On 25/04/14 00:31, Russell Coker wrote:
I've heard it claimed that the average scores on IQ tests have increased over time, in certain countries, well beyond anything that could be explained biologically; but I haven't read any literature to confirm or dispute this finding.
In recent times most people who live to the age of 35 have children so evolution is going to work slowly. The increase in measured IQ over the last 100 years is obviously not from evolution.
There's a documentary that runs on SBS regularly which puts forward a very plausible reason why IQ is rising, and yes it's not due to evolution. In short, the IQ test is not so much a test of intelligence but a test of a persons ability to think abstractly. Because we live in a world increasingly dependent on technology each successive generation acquires the ability to think in the abstract earlier, and develops it faster. I haven't paraphrased this well so he's a link to the specific part of the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao8W2tPujeE#t=33m55s