Forum Fremdsprachen English Why we are more intelligent than our grandparents,

English Why we are more intelligent than our grandparents,

Karl
Karl
Administrator

Why we are more intelligent than our grandparents,
geschrieben von Karl
I would like to present here a wonderful talk of James Flynn about IQ-tests and cultural evolution. It clearly shows how dependent on education results of IQ-tests are.



Maybe we can discuss its content after you listened to that wonderful talk.

Karl
yoli
yoli
Mitglied

Re: Why we are more intelligent than our grandparents,
geschrieben von yoli
als Antwort auf Karl vom 27.06.2014, 18:53:22
Hi Karl, sorry that nothing is coming forth. I look at the talk time of 18 min. and say to myself, I will listen to it later. I will listen to it and am interested to hear what the chap will tell us. A little more later and thank you for the inspiration
Greetings Yoli
Maxi41
Maxi41
Mitglied

Re: Why we are more intelligent than our grandparents,
geschrieben von Maxi41
als Antwort auf Karl vom 27.06.2014, 18:53:22
Hi Karl,
I was listening to that talk of James Flynn. But it´s difficult to understand the whole text for me.
I´m still a beginner, sorry!
Greetings, Bärbel

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jacare4
jacare4
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Re: Why we are more intelligent than our grandparents,
geschrieben von jacare4
als Antwort auf Maxi41 vom 07.07.2014, 19:48:37
Dear Karl, thank you for giving me a chance to listen to the lecture of this eloquent man, who is trying to explain in simple words full of humour, what the reasons are why the present generation does so much better in IQ tests than our grandparents and maybe their grandparents whould have performed. What James Flynn is explaining seems evident and people listening appear to agree and be amused, maybe thinking that this chap is right and that what he is saying is just the same as they have thought or found out themselves, only that James Flynn is putting the subject in well chosen rhetoric.

Thanks again. jacare4(Udo
Karl
Karl
Administrator

Re: Why we are more intelligent than our grandparents,
geschrieben von Karl
als Antwort auf jacare4 vom 13.07.2014, 18:54:54
Dear all,

thank you for your interest in this topic. What Prof. Flynn is explaining is basically that IQ-tests give you useful information only in a given group of a well defined social class at a given time of cultural evolution. IQ-test comparisons between very different social groups tells you nothing about the reason for the differences betweeen the groups.

This is important when you remember that with regard to IQ-tests very often genetic reasoning is being used. Remember Sarrazzin who was claiming that Germany is intellectually degrading because the "intelligent German-born" people would have less children than immigrants. Sarrazzin is not a geneticist and in addition does not seem to know anything of what Flynn has been talking and publishing about for decades.

Our grandparents would perform in present day IQ-tests very badly, but of course genetically they were not (in the statistical mean) different from us. Their life and education was different and this is what strongly matters with regard to IQ-test performances.

Karl
yoli
yoli
Mitglied

Re: Why we are more intelligent than our grandparents,
geschrieben von yoli
als Antwort auf Karl vom 26.07.2014, 16:20:51
Hello Karl, how come you speak and write such excellent English?
That lecture about IQ Test was interesting and it explains a lot about differences of stages of know-hows.
When I was 17 I went to England and worked there for a year as a scullery maid. Then I wanted to do my nurses training in English. I have learned quite a lot of the language in that year. So the matron of the hospital put me to an IQ –test. Oddly enough I did well enough to start the training 7 months later.
That all was 55 years ago. How I would fare today?
Greetings to all here in this Forum
Yoli
rose42
rose42
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Re: Why we are more intelligent than our grandparents,
geschrieben von rose42
als Antwort auf Karl vom 26.07.2014, 16:20:51
Dear Karl,
of course I'm not that highly educated psychoanalyst as Jim Flynn is and I have difficulties in understanding Amnerican pronounciation - but having listened to his lecture several times I have understood what it is all about. It's not a new discovery that generations have increased intelligence caused by many reasons over the centuries. The simplest was learning by doing and then learning by following examples and extending experience. Being able to think hypothetically requires a lot more brainstorming and it is a matter of challenge and curiosity. One can see the difference between dumb children and those who are curious, eagerly learning. If children become supressed in their upbringing or are too strongly bound to tradition they won't be free for own ideas, own considerations. And on the opposite when they have always been encouraged to have their own ideas and to seek for own solutions to problems - considering the experience of the elderlies they will develope a higher intelligence. One needs to have the drive to explore, to penetrate subjects and gain cognition. And this is - roughly said - what mankind makes more intelligent over the centuries.
IQ-tests have therefore to be so different from older ones - according to the situation of culture.
Just my private point of view - Rosemarie
yoli
yoli
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Re: Why we are more intelligent than our grandparents,
geschrieben von yoli
als Antwort auf rose42 vom 27.07.2014, 18:05:34
Nick Collins Science Correspondent wrote in the Daily Telegraph UK about the IQ Tests
Amongst more I have picked out this: Sorry

Unfortunately I cannot copy part of the text. If you like > please open it and take out of it what is relevant to you.

The first 3 paragraphs were relevant for me amongst the rest as well of course

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9755929/IQ-tests-do-not-reflect-intelligence.html

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