eugenics

bad science claims IQs decreasing

Posted on: Thu, 05/23/2013 - 14:04 By: Tom Swiss

From the bad science department...

This doesn't show that intelligence (as measured by IQ) has declined. It shows that reaction times have slowed. If reaction times are an accurate measure of intelligence, then intelligence has declined -- but we know that, contrary to the core trope of Idiocracy, intelligence (IQ) has actually increased (the "Flynn Effect"). The proper conclusion is that reaction times do not correlate well with intelligence (IQ). Anyone watching a dumb kid do well on an twitch video game ought to recognize that.

Whether the quality measured by IQ tests, or the quality measured by reaction time tests, is better labelled "intelligence" is left as an exercise for the reader. It may well be that like "consciousness", "intelligence" is simply an ill-defined term.

REVEALED: Disturbing Trend In Human Intelligence (The Huffington Post)

Our technology may be getting smarter, but a provocative new study suggests human intelligence is on the decline. In fact, it indicates that Westerners have lost 14 I.Q. points on average since the Victorian Era.

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