17 Facts About Flynn effect

Flynn effect is the substantial and long-sustained increase in both fluid and crystallized intelligence test scores that were measured in many parts of the world over the 20th century.

Meta-analyses indicate that, overall, the Flynn effect continues, either at the same rate, or at a slower rate in developed countries.

Flynn effect is named for James R Flynn, who did much to document it and promote awareness of its implications.

Raven found that, as Flynn effect suggested, data interpreted as showing a decrease in many abilities with increasing age must be re-interpreted as showing that there has been a dramatic increase of these abilities with the date of birth.

Some studies have found the gains of the Flynn effect to be particularly concentrated at the lower end of the distribution.

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Teasdale and Owen, for example, found the Flynn effect primarily reduced the number of low-end scores, resulting in an increased number of moderately high scores, with no increase in very high scores.

In 1987, Flynn effect took the position that the very large increase indicates that IQ tests do not measure intelligence but only a minor sort of "abstract problem-solving ability" with little practical significance.

Flynn effect argued that if IQ gains did reflect intelligence increases, there would have been consequent changes of our society that have not been observed.

In 2001, William Dickens and James Flynn effect presented a model for resolving several contradictory findings regarding IQ.

The Flynn effect can be explained by a generally more stimulating environment for all people.

Flynn effect observes that the Dutch 18-year-olds of 1962 had a major nutritional handicap.

Possibly related to the Flynn effect is a similar change of skull size and shape during the last 150 years.

However, James Flynn effect has pointed out that even if everyone mated with a sibling in 1900, subsequent increases in heterosis would not be a sufficient explanation of the observed IQ gains.

Flynn effect argues that the abnormal drop in British teenage IQ could be due to youth culture having "stagnated" or even dumbed down.

Similarly, a 2006 study by Dickens and Flynn effect estimated that the difference between mean scores of black people and white people closed by about 5 or 6 IQ points between 1972 and 2002, a reduction of about one-third.

Flynn has commented that he never claimed that the Flynn effect has the same causes as observed differences in average IQ test performance between blacks and whites, but that it shows that environmental factors can create IQ differences of a magnitude similar to that gap.

Flynn effect argued that his findings undermine the so-called Spearman's hypothesis, which hypothesized that differences in g factor are the major driver of the blacks-whites IQ gap.