datLOPguy
2021-06-09T03:08:58+00:00
翻译来自煎蛋
从智能手表、智能手表、智能音箱到智能家居、智能交通和智能都市，世界似乎从未如此智能。
同时，著名的弗林效应指出，每一代(确切说是西方，因为数据来源于此)新生人口的平均智商都比上一代稍高出一点。
人群的平均智商，大约每十年提高三个智商点，这意味着从技术上讲，我们地球上的天才比以往任何时候都多。
这一现象或许源于人口健康和营养方面的改善，更好的教育和工作条件，以及最近开发出的技术工具。
甚至有研究表明，存在所谓的 "智商-死亡率梯度"，即更聪明的人往往活得更久。
对没有经历过后工业化发展的国家的分析，也支持这样的观点，即改善受教育机会、住房和营养是导致智商提高的主要因素。例如，一项针对撒哈拉以南非洲的国家的研究发现，那里没有表现出弗林效应。
但这并不是故事的全部，因为在过去的30年里，有报告称一些国家的智商成绩开始下降。那么，西方人已经达到了智力峰值，所以开始走上下坡路？
智商，或称IQ测试，是对推理和快速使用信息和逻辑能力的量化方式。这些测试通过考察对图形信息的归纳能力，评估测试者的短期和长期记忆，和回忆信息的能力。
研究表明存在 "反弗林效应"。例如，挪威的一项研究发现，1975年以前出生的男性显示出预期的正向 "弗林效应"，即每连续十年增加3分。
但是对于1975年以后出生的人来说，智商却在不断下降。这相当于两代人之间有7分的差距——平均智商每年下降约0.2分。2005年至2013年间在英国、瑞典和法国进行的其他研究也显示了类似的结果。
这些结果很难解释，但有人认为，这可能与学校教育孩子的方式的变化有关。
西方国家的儿童，从死记硬背的硬性学习方式，转到了"以学生为中心"的教学方法，现在学校人际交往技能和团队合作作为教学目标，同时鼓励学生理解他人的情感见解。
现代方法的整体影响可能会激发更聪明和更有效的工作方式，但智商测试更看重个人能力。因此，也许在这个意义上，我们只是不擅长做智商题了。
还有人认为，现代人营养不足可能也有一定责任。例如，在英国，在贫困条件下长大的移民往往无法满足推荐的营养需求。另外，更聪明的人倾向于少生孩子，也被作为可能的理论提出来。
另一个需要考虑的因素是，在过去的50年里，人们对智商测试本身提出了质疑——存在偏见、不公平和不适当。事实上，现在已经不再把智商列为求职和升学的条件。所以，人们不会特意练习智商测验，这很可能导致表现更差。
因此，人类整体的智力走向，我们还无法确定。但可以肯定的是，较低的智商并不一定说明现代人变笨了，仅仅可以说，人们在智商测试中的得分较低。
同样重要的是，要思考智商测试实际上测量的是什么——以及无法测量的是什么——我们在谈论智力时，到底在表达什么。例如，智商测试无法揭示诸如个性、创造力、情感和社会智力——甚至是智慧。
原文：IQ Test Scores Are Getting Higher, But Are Humans Actually Getting Smarter?
ROGER STAFF ET AL., THE CONVERSATION
6 MAY 2021
From the algorithms that make our social media accounts function to the sleep-tracking technology in our smartwatches, the world has never seemed so technologically advanced and developed. Which is why it would be easy to assume that with each generation, humans are getting smarter. But is this the case?
It's a question many scientists have pondered, particularly so given that throughout the 20th century the average score on IQ tests around the world increased significantly especially in the west.
This increase was around three IQ points per decade meaning we are technically living with more geniuses on the planet than ever before.
This increase in IQ scores and the seeming tendency for intelligence levels to increase over time is known as the Flynn effect (named after the late US-born educator, James Flynn). And improvements in health and nutrition, better education and working conditions, along with recent access to technology have all contributed.
Indeed, in the 19th century, for example, industrialization created large overcrowded cities with poor health outcomes and premature death. But improved housing, health and parenting, along with greater access to free education and gradual progression from manual to more intellectually demanding jobs, led many to live longer and healthier lives.
Research even suggests there's what's known as an "IQ-mortality gradient" whereby smarter people often live longer.
Research in countries that have not undergone postindustrial development also supports the idea that improved access to education, housing and nutrition are the main factors that have led to IQ increases. A study of sub-Saharan African countries, for example, found that the Flynn effect has not yet taken hold there.
Or in other words, IQ test results have not massively increased because life circumstances haven't significantly improved for a large number of people.
But that's not the whole story, because over the past 30 years there have been some reports of decreased performance on IQ tests in some countries. So is it fair to assume that humans in the west have reached peak intelligence?
Peak intelligence?
Intelligence quotient, or IQ tests, are a measure of reasoning and the ability to use information and logic quickly. The tests assess short and long-term memory through puzzles and test a person's ability to recall information.
