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National IQS predict differences in scholastic achievement in 67 countries
Abstract and Figures
This paper examines the relationship of the national IQs reported by Lynn & Vanhanen (2002, 2006) to national achievement in mathematics and science among 8th graders in 67 countries. The correlation between the two is 0.92 and is interpreted as establishing the validity of the national IQs. The correlation is so high that national IQs and educational achievement appear to be measures of the same construct. National differences in educational achievement are greater than differences in IQ, suggesting an amplifier effect such that national differences in IQs amplify differences in educational achievement. Controlling for national differences in IQ, slight inverse relationships of educational achievement are observed with political freedom, subjective well-being, income inequality, and GDP. However, public expenditure on education (as % of GDP) was not a significant predictor of differences in educational achievement.
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... In our randomized study, we investigate whether a 10-week coding education programme can benefit a variety of cognitive skills of elementary school children. We specifically investigate computational thinking, fluid intelligence, and spatial orientation, as these are conceptually related to learning programming (Francis, Khan, & Davis, 2016;Lye & Koh, 2014;Mladenović et al., 2016;Psycharis & Kallia, 2017;Scherer et al., 2019) as well as suggested to be essential for the development of 21st-century skills (Lynn, Meisenberg, Mikk, & Williams, 2007;Uttal & Cohen, 2012;Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009;Werner, Denner, Campe, & Kawamoto, 2012). Moreover, using the same sample and education programme and a randomized design, the current study examines both near (computational thinking)-and far-transfer effects (fluid intelligence and spatial reasoning) of a developmentally appropriate programming education to contribute to the knowledge on the differential effects of programming education on cognitive skills. ...
... Fluid intelligence (matrix reasoning) Fluid intelligence (Gf) is an ability to adapt and solve novel problems without the use of previous experience or knowledge (Carpenter, Just, & Shell, 1990). Fluid intelligence is counted as one of the critical predictors of learning (Deary, Strand, Smith, & Fernandes, 2007) and academic success (Lynn et al., 2007). Moreover, fluid intelligence is also suggested to be one of the crucial predictors of problem-solving (Klauer, Willmes, & Phye, 2002) and was even used as synonymous with problem-solving in Diamond (2013). ...
Background:
Coding has been added to school curricula in several countries, being one of the necessary competencies of the 21st century. Although it has also been suggested to foster the development of several cognitive skills such as computational thinking and problem-solving, studies on the effects of coding are very limited, provide mixed results, and lack causal evidence.
Aim:
This study aims to evaluate the impact of a learn-to-code programme on three cognitive skills in children: computational thinking, fluid intelligence, and spatial orientation, using a randomized trial.
Sample:
One hundred seventy-four (n = 81 girls) 4th-grade children participated in the study.
Methods:
Children were randomly assigned to one of the three 10-week learning programmes: learn-to-code (treatment of interest), mathematics (another STEM-related comparison treatment), and reading (control). Children responded to paper-pencil computational thinking, and spatial orientation measurements, and face-to-face matrix reasoning task at pre- and post-tests.
Results:
Results showed that children's computational thinking scores increased significantly only in the learn-to-code condition. Fluid intelligence significantly increased in all conditions, possibly due to a practice effect. The spatial orientation did not improve in any of the conditions.
Conclusion:
These findings suggested that learning to code can be selectively beneficial for the development of computational thinking skills while not effective for spatial reasoning and fluid intelligence.
... Moreover, the activation of brain areas associated with the executive attention network highly overlap with those that support general intelligence (Duncan & Owen, 2000). Even though Gf works independently from acquired knowledge, it has a key role for academic achievement (Alloway & Alloway, 2010;Lynn, Meisenberg, Mikk, & Williams, 2007). ...
The objective of this research was to develop robust predictive models of the gains in working memory (WM) and fluid intelligence (Gf) following executive attention training in children, using genetic markers, gender, and age variables. We explore the influence of genetic variables on individual differences in susceptibility to intervention. Sixty‐six children (males: 54.2%) aged 50.9–75.9 months participated in a four‐weeks computerized training program. Information on genes involved in the regulation of dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine was collected. The standardized pre‐ to post‐training gains of two dependent measures were considered: WM Span backwards condition (WISC‐III) and the IQ‐f factor from the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K‐BIT). A machine‐learning methodology was implemented utilizing multilayer perceptron artificial neural networks (ANN) with a backpropagation algorithm. Both ANN models reached high overall accuracy in their predictive classification. Variations in genes involved in dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmission affect children's susceptibility to benefit from executive attention training, a pattern that is consistent with previous studies.
... Findings indicating the positive influence on maternal ECD knowledge of being better educated, possessing greater cognitive ability and enjoying a higher SES corroborate previous evidence demonstrating that greater cognitive ability (measured by intelligence quotient, IQ) results in better school performance by children (Lynn et al., 2007). In turn, the potential development of IQ is related to economic level and conditions in the household (Fischbein, 1980). ...
