks in Africa and the United States. The intellect of the blacks should improve with the elimination of discrimination.

To check Flynn took long-term data of tests on IQ, conducted for admission into the United States army. Indeed, it turned out that the test results of blacks is growing, but is growing, and General intellectual level of all recruits.

As noted by Flynn, on average, for 10 years the peoples of different countries are getting smarter by 3 points. But there are substantial differences across countries, especially when viewed not by years but by generations subjected to the test (duration of one generation is accepted in 30 years).

Hardest from generation to generation came to mind in Belgium, Israel and Holland (plus 20 points per generation), and the slowest process was in Denmark and Sweden (10 points per generation). He who a hundred years ago were in the top 10% of the most intelligent, now would apply to 5% of the most stupid.

Improvement of test results accelerating. Thus, the average annual increase of IQ in the United States from 1947 to 1972, was between 0.31 points, and from 1973 to 90 years — 0,36.

The discoverer was confused by his observation. If we assume that the number of talents and geniuses has grown over the last half-century in 20 times (and it turns out that way), where is the expected flowering of culture? However, the development of science and technology number of scientific papers, products of the publishing houses are growing from year to year, almost like an avalanche.

Unclear the reasons for the rise of human intelligence. Offers a variety of explanations: the increasing duration of schooling in many developed countries, from 9 or 10 until 11 or even 12 years; overall improvement of nutrition and health; reducing the number of children in the family, making available one or two children receive more attention from parents and best education.

There are other hypotheses, for example, challenging the role of television (but it became a life only half a century ago, and the "growth of mind" has been celebrated for hundred years). The same can be said about the alleged role of personal computers.





A recently published study of Norwegian psychologists adds puzzles. Jon Sundet of the Psychological Institute in Oslo considered the results of the tests 960 thousand young people, from 1954 to 2002 join the ranks of the Norwegian armed forces.

It turned out that in recent years the growth of intelligence of recruits slowed down. From 1954 to 1969 they added a year on a half-point. Later, until 1976, growth slowed to 0.2 points a year.

Until the early 80-ies came the decrease of intelligence, "ate" almost all the previous gains. Moreover, the failure was formed mainly due to the deterioration of the ability to work with numbers. In this area the level of 60 years no longer recovered. However, the overall score increased markedly since the mid-80's to mid 90-ies by improving the ability to quickly perceive and process new information.

But since the mid 90-ies of this skill is no longer increased, and the ability to work with words has deteriorated, and as a result, the overall score decreased again. Similar trends are observed in Sweden. The cause of all these oscillations is unclear.





It will be interesting:

Eckhart Tolle: the Law of Abundance — the output stream determines the incoming

If you came up with the idea — it is not a coincidence!

 

But it is clear the reasons for the fall of intelligence in the inhabitants of a mountain village in Canada. In the 70-ies of the last century, canadian sociologists have followed its inhabitants. For a long time the village remained without a television — the mountains prevented radio waves. Among the population conducted periodically tests for intelligence. The village finally summed up the TV cable. Gradually deteriorated ingenuity in solving complex problems and test children and adults.published

 

 



Source: www.nkj.ru/archive/articles/5995/