While IQ test results have been increasing for some time, research suggesting a "reverse Flynn effect", indicates this upward trend may now be slowing. A Norwegian study, for example, found that men born before 1975 showed the expected positive "Flynn effect" of a three point gain for each successive decade.
But for those born after 1975, there was a steady decline in IQ. This amounts to a seven point difference between generations with average IQs having dropped by around 0.2 points a year. Other studies carried out between 2005 to 2013 in the UK, Sweden and France have also shown similar results.
These results are hard to explain, but it has been suggested that it may be linked to changes in the way that children are taught in schools.
This has been a time that has seen major shifts away from reading serious literature and rote learning a memorization technique based on repetition to a more collective scientific problem-solving approach, which is now taught to most children in the west.
These "student-centred" teaching methods are now combined with interpersonal skills and teamwork along with encouragement for students to understand the emotional insights of others.
The overall impact of this approach might encourage smarter and more effective working but places less emphasis on individual skills required in IQ tests. So maybe in that sense, we're just not as good at carrying out IQ tests any more.
It has been suggested that a decrease in nutritional standards could also play a role. In the UK, for example, many people struggle to meet adequate nutritional guidelines.
Immigration of people who grew up in conditions of greater poverty along with the tendency for the more intelligent to have fewer children have also been put forward as possible theories.
"Biased and unfair"
Another consideration is that over the past 50 years, questions about the suitability of IQ tests have been raised described in some quarters as biased, unfair and inappropriate. Indeed, the use of IQ tests for job and school selection has diminished.
It's likely then that this decline in use, coupled with a reduction in coaching for such tests, has led to poorer performance when IQ tests are used.
So, in answer to the question are humans getting smarter it's hard to say. But what is certain is that the lower IQ scores are not necessarily a sign that humans are now less intelligent, more just that people are scoring lower on IQ tests.
And, in this sense,potential reasons for a declining IQ should be seen in context one where the prevailing view of IQ tests has changed.
It's also important to think about what IQ tests actually measure and what they don't along with what we mean when we talk about intelligence. IQ tests, for example, are no good at measuring things like personality, creativity, or emotional and social intelligence or even wisdom.
These are attributes that many of us may well prize over and above a high scoring IQ test result.The Conversation
Roger Staff, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Ageing, University of Aberdeen and Lawrence Whalley, Emeritus Professor of Mental Health, University of Aberdeen.
来源：[url]https://www.sciencealert.com/iq-test-scores-are-getting-higher-but-are-humans-actually-getting-smarter[/url]
从智能手表、智能手表、智能音箱到智能家居、智能交通和智能都市，世界似乎从未如此智能。
同时，著名的弗林效应指出，每一代(确切说是西方，因为数据来源于此)新生人口的平均智商都比上一代稍高出一点。
人群的平均智商，大约每十年提高三个智商点，这意味着从技术上讲，我们地球上的天才比以往任何时候都多。
这一现象或许源于人口健康和营养方面的改善，更好的教育和工作条件，以及最近开发出的技术工具。
甚至有研究表明，存在所谓的 "智商-死亡率梯度"，即更聪明的人往往活得更久。
对没有经历过后工业化发展的国家的分析，也支持这样的观点，即改善受教育机会、住房和营养是导致智商提高的主要因素。例如，一项针对撒哈拉以南非洲的国家的研究发现，那里没有表现出弗林效应。
但这并不是故事的全部，因为在过去的30年里，有报告称一些国家的智商成绩开始下降。那么，西方人已经达到了智力峰值，所以开始走上下坡路？
智商，或称IQ测试，是对推理和快速使用信息和逻辑能力的量化方式。这些测试通过考察对图形信息的归纳能力，评估测试者的短期和长期记忆，和回忆信息的能力。
研究表明存在 "反弗林效应"。例如，挪威的一项研究发现，1975年以前出生的男性显示出预期的正向 "弗林效应"，即每连续十年增加3分。
但是对于1975年以后出生的人来说，智商却在不断下降。这相当于两代人之间有7分的差距——平均智商每年下降约0.2分。2005年至2013年间在英国、瑞典和法国进行的其他研究也显示了类似的结果。
这些结果很难解释，但有人认为，这可能与学校教育孩子的方式的变化有关。
西方国家的儿童，从死记硬背的硬性学习方式，转到了"以学生为中心"的教学方法，现在学校人际交往技能和团队合作作为教学目标，同时鼓励学生理解他人的情感见解。
现代方法的整体影响可能会激发更聪明和更有效的工作方式，但智商测试更看重个人能力。因此，也许在这个意义上，我们只是不擅长做智商题了。
还有人认为，现代人营养不足可能也有一定责任。例如，在英国，在贫困条件下长大的移民往往无法满足推荐的营养需求。另外，更聪明的人倾向于少生孩子，也被作为可能的理论提出来。
另一个需要考虑的因素是，在过去的50年里，人们对智商测试本身提出了质疑——存在偏见、不公平和不适当。事实上，现在已经不再把智商列为求职和升学的条件。所以，人们不会特意练习智商测验，这很可能导致表现更差。
因此，人类整体的智力走向，我们还无法确定。但可以肯定的是，较低的智商并不一定说明现代人变笨了，仅仅可以说，人们在智商测试中的得分较低。
同样重要的是，要思考智商测试实际上测量的是什么——以及无法测量的是什么——我们在谈论智力时，到底在表达什么。例如，智商测试无法揭示诸如个性、创造力、情感和社会智力——甚至是智慧。
原文：IQ Test Scores Are Getting Higher, But Are Humans Actually Getting Smarter?