Introduction
Efforts to identify the predictors of maternal knowledge on Early Child Development (ECD) have proven inconclusive thus far, particularly with respect to socially deprived contexts in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). We quantified the extent of ECD knowledge among mothers who were the primary caregivers of 0–38-month-old infants in marginalized communities in Mexico. We also explored the characteristics of the children, both individually and with regard to their households, given the influence of these factors on childhood development.
Methods
We analyzed primary data obtained through a questionnaire administered to mothers who were the primary caregivers of 1045 girls and boys 0–38 months of age. The instrument was specifically designed for our study in order to explore the knowledge of participants about physical, neurological and psycho-affective development during childhood. We performed fractional regression analysis to assess the predictors of ECD knowledge.
Results
The mean score of maternal ECD knowledge increased with their age and schooling as well as with their levels of cognitive ability and self-esteem. Irrespective of age at first birth, mean knowledge was relatively high for women with high school education and low for women with elementary or no formal education, a gradient with respect to age at fist birth was more marked among women with middle school education. ECD knowledge scores increased among mothers from households enjoying higher socioeconomic levels and from households with health insurance. Scores were lower for indigenous households regardless of their participation in social programs.
Conclusion
Public policies on ECD should promote programs that are not only adapted to specific contexts, but also designed to improve shared child-rearing, early childhood care and as well as psycho-emotional education skills as a pathway to healthier ECD. The participation of families and communities in sensitive childhood care should form part of multisectoral programs involving education, health and wellbeing.
... Ceci (1991) suggested that education can improve IQ by directly inculcating relevant information, indirectly inculcating modes of cognition that are valued on IQ tests, and preparing students with attitudes and values that may facilitate or inhibit standardized test performance. Several aspects of national educational systems predict national IQ (Rindermann & Ceci, 2009), including quality of education expressed in graduate admission exam scores (Pesta et al., 2019), secondary school enrolment, levels of illiteracy (Barber, 2005), educational attainment (Opdebeeck et al., 2015;Strenze, 2007), public expenditure on education (Lynn et al., 2007), exposure to formal schooling (Meisenberg, 2012), and the quality and quantity of school education of students (Rindermann, 2008). Among the aspects of the education system studied thus far, the impact of educational inequality on national IQ has not been tested. ...
This study empirically assessed the influence of educational inequality on national intelligence quotient (IQ) using aggregated data from 139 countries. This relationship was analyzed while controlling for components of the Human Development Index (mean and expected years of schooling, life expectancy at birth, gross national income per capita), and other inequity factors (inequality in income, gender, and life expectancy at birth). These results provide evidence that educational inequality is the strongest predictor of national IQ. The findings demonstrate that countries with greater educational and gender inequalities and lower gross national income have lower national IQ. The current results provide unique insight into the processes shaping national IQ by demonstrating novel and strong determinants, that is, educational inequality. These findings are discussed in the context of possible practical implications for reducing educational inequality with the aim of increasing national IQ.
... The subsequent evidence has been at least partially supportive of the original findings; however, there remains a need to replicate and build upon this original work, to better understand the extent to which selfcontrol (or self-discipline) does outperform measures of intelligence in explaining variability in measures of academic performance. This is also true for work that seeks to replicate the original work across different cultures, as there is no reason to believe that the effects of either selfcontrol (e.g., Vazsonyi et al., 2017) or intelligence (e.g., Lynn, Meisenberg, Mikk, & Williams, 2007) would vary across different developmental contexts. ...
Duckworth and Seligman’s seminal work found that self-discipline (self-control) was more salient for academic achievement than intelligence. Very little replication work exists, including in different cultures; the current study addressed these gaps. Data were collected from 6th and 7th grade cohorts of early adolescents (N = 589; age: Mean = 12.34 years, and SD = 0.89; 58% female) over two years. The study tested whether self-control was a stronger predictor than intelligence in explaining academic performance two years later as well as in explaining developmental changes over the course of two years. Path analyses provided evidence that both self-control and intelligence longitudinally predicted teacher-reported academic competence as well as school-reported grades; however, intelligence was a significantly stronger predictor than self-control. In addition, only intelligence predicted developmental changes in each measure of academic performance over time, self-control did not.
... FR predicts performance on a wide range of cognitive activities, including performance in school, university, and cognitively demanding occupations (Gottfredson, 1997), and some studies have demonstrated that low FR in children is a predictor of academic difficulties (Lynn et al., 2007;Nisbett, 2009). ...
