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American IQ scores have rapidly dropped, proving the 'Reverse Flynn effect'

(www.popularmechanics.com)
256 points hirundo | 3 comments | 10 Apr 23 13:00 UTC | HN request time: 0.785s | source
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JoeAltmaier ◴[10 Apr 23 22:29 UTC] No.35518164[source]▶
When IQ tests were invented folks didn't know about tests, at least in the US. They were rural immigrants who could maybe read. So when asked logic questions, they would answer pragmatically and be 'wrong'. That had some impact on perceived early low results.

As folks became better-read and educated they began to understand that IQ test questions were a sort of puzzle, not a real honest question. The answer was expected to solve the puzzle, not be right in any way.

E.g. There are no Elephants in Germany. Munich is in Germany. How many elephants are there in Munich? A) 0 B) 1 C)2

Folks back then might answer B or C, because they figure hey there's probably a zoo in Munich, bet they have an elephant or two there. And be marked wrong.

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emodendroket ◴[10 Apr 23 23:18 UTC] No.35518599[source]▶
Call me dishonest then but that seems like failing to actually apply logic.
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kar5pt ◴[11 Apr 23 04:29 UTC] No.35520841[source]▶
That only makes sense if you assume the purpose of the test is to correctly apply logic rather than guess the actual number of Elephants in Germany. Someone who's not familiar with standardized testing may assume the latter is more important.
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emodendroket ◴[11 Apr 23 04:32 UTC] No.35520864[source]▶
The answer to that question is already given.
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1. JoeAltmaier ◴[11 Apr 23 13:42 UTC] No.35525002[source]▶
And yet, you yourself likely don't believe that, right? You know with high likelihood that elephants exist somewhere in Germany. Yet you are still willing to repeat what you know is probably a lie - there are 0 elephants in Munich.

Because, of course, you know you're taking a test and they expect on tests that the problem statement is symbolic, just there to pose a logic puzzle.

That's the idea we're talking about here.

For your convenience: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=elephants+in+germany&t=h_&iax=imag...

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2. emodendroket ◴[11 Apr 23 17:54 UTC] No.35528684[source]▶
In the math problems they give to children there’s probably no Juanita with five apples either but children seem to be able to work with that premise.
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3. JoeAltmaier ◴[12 Apr 23 18:16 UTC] No.35544244[source]▶
That's another good example. Until you tell them the test isn't about real people, they can easily construct narratives where the answer is different than the 'right' one. Maybe they know a Juanita with an apple tree, that will let you pick your own. Maybe they always cut up apples at home so everybody gets half an apple, and the rest are put in the fridge for later. And so on.

Thanks for illustrating the problem so neatly!