ROGER STAFF ET AL., THE CONVERSATION
6 MAY 2021
From the algorithms that make our social media accounts function to the sleep-tracking technology in our smartwatches, the world has never seemed so technologically advanced and developed. Which is why it would be easy to assume that with each generation, humans are getting smarter. But is this the case?
It's a question many scientists have pondered, particularly so given that throughout the 20th century the average score on IQ tests around the world increased significantly especially in the west.
This increase was around three IQ points per decade meaning we are technically living with more geniuses on the planet than ever before.
This increase in IQ scores and the seeming tendency for intelligence levels to increase over time is known as the Flynn effect (named after the late US-born educator, James Flynn). And improvements in health and nutrition, better education and working conditions, along with recent access to technology have all contributed.
Indeed, in the 19th century, for example, industrialization created large overcrowded cities with poor health outcomes and premature death. But improved housing, health and parenting, along with greater access to free education and gradual progression from manual to more intellectually demanding jobs, led many to live longer and healthier lives.
Research even suggests there's what's known as an "IQ-mortality gradient" whereby smarter people often live longer.
Research in countries that have not undergone postindustrial development also supports the idea that improved access to education, housing and nutrition are the main factors that have led to IQ increases. A study of sub-Saharan African countries, for example, found that the Flynn effect has not yet taken hold there.
Or in other words, IQ test results have not massively increased because life circumstances haven't significantly improved for a large number of people.
But that's not the whole story, because over the past 30 years there have been some reports of decreased performance on IQ tests in some countries. So is it fair to assume that humans in the west have reached peak intelligence?
Peak intelligence?
Intelligence quotient, or IQ tests, are a measure of reasoning and the ability to use information and logic quickly. The tests assess short and long-term memory through puzzles and test a person's ability to recall information.
While IQ test results have been increasing for some time, research suggesting a "reverse Flynn effect", indicates this upward trend may now be slowing. A Norwegian study, for example, found that men born before 1975 showed the expected positive "Flynn effect" of a three point gain for each successive decade.
But for those born after 1975, there was a steady decline in IQ. This amounts to a seven point difference between generations with average IQs having dropped by around 0.2 points a year. Other studies carried out between 2005 to 2013 in the UK, Sweden and France have also shown similar results.
These results are hard to explain, but it has been suggested that it may be linked to changes in the way that children are taught in schools.
This has been a time that has seen major shifts away from reading serious literature and rote learning a memorization technique based on repetition to a more collective scientific problem-solving approach, which is now taught to most children in the west.
These "student-centred" teaching methods are now combined with interpersonal skills and teamwork along with encouragement for students to understand the emotional insights of others.
The overall impact of this approach might encourage smarter and more effective working but places less emphasis on individual skills required in IQ tests. So maybe in that sense, we're just not as good at carrying out IQ tests any more.
It has been suggested that a decrease in nutritional standards could also play a role. In the UK, for example, many people struggle to meet adequate nutritional guidelines.
Immigration of people who grew up in conditions of greater poverty along with the tendency for the more intelligent to have fewer children have also been put forward as possible theories.
"Biased and unfair"
Another consideration is that over the past 50 years, questions about the suitability of IQ tests have been raised described in some quarters as biased, unfair and inappropriate. Indeed, the use of IQ tests for job and school selection has diminished.
It's likely then that this decline in use, coupled with a reduction in coaching for such tests, has led to poorer performance when IQ tests are used.
So, in answer to the question are humans getting smarter it's hard to say. But what is certain is that the lower IQ scores are not necessarily a sign that humans are now less intelligent, more just that people are scoring lower on IQ tests.
And, in this sense,potential reasons for a declining IQ should be seen in context one where the prevailing view of IQ tests has changed.
It's also important to think about what IQ tests actually measure and what they don't along with what we mean when we talk about intelligence. IQ tests, for example, are no good at measuring things like personality, creativity, or emotional and social intelligence or even wisdom.
These are attributes that many of us may well prize over and above a high scoring IQ test result.The Conversation
Roger Staff, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Ageing, University of Aberdeen and Lawrence Whalley, Emeritus Professor of Mental Health, University of Aberdeen.
来源：[url]https://www.sciencealert.com/iq-test-scores-are-getting-higher-but-are-humans-actually-getting-smarter[/url]