Cognitive abilities are essential to children's overall growth; thus, the implementation of early and effective training interventions is a major challenge for developmental psychologists and teachers. This study explores whether an intervention simultaneously operating on fluid reasoning (FR), visuospatial, narrative, and motor abilities could boost these competencies in a group of Italian preschoolers (N = 108, 54 males 54 females, Agemean = 4.04). FR and visuospatial abilities showed training‐related increases at the end of the training and 1‐year follow‐up (moderate effect size). Interestingly, positive correlations with working memory and mathematical abilities were found. Beyond their scientific relevance, the short‐ and long‐term effects provide fundamental indications for designing and implementing educational programs dedicated to preschoolers.
... El CI tiene una distribución normal, donde la mayoría de las personas obtienen puntajes que se distribuyen en la parte central, clasificándolo en 7 grupos (gráfico 1) (6-9). Éste CI es variable a través de las diferentes poblaciones existiendo naciones que están alrededor de 70 y otras en 107, los cuales, además, se correlacionan fuertemente con los logros nacionales que se realizan en matemáticas y ciencias (ej.: TIMSS, PISA) (10,11). Según las teorías psicológicas como la teoría CHC, de inteligencias múltiples de Gardner y la triárquica de Stenberg, la inteligencia está basada en subestructuras fundamentales (2). ...
La inteligencia humana es un rasgo poligénico (~1000 genes) con una influencia de cada gen aproximadamente ascendente al 0,1%. Es un atributo indispensable para el desarrollo personal, familiar, social y económico y tiene, además, una relación directamente proporcional al mantenimiento de la salud y a una mayor esperanza de vida. La discapacidad intelectual, consecuentemente, afecta todas estas áreas y constituye un problema de salud pública en varios países de Latinoamérica en los que exhibe una prevalencia mayor al 10%. La etiología de la discapacidad intelectual sea aislada o sindrómica, es genética hasta en un 85% de los casos; se diagnostica mediante las nuevas tecnologías de búsqueda en el genoma, tales como la secuenciación masiva y el análisis cromosómico por micromatrices. El diagnóstico etiológico de la discapacidad intelectual permite la selección de terapias específicas, la determinación del pronóstico y de riesgos de recurrencia familiar e individual.
... As opposed to most previous studies, we accounted for maternal education and maternal nonverbal IQ, as well as early childhood nonverbal IQ. Accounting for IQ is important as children with lower IQ levels are more likely to have poorer school performance scores (Lynn, Meisenberg, Mikk, & Williams, 2007) and potentially at increased risk for psychotic experiences (Horwood et al., 2008). Our study also extended previous findings by independently investigating auditory and visual hallucinations, which indicated that visual hallucinations had particularly robust associations with school performance. ...
Background:
Psychotic experiences are common in childhood and an important risk indicator of adverse mental health outcomes. However, little is known about the association of psychotic experiences with functional outcomes in childhood, particularly regarding school performance. The aim of the present study was to examine whether psychotic experiences were prospectively related to school performance in childhood.
Methods:
This study was embedded in the population-based Generation R Study (N = 2,362). Psychotic experiences were assessed using self-reports on hallucinations at age 10 years. School performance was assessed using a standardized national school performance test at age 12 years. We considered the total school performance score, as well as language and mathematics subscales. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, maternal nonverbal IQ, nonverbal IQ at age 6 years and co-occurring psychopathology at age 10 years.
Results:
Psychotic experiences were prospectively associated with poorer school performance scores (B = -0.61, 95% CI [-0.98;-0.25], p = .001), as well as poorer language (Bpercentile rank score = -2.00, 95% CI [-3.20;-0.79], p = .001) and mathematical ability (Bpercentile rank score = -1.75, 95% CI [-2.99;-0.51], p = .006). These associations remained after additional adjustment for nonverbal IQ at age 6 years (B = -0.51, 95% CI [-0.86;-0.16], p = .005), and co-occurring internalizing (B = -0.40, 95% CI [-0.77;-0.03], p = .036) and externalizing problems (B = -0.40, 95% CI [-0.75;-0.04], p = .029), but not attention problems (B = -0.10, 95% CI [-0.47;0.26], p = .57).
Conclusions:
Children with psychotic experiences had lower school performance scores than their nonaffected peers. The finding was independent of sociodemographic characteristics, intelligence and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems, but not attention problems. This study suggests that psychotic experiences are associated with childhood functional impairments, although the relatively small effects and the role of attention problems warrant further exploration.
... On the practical level, earlier studies have consistently shown that intelligence, as measured by IQ tests, is strongly correlated with academic achievement, as evaluated by Large-Scale Assessments (LSA), at least if aggregated on a national level. Even on an individual level, the correlations in several studies for a number of countries are still high, albeit not perfect (r = 0.58 to 0.80; Flores-Mendoza et al., 2015;Lynn, Meisenberg, Mikk, & Williams, 2007;Rindermann, 2007). Furthermore, correlations with contextual variables like family income (r = 0.50), or home assets such as study desks or computers (r = 0.66 to 0.74), and parents' education (r = 0.37), were shown to have analogous positive effects, both on student cognitive abilities as measured by IQ tests, as well as TIMSS standardized school achievement tests . ...
