The mean IQ of Americans: Massive gains 1932 to 1978.

Flynn, James R.

doi:10.1037/0033-2909.95.1.29

Cited by 1,206Cognitive Abilities and TestingPsychometric Methodologies and TestingIntergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies

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The mean IQ of Americans: Massive gains 1932 to 1978.

Flynn, James R.·1984·Psychological Bulletin

DOI 10.1037/0033-2909.95.1.29

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Abstract

This study shows that every Stanford-Binet and Wechsler standardization sample from 1932 to 1978 established norms of a higher standard than its predecessor. The obvious interpretation of this pattern is that representative samples of Americans did better and better on IQ tests over a period of 46 years, the total gain amounting to a rise in mean IQ of 13.8 points. The implications of this finding are developed: The combination of IQ gains and the decline in Scholastic Aptitude Test scores seems almost inexplicable; obsolete norms have acted as an unrecognized confounding variable in hundreds of studies; and IQ gains of this magnitude pose a serious problem of causal explanation.

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Populations' mean intelligence test scores have been rising since the beginning of the twentieth century.
“Populations’ mean intelligence test scores have been rising since the beginning of the twentieth century.”
From The secular trend of intelligence test scores: The Danish experience for young men born between 1940 and 2000 (2021) · cites this paper as [1]
Dutton and Lynn concluded that intelligence had declined from 1999 to 2009, a reversal of the Flynn effect.
“Dutton and Lynn concluded that intelligence had declined from 1999 to 2009 -hence a reversal of the Flynn effect (Flynn, 1984;Rundquist, 1936).”
From No negative Flynn effect in France: Why variations of intelligence should not be assessed using tests based on cultural knowledge (2021) · cites this paper as Flynn, 1984

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“…finding in the current study are most likely a Frontiers in Psychology | www.frontiersin.org 8 March 2015 | Volume 6 | Article 297 result ofmultiple interacting factors, whichmay include sampling and socio-cultural changes in SA over the last 20 years, including the Flynn (1984, 1987, 2009) effect.”
Background
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Authors: Flynn, J. R.
Affiliations: University of Otago (NZ)
Corresponding author: Flynn, James R.
Venue: Psychological Bulletin
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Published: 1984-01
Volume: 95
Issue: 1
Pages: 29-51
ISSN: 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
1939-1455
DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.95.1.29
OpenAlex: W2037951270
Semantic Scholar: 437a8a00a127a07f59d37e258344ee5669bd3a6b
Cited by: 1,206
References: 94
Citations by year: 2026: 34 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 47 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 46 · 2015: 44 · 2014: 43 · 2013: 50 · 2012: 41
FWCI: 33.18
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies
Keywords: IQ gains, Stanford-Binet, Wechsler intelligence tests, standardization sample, confounding variables, causal explanation, intelligence trends

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The mean IQ of Americans: Massive gains 1932 to 1978.

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