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James R. Flynn: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from James R. Flynn, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• IQ scores have climbed for a century straight

  Political scientist James Flynn documented that raw IQ test scores rose steadily across the 20th century in country after country, by roughly three points per decade. His 1984 anal…

  — James R. Flynn, The Mean IQ of Americans: Massive Gains 1932 to 1978

• Average IQ scores have climbed for a century, and nobody fully agrees on why

  Across dozens of countries, raw scores on IQ tests rose by roughly three points per decade through most of the 20th century, forcing test-makers to keep re-norming the scales. The …

  — James R. Flynn, What Is Intelligence? Beyond the Flynn Effect

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