In this study, we investigated the differential effect of regional economic prosperity on mean student cognitive achievement by analysing data from a “natural experiment” in Palestine. Its main regions, Gaza and the West Bank, inhabited by a population sharing history, culture and gene pool, were only recently separated, yet distinctively affected by geopolitical events. The “experimental group”, living in Gaza, suffered from an enduring politico-economic crisis treatment, while the “control group”, inhabitants of the West Bank, was exposed to a much shorter and milder crisis. As a manipulation check, we used economic data reported by Etkes and Zimring (2015), who uncovered a severe and lasting decrease in household welfare and labour productivity in Gaza. As dependent variables, we used achievement scores of TIMSS maths and science students, which displayed only negligible pro-West Bank, pre-crisis differences (maths: Cohen's d = −0.04; t = −0.56; science: d = 0.11; t = 1.48). This margin grew during the crisis (maths: d = 0.17; t = 2.65; science: d = 0.26; t = 4.25) and even more so in the post-crisis phase (maths: d = 0.38; t = 5.09; science: d = 0.46; t = 6.76).
Our results corroborate correlational evidence for economic effects on cognitive achievement (cf. Hunt, 2012). Relying on a natural experiment, we were able to rule out genetic effects and highlight the impact of the environment on students' academic achievements. Limitations of the design and implications for further studies on regional differences in cognitive achievement are discussed.
How well students learn and perform in academic contexts is a focus of interest for the students, their families, and the entire educational system. Although evidence has shown that several neurobiological factors are involved in scholastic achievement (SA), specific brain measures associated with academic outcomes and whether such associations are independent of other factors remain unclear. This study attempts to identify the relationship between brain structural parameters, and the Chilean national University Selection Test (PSU) results in high school graduates within a multidimensional approach that considers socio-economic, intellectual, nutritional, and demographic variables. To this end, the brain morphology of a sample of 102 students who took the PSU test was estimated using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Anthropometric parameters, intellectual ability (IA), and socioeconomic status (SES) were also measured. The results revealed that, independently of sex, IA, gray matter volume, right inferior frontal gyrus thickness, and SES were significantly associated with SA. These findings highlight the role of nutrition, health, and socioeconomic variables in academic success.
The question of cognitive differences between human populations is one of the most contentious issues in the study of human diversity. After reviewing the worldwide patterns of cognitive test performance, this article evaluates alternative causal hypotheses and evolutionary mechanisms. Racial affiliation and latitude correlate with IQ test performance, as does economic development. Religion, a history of colonialism, and a history of Communist rule are important in some cases. This article proposes mechanisms of gene-culture co-evolution that can explain the worldwide patterns. The genetic component of these mechanisms is likely to become testable with further advances in molecular genetics.
This study investigates the dimensions of cultural variation in the modern world as assessed by the World Values Survey. It confirms the previously reported existence of two major dimensions of cultural variation that can be described as modern and "postmodern," respectively. Modern values are characterized by skepticism and critical thinking, with a rejection of religion and traditional authority along with an interest in politics. In multiple regression models, modern values are directly related to the IQ of the population. Postmodern values are characterized by trust, tolerance, and self-realization. In multiple regression models, they are inversely related to corruption. Subjective well-being is positively related to postmodern values and negatively to modern values. Modern values are interpreted as the emancipation of reason from the constraints of traditional custom and religion, and postmodern values as the emancipation of pleasure-seeking and social emotions from the constraints of dysfunctional social systems. The historical context and the roles of these value orientations in the evolution of contemporary societies are discussed.
This is a review of the relationship between schooling, IQ, and the cognitive processes presumed to underpin IQ. The data suggest that much of the causal pathway between IQ and schooling points in the direction of the importance of the quantity of schooling one attains (highest grade successfully completed). Schooling fosters the development of cognitive processes that underpin performance on most IQ tests. In western nations, schooling conveys this influence on IQ and cognition through practices that appear unrelated to systematic variation in quality of schools. If correct, this could have implications for the meaning one attaches to IQ in screening and prediction as well as for efforts to influence the development of IQ through changes in schooling practices.
Abstract Based upon,the evidence that the best chess players in the world are becoming,increasingly represented by relatively young individuals, Howard [Intelligence 27 (1999) 235–250.] claimed that human,intelligence is rising over generations. We suggest that this explanation has several difficulties and show that alternative explanations relating to changes in the chess environment, including increased access to chess knowledge, offer better explanations for the increased presence of young players at top-level chess. D 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Age; Chess; Expertise; Flynn’s effect; Environment; Extreme-value distribution; Intelligence; IQ;
