Researchers say Western IQs dropped 14 points over last century

[Donger]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/researchers-western-iqs-dropped-14-points-over-last-180634194.html

A new study from researchers in Europe claims that the average IQ in Western nations dropped by a staggering 14.1 points over the past century.

"We tested the hypothesis that the Victorians were cleverer than modern populations using high-quality instruments, namely measures of simple visual reaction time in a meta-analytic study," the researchers wrote in the study, which was published online in the journal Intelligence on Thursday. "Simple reaction time measures correlate substantially with measures of general intelligence and are considered elementary measures of cognition."

The results might surprise some. Especially if the researchers were simply measuring visual response times. After all, in a digital world constantly competing for our attention, it would seem people generally respond more quickly to visual stimuli. However, the results appear to indicate something different.

The Victorian era ran roughly from 1837 to 1901, coinciding with the reign of England's Queen Victoria. Some have credited the Reform Act of 1832 with sparking an era of previously unprecedented peace and prosperity in the U.K.

The results were measured using data from 1889 to 2004 and were analyzed by Michael A. Woodley of Vrije Universiteit in Brussels, Jan te Nijenhuis of the University of Amsterdam and Raegan Murphy of the University College Cork in Ireland.

So why has there been such a steady drop? As UPI notes, previous research studies have found that women of higher intelligence tend to have fewer children on average, meaning that population growth may be driven by those with a lower IQ. And over time, the abundance of less intelligent offspring would affect the overall IQ average.

On average, the general intelligence of those populations measured dropped by 1.23 points per decade.

"These findings strongly indicate that with respect to general intelligence the Victorians were substantially cleverer than modern Western populations," the study says.

The study had other positive observations about the Victorian era, noting that economic efficiency began to flourish during the period and that the “height of the per capita numbers of significant innovations in science and technology, and also the per capita numbers of scientific geniuses,” occurred during that time, followed by a steady decline.

[BlackHelicopters]

I don't understand.

[AndChiefs]

Ban stupid people having kids.

[Stewie]

Fuck a smart fat chick. Problem solved!

[blaise]

Idiocracy on the way.

[Donger]

The good news is that Frankie's IQ has actually increased 14 points to cover the slack for you mouth-breathers. Now at 173.

[Frazod]

Doesn't surprise me one goddamn bit, except I figured the number would be higher.

[Fish]

I'm telling you, Idiocracy was not a movie. It was a documentary filmed in the future.....

[ptlyon]

Forget 100 years ago - had to have started with the creation of rap music

[Ebolapox]

I question the methodology. how the hell did they glean the average IQ of victorian people? sample size even if they COULD do so? what statistical test did they perform in order to validate the comparison?

yeah.... bullshit. we're getting dumber, but in no way is it quantifiable like they say it is.

[Frazod]

I was showing this stupid little bitch I work with something, and in the process added two two-digit numbers in my head. Her eyes got big and her jaw dropped - she seriously looked at me like I had just lifted a fucking X-wing from the swamp with my mind. "How did you do that????" I swear to God I'm not making this up. She's got a fucking degree in something, too. I assume it's not in basic math. :shake:

[Donger]

I was showing this stupid little bitch I work with something, and in the process added two two-digit numbers in my head. Her eyes got big and her jaw dropped - she seriously looked at me like I had just lifted a ****ing X-wing from the swamp with my mind. "How did you do that????" I swear to God I'm not making this up. She's got a ****ing degree in something, too. I assume it's not in basic math. :shake:

You work for the IRS?

[Stewie]

I question the methodology. how the hell did they glean the average IQ of victorian people? sample size even if they COULD do so? what statistical test did they perform in order to validate the comparison?

yeah.... bullshit. we're getting dumber, but in no way is it quantifiable like they say it is.

Probably not. I know my Grandma dropped out of school in the 8th grade (early 1900s) and had a better understanding of the "three R's" than a HS graduate now. It's sad.

[SPATCH]

Ummmm what the hell was the "cognition test"?

I wonder how reliable a cognition test developed in 1889 could be...

I take any "studies" done on humans with a grain of salt. Too many uncontrollable variables skewing the data.

[Stewie]

All I know is we can't hire a competent college graduate without going through Internships (tryouts) or hiring a known, verifiable candidate.

[Mojo Jojo]

I blame Walmart.

[Frazod]

You work for the IRS?

LMAO No.

[CrazyPhuD]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wAg1r6zw7Bg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Bump]

It's by design.

the bible and public education are intended to keep people stupid.

[loochy]

It's by design.

the bible and public education are intended to keep people stupid.

wtf

[vailpass]

It's by design.

the bible and public education are intended to keep people stupid.

LMAO

[penchief]

It's by design.

the bible and public education are intended to keep people stupid.

