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from the tv-and-video-games-cause-brain-rot dept.
A Norwegian study published Monday found a seven-point dip in IQ test scores per generation among men born from 1962 to 1991. The results suggest a reversal in the Flynn effect, an observed increase in IQ scores throughout the 20th century in developed countries.
Coverage from The Week adds:
The reasons for the Flynn effect and its apparent reversal are disputed. "Scientists have put the rise in IQ down to better teaching, nutrition, healthcare and even artificial lighting," says The Times.
But "it is also possible that the nature of intelligence is changing in the digital age and cannot be captured with traditional IQ tests", adds the newspaper.
"Take 14-year-olds in Britain. What 25% could do back in 1994, now only 5% can do," Shayer added, citing maths and science tests.
More from The Daily Mail:
Two British studies suggested that the fall was between 2.5 and 4.3 points every ten years.
But due to limited research, their results were not widely accepted.
In the latest study Ole Rogeburg and Bernt Bratsberg, of the Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research in Oslo, found that Norwegian men's IQs are lower than the scores of their fathers when they were the same age.
The pair analysed the scores from a standard IQ test of over 730,000 men – who reported for national service between 1970 and 2009.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 14 2018, @01:09PM (2 children)
Working as a teacher I am not surprised at all. Pupils are so busy with their mobiles that they skip all mind developing activities. They do not even develop proper social skills, as they hardly talk to each other anymore. I have seen an enormous drop in grades the latest few years.
Of course this has been going on for a long time. It began with TV. It is easy to get addicted to entertainment. In the beginning, there were not enough channels with interesting programs to capture all spare time. Slowly with cable TV and more channels, this became a reality. Still, you had no TV with you to school and work, so it was not an all around the clock entertainment. Also, unless people are watching earlier recorded programs, people might have had some TV-free spare time between the programs. Then came internet addiction (videos, online gaming etc), and suddenly one could easily occupy all the spare time at home easily.
Mobile phones are just the latest development, as now one is able to take the entertainment anywhere. Entertainment is used instead of doing some critical reasoning with the brain, learning social skills, reading educational books, following lectures etc. Entertainment does not give multifaceted stimuli to the brain, as real life does.
The more easily people get entertainment, the less interested they are in learning things.
(Score: 3, Funny) by VLM on Thursday June 14 2018, @02:01PM
You forgot to add the stereotypical "Sent from my iPhone" signature.
The irony of me being a grammar nazi is funny given both 1) my politics and 2) I don't edit or proofread my posts either, 100 WPM typing here it comes hope ya like it...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 14 2018, @05:54PM
Likely english is their second language, but nice to see a USEFUL post like yours on here fighting the good fight against bad grammar!
Not surprised to see VLM applauding Nazi behavior. Rethink your life choices eh?