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We're All Getting Dumber, Says Science (fastcompany.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the what-else-is-new dept.

dryriver shares a report from Fast Company: Researchers at Norway's Ragnar Frisch Center for Economic Research now have scientific proof of something we've long suspected -- we're all getting dumber. In their paper, "Flynn effect and its reversal are both environmentally caused," which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Bernt Bratsberg and Ole Rogeberg report that IQ scores have been steadily dropping since the 1970s.

The study consisted of analyzing 730,000 IQ test results gleaned from young men entering Norway's compulsory military service from 1970 to 2009. They found that scores declined by an average of seven points per generation, a reversal of the so-called "Flynn effect" where IQ was seen to be rising during the first part of the 20th century. The decline may be due to environmental factors, but because the researchers couldn't find consistent trends among families, Bratsberg and Rogeberg discounted factors like parental education, family size, increased immigration, and genetics as significant causes.

8 of 558 comments (clear)

  1. The so-called Flynn Effect... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    .... sounds exactly like one of those results that would vanish in a puff of annoyingly-irreproducible logic if anyone actually tried to replicate the underlying studies.

    You know, like 90% of all other published research in the psychological sciences.

    1. Re: The so-called Flynn Effect... by GrumpySteen · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ah yes, 40 years ago was a classic time in cinema. It's too bad we no longer get such intelligent fare as The Swarm, Laserblast and everyone's favorite The Star Wars holiday Special

      Or maybe... just maybe... you've forgotten that 99% of what was produced back them was garbage too, just like 99% of what's produced today.

    2. Re: The so-called Flynn Effect... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Exactly right sir. I get so annoyed when people say "back in the old days..." because the same effect applies on many levels.

      Old people today act like the USA is so much more violent and riddled with crime when in reality we have considerably less violence and crime.

      The vast majority of books, movies, tv and music produced in the past was also mass produced garbage put together by executives rather than artists. The stuff that everyone remembers is remembered precisely because they were the bright exceptions in the garbage pile and so survived to be picked up by later generations.

  2. Re:Wait, all of us? by wierd_w · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Unless there is something VERY special about Norway, a wide-spread trend that cannot be attributed to education, gender, religion, or other environmental factor has pretty good predictive qualities, since the sample size is large, and unbiased (Only males tested most likely, but the service is compulsory, not voluntary. That means *All male citizens*, not "Those that show up to the recruitment office".

    It means the sample is very very large, and that the trend is pervasive and wide-spread is pretty interesting.

    To rule out that something is indeed special about Norway, it needs to be replicated with data from other geographic regions-- but so far it is a pretty compelling argument using raw statistics.

  3. "Science Says" by Mr0bvious · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Getting a little bored with the "Science" Says claims, like there's some governing body of authorised scientists that make things official.

    I've started replacing that term in my mind with "some random dude claims".

    --
    Never happened. True story.
    1. Re:"Science Says" by thegarbz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I've started replacing that term in my mind with "some random dude claims".

      If you used to judge the content of the study by who wrote it, you were never interested in "science" anyway. Science was always done by some random dude. That doesn't make it any more or less right.

  4. Brain Outsourcing to Software by pipingguy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I still contend that computer usage makes smart people smarter and dumb people dumber (yet the now-dumber people think they're smarter).

  5. Re: Wait, all of us? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Problem with that is that if the recruiters want you to serve anyway you are going to be put in cannon fodder training.
    It is much better to do well on the IQ and perception tests and fake being physically too weak to serve.
    Having an inconvenient allergy or two might be useful too.

    That way, if you have to serve you will probably get a position as a signalist or get some command training.