Many people think of IQ as a genetic trait, like brown eyes or short legs: You're born with it and you're stuck with it. Now, a growing body of research is showing that a person's IQ can rise—and even fall—over the years.*** "There are many myths about IQ, such as the notion that IQ is a fixed number or that it is a crystal ball for future performance," says Eric Rossen, director of professional development and standards for the National Association of School Psychologists in Bethesda, Md.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
IQ Can Rise Or Fall Over The Years
From The Wall Street Journal, "Ways to Inflate Your IQ: Your Intelligence Level Can Fluctuate, Studies Show; Battling the Post-Vacation Dip" by Sue Shellenbarger:
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Sue Shellenbarger is wrong. IQ is highly heritable throughout adulthood, and government intervention usually failed to increase IQ permanently. The IQ gains usually vanished a few years after the intervention. So when she cited studies among 12- 16-years old, that's great, but it tells us nothing at all.
ReplyDelete"You take the million or so poorest 3- and 4-year-old children and give them a leg up on socialization and education by providing preschool for them; if it works, it saves money in the long run by producing fewer criminals and welfare recipients — and more productive citizens. [...] It is now 45 years later. We spend more than $7 billion providing Head Start to nearly 1 million children each year. And finally there is indisputable evidence about the program’s effectiveness, provided by the Department of Health and Human Services: Head Start simply does not work."
(Joe Klein, Time to Ax Public Programs That Don’t Yield Results)
The PPP did not work, and the abecedarian did not work very well (4 iq pts) and we don't even know about its durability.
The Increasing Heritability of IQ With Age (McGue, Bouchard, Iacono, & Lykken)
On Heritability of IQ, Brain Size and Reaction Time (Posthuma, de Geus, & Boomsma)
Furthermore, she refers to Jeaggi, but Jaeggi's study is flawed. (read the comment section)
http://lesswrong.com/lw/68k/nback_news_jaeggi_2011_or_is_there_a/
http://isteve.blogspot.fr/2012/04/can-you-raise-your-iq-thru-mental.html
Finally, the Flynn Effect is a myth.
http://www.charlesdarwinresearch.org/2010%20Editorial%20for%20Intelligence.pdf
http://majorityrights.com/images/uploads/dutch_flynn_effect.pdf
http://majorityrights.com/weblog/comments/a_possible_explanation_for_the_flynn_effect
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/4548943/British-teenagers-have-lower-IQs-than-their-counterparts-did-30-years-ago.html