Public education? Yeah, I can see how the idea to educate every child regardless of economic background is a scheme to keep the masses stupid.

However, I do agree that the undermining of public education by the elite and right wing ideologues most certainly is an effort to disempower the masses by keeping them uneducated.

[Saulbadguy]

Why is it that old people are so god damned stupid, then?

[mr. tegu]

I question the methodology. how the hell did they glean the average IQ of victorian people? sample size even if they COULD do so? what statistical test did they perform in order to validate the comparison?

yeah.... bullshit. we're getting dumber, but in no way is it quantifiable like they say it is.

They didn't measure the IQ of Victorian era people. They looked at visual reaction times from studies ranging from 1889 to 2004 which they say correlates with IQ.

[WhiteWhale]

Why would anyone be surprised by this? There are countless reasons people are getting dumber.

Some is genetic (stupid people breed like animals) some is culture (people obsess about meaningless celebrities while ignoring the harder to comprehend things) and some is chemical (we take a LOT of medications both willingly and unwillingly that are not good for the brain).

[BigCatDaddy]

Why would anyone be surprised by this? There are countless reasons people are getting dumber.

Some is genetic (stupid people breed like animals) some is culture (people obsess about meaningless celebrities while ignoring the harder to comprehend things) and some is chemical (we take a LOT of medications both willingly and unwillingly that are not good for the brain).

Too many damn pot heads running around these days.

[Prison Bitch]

It's by design.

the bible and public education are intended to keep people stupid.


The Bible wasn't around back then?

[BigCatDaddy]

The Bible wasn't around back then?

LMAO

[Ebolapox]

They didn't measure the IQ of Victorian era people. They looked at visual reaction times from studies ranging from 1889 to 2004 which they say correlates with IQ.

which is bullshit. IQ testing in general is incredibly difficult to gain accuracy with, and they're going with this? sensationalist bullshit.

[Kaepernick]

Gee, I wonder what happened to the West in the past 100 years? Oh yeah... 3rd world immigrations. The West has imported some brilliant minds from the 3rd world among masses of dumb people. The smart people in the 3rd world already have the jobs and positions of power. The dumb ones are the serfs.

So the West has imported the 3rd world's lowest classes since the middle of the 20th century, then is shocked to find out the impact.

I mean, how many H1-B visas are we granting to Mexicans. Near zero, I would say. Not singling out Mexicans, just giving an example.

We are not seeking the best and brightest anymore for immigrants -- the Doctors, Lawyers and businessmen just looking to maximizes their quality of life. We are importing the world's working cattle so we can not only pay them slaves wages, but depress the wages of all blue collar workers in the process. This is not just a blue collar problem but that is where the millions of immigrants tend to go, not into IT.

Along the same lines, America used to be #1 in the world for tallest average male height. What are we, 12 or 15 now? Because we aborted 50 million US babies in the womb, and imported a bunch of shorter immigrants. That is neither here nor there, it is just illustrative of the damage to Western society done by indiscrimate immigration.

We no longer screen for disease either, which is why we have leprosy in the USA again.

We were sold out by Ted Kennedy and his evil cronies long ago. Burn in hell Teddy. With any luck, you drown in a pond in a car accident every day in hell.

[Dave Lane]

I think this is due to the DC forum here at Chiefsplanet. That HAS to be at least 50% of it

[Loneiguana]

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc231/idiocracy2006/FamilyTree.jpg

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

No wonder I can't find anyone qualified to jack off a fuckin pig !

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Doped up on drugs, dumbed down by media. What was the expectation again? Survivor is on...

['Hamas' Jenkins]

I had always read that the average 100 IQ of the modern world was a significantly more intelligent individual than a century before.

[gblowfish]

I think this is due to the DC forum here at Chiefsplanet. That HAS to be at least 50% of it

Derp....derp....derp......

[jjchieffan]

Also during the past century the number of KU fans has also increased by 14.1%. Coincidence? I don't think so.

[Imon Yourside]

I blame fluoride.

[BlackHelicopters]

I blame fluoride.

No doubt.

[niblet]

Ban researchers

[Donger]

I blame fluoride.

I wonder if pot usage has increased and may be a factor.

[Easy 6]

Heres the culprit...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RboopCV1Yrc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[splatbass]

I wonder if pot usage has increased and may be a factor.

I think the factor is that intelligent, educated women are having fewer children while stupid, uneducated women are pushing them out as fast as they can.

[Rausch]

I blame fluoride.

I blame the decrease in Asian immigration.

Look it up...

[Bob Dole]

Marching Morons realized.

[OrtonsPiercedTaint]

The number of people who actually completed 12 years of schooling had to be one hell of a lot smaller 100 years ago. Today they learn to read in public(school) day care instead of working.

