Rising verbal intelligence scores: Implications for research and clinical practice.
Abstract
Evidence suggests that scores on various intelligence tests have been rising at a fast rate. To find out whether performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Vocabulary subtest has also been rising, the authors searched major psychology journals for investigations involving healthy younger and older adult participants and collected the reported WAIS Vocabulary scores. The meta-analysis shows that WAIS Vocabulary scores have been rising at the rate of 0.117/year (corresponding to 1.52 IQ points/decade) for younger adults and 0.367/year (corresponding to 4.79 IQ points/decade) for older adults.
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Positive secular trends for verbal meaning may simply have persisted because verbal abilities typically show particularly strong positive secular effect that may not get completely washed out by mortality effects.
“If so, positive secular trends for verbal meaning may simply have persisted because verbal abilities typically show particularly strong positive secular effect (for a recent meta-analysis, see Uttl & Van Alstine, 2003) that may not get completely washed out by mortality effects.”
From Cohort differences in cognitive aging and terminal decline in the Seattle Longitudinal Study. (2011) · cites this paper as Uttl & Van Alstine, 2003
Cites
Systematic Review: Why sources of heterogeneity in meta-analysis should be investigated
Thompson, S. G. (1994) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.309.6965.1351 · Cited by 1,017 · see citing works
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One Century of Global IQ Gains: A Formal Meta-Analysis of the Flynn Effect (1909–2013)
Pietschnig, J., & Voracek, M. (2015) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691615577701 · Cited by 316 · see citing works
Cohort differences in cognitive aging and terminal decline in the Seattle Longitudinal Study.
Gerstorf, D., Ram, N., Hoppmann, C., Willis, S. L., & Schaie, K. W. (2011) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0023426 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
- Authors
- Uttl, B., & Van Alstine, C. L.
- Affiliations
- Oregon State University (US)
- ORCID
- Uttl, Bob
- Venue
- Psychology and Aging
- Published
- 2003
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 616-621
- ISSN
- 0882-7974 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1498
- OpenAlex
- W2031024775
- Cited by
- 39
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2024: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 1.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychology and Aging (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
- Keywords
- verbal intelligence, IQ trends, intelligence test scores, older adults, young adults, cognitive aging
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Female, Geriatrics, Humans, Intelligence, Intelligence Tests, Male, Middle Aged, Research Design, Vocabulary, Reproducibility of Results
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