“Apples and Oranges Are Both Round”: Furthering the Discussion on the Flynn Effect
Abstract
While the magnitude of the Flynn effect is well established (approximately 3 points a decade on the Wechsler scales), the causes behind it are still unknown and hotly debated. Kaufman argues that, because of the administrative and scoring changes that occurred with the introduction of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised, Flynn’s interpretation of the effect is not appropriate. Although agreeing that these changes account for some aspects of rising IQ, this study questions the impact of these administrative/scoring changes to account for most of the impact, given the heavy documentation of the Flynn effect on multiple IQ tests and norms over time and around the world. The authors also add to the discussion led by Zhou, Zhu, and Weiss by stressing the importance of examining the role of individual differences within the Flynn effect to understand fully the exact nuances and cause(s) of it.
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- Authors
- Ceci, S. J., & Kanaya, T.
- Affiliations
- Cornell University (US)
- Claremont McKenna College (US)
- Corresponding author
- Ceci, Stephen J.
- Venue
- Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2010-06-14
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 441-447
- ISSN
- 0734-2829 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-5144
- OpenAlex
- W1970841914
- Semantic Scholar
- 75f9a70eb9801e6ba4aa4aebb480bb759d70cd02
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 3.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment (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 › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Psychological Testing and Assessment
- Keywords
- Flynn effect, IQ trends, WISC-R
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