[Backwards Masking]

Donger, you should read "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman, 1986. you'll find a lot of serious answers to this question.

but you aren't looking for serious answers, you're looking for a quick answer to fit your super conservative agenda, and you don't like pot (which existed since the beginning of history) so you blame the first thing you don't like; decisions like that are one of the main thing's Neil believes contribute to this problem. you probably wouldn't have the attention span to read the whole thing anyway.

[stonedstooge]

I may drop 14 tonight if I switch over to vodka

[Imon Yourside]

I wonder if pot usage has increased and may be a factor.

Potheads hold up our founding potheads as examples though.

[Imon Yourside]

I blame the decrease in Asian immigration.

Look it up...

You thai? I thai too...

[GloucesterChief]

I don't believe that people are any less stupid then they were in the last 100 years. I think the general populace a hundred years ago probably had more general practical knowledge then people now and they had experience applying that practical knowledge problem solving. Even the extremely rich of the early 1900s do not enjoy the creature comforts and work simplifying tools that the poor enjoy today.

[blaise]

It's by design.

the bible and public education are intended to keep people stupid.

Yeah, but you don't believe in the Bible and you're pretty stupid. Public schooling must have had quite an effect on you.

[beach tribe]

The reasoning is right there.
Dumbasses have shit tons of kids. It brings the average down.
No surprise at all.

[J Diddy]

So reaction time is a good measure of g? I wonder what stephen hawkins reaction time is.

[Psyko Tek]

I have a theory...

the amount of intelligence on earth is a constant
but we have more people than ever
thus it gets spread around thinner

or it could be weather magic

[J Diddy]

I have a theory...

the amount of intelligence on earth is a constant
but we have more people than ever
thus it gets spread around thinner

or it could be weather magic

I have a theory too: Intelligence can't be measured by a single test and certainly not by reaction time.

[big nasty kcnut]

IQ is such a stupid barometer on intelligence. Some of the smartest people in the world don't do well in tests.

[splatbass]

IQ is such a stupid barometer on intelligence. Some of the smartest people in the world don't do well in tests.

People who don't do well in tests always say that. ;)

[Discuss Thrower]

Isn't IQ a relative measure anyway..?

[OrtonsPiercedTaint]

IQ is such a stupid barometer on intelligence. Some of the smartest people in the world don't do well in tests.

Smartest doesn't equal most successful, happy or nicest either. Not really sure why people use that crutch...a lot.

[Hammock Parties]

she seriously looked at me like I had just lifted a fucking X-wing from the swamp with my mind.

I lol'd

[Hammock Parties]

IQ is such a stupid barometer on intelligence. Some of the smartest people in the world don't do well in tests.

uhhhhhhhhhhh

[J Diddy]

uhhhhhhhhhhh

uhhhhh, he's right

[BWillie]

I find this study highly unlikely. As someone also said, how do you prove this theory? There is so much incomplete data from 100 yrs ago. I do think ppl today are much much better educated compared to the 70 yr olds of today but in the last couple of decades or so it seems ppl arent being pushed in school enough. But that really wouldnt correlate to IQs.

[Fairplay]

The rest of the world will catch up with us in 4 more century's at this rate, I'm frightened.

[King_Chief_Fan]

you don't have to look much further than this site to see why

[mr. tegu]

IQ is such a stupid barometer on intelligence. Some of the smartest people in the world don't do well in tests.

IQ test are actually quite could measures of intelligence. Just because someone doesn't score great doesn't mean they aren't smart. It just means there are certain aspects of intelligence that they maybe don't do we'll on. Or more simply they suck at taking test but this can also be easily observed in an IQ test.

If someone scores 120 on all ten subtest they will have an IQ of 120. (Scoring is actually much more complicated than that). But if the other person scores 140 on five subtest and 80 on the other five subtest their IQ is 110. However you can clearly see the person with the lower IQ excels in some areas of intelligence while their non strength areas are bringing down their overall score. But their well above normal strengths have potentially allowed them to be very successful.

In short, the final score doesn't tell the whole story. You can learn an awful lot about a person intelligence by giving an IQ test.

[splatbass]

I do think ppl today are much much better educated compared to the 70 yr olds of today

More people are educated, but they aren't educated as well. My father graduated high school in 1940 and they don't teach at a level today that they did then. They taught high school students what would be college level today. Shit, I have a niece that graduated from college and is practically illiterate. I was embarrassed to read one of her essays her senior year of college. And she somehow managed to get a degree, when she wouldn't have passed high school then.

Seriously, it isn't even close.

On the other hand, I spend a lot of time in Korea, and those kids are educated. They go to school 10 hours a day, and they go to study. It is not cool there to be a slacker. My friend there who has a degree in Korean Literature can't believe that people in the US party during college. They spend all their time studying, which is probably why they are kicking our asses now.