An item-level examination of the Flynn effect on the National Intelligence Test in Estonia

Shiu, William; Beaujean, A. Alexander; Must, Olev; Nijenhuis, Jan te; Must, Anne

doi:10.1016/j.intell.2013.05.007

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Previous FE research has examined measurement invariance using both item and test scores (Beaujean & Osterlind, 2008;Beaujean & Sheng, 2010, in press;Must, te Nijenhuis, Must, & van Vianen, 2009;Pietschnig, Tran, & Voracek, 2013;Shiu et al, 2013;Wicherts et al, 2004). They all converged in finding some level of non-invariance, which indicates that construct-irrelevant sources of variance were, at least partially, responsible for the FE.…”

Section: The Appropriateness Of Comparing Mean Iq Scoresmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Some have argued that the FE reflects an actual increase in cognitive abilities, due to either environmental changes such as nutrition (Lynn, 1998) or education (Blair, Gamson, Thorne, & Baker, 2005) or heterosis arising from changes in the ratio of heterozygous to homozygous genotypes (Mingroni, 2004). While at least some of the FE appears to reflect an actual increase in abilities (Shiu, Beaujean, Must, te Nijenhuis, & Must, 2013), many researchers have found that the FE is unrelated to general intelligence (g; e.g., Kane & Oakland, 2000;Must, Must, & Raudik, 2003;te Nijenhous & van der Flier, 2013;te Nijenhuis, van Vianen, & van der Flier, 2007), although some have found a rise in g (Shiu, Beaujean, & Wells, 2015).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Using Score Equating and Measurement Invariance to Examine the Flynn Effect in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Benson

Beaujean

Taub

2015

Multivariate Behavioral Research

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The Flynn effect (FE; i.e., increase in mean IQ scores over time) is commonly viewed as reflecting population shifts in intelligence, despite the fact that most FE studies have not investigated the assumption of score comparability. Consequently, the extent to which these mean differences in IQ scores reflect population shifts in cognitive abilities versus changes in the instruments used to measure these abilities is unclear. In this study, we used modern psychometric tools to examine the FE. First, we equated raw scores for each common subtest to be on the same scale across instruments. This enabled the combination of scores from all three instruments into one of 13 age groups before converting raw scores into Z scores. Second, using age-based standardized scores for standardization samples, we examined measurement invariance across the second (revised), third, and fourth editions of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Results indicate that while scores were equivalent across the third and fourth editions, they were not equivalent across the second and third editions. Results suggest that there is some evidence for an increase in intelligence, but also call into question many published FE findings as presuming the instruments' scores are invariant when this assumption is not warranted.

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Section: The Appropriateness Of Comparing Mean Iq Scoresmentioning

confidence: 94%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Score Equating and Measurement Invariance to Examine the Flynn Effect in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Benson

Beaujean

Taub

2015

Multivariate Behavioral Research

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“…This data was collected in Estonia at three separate time points: 1934, 1998 and 2006. More information about the sample and the NIT can be found in previous studies using these data [7,9,65,66].…”

Section: National Intelligence Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another criticism is that the compared scores were often from instruments normed at different time points, with no investigation into whether the scores were actually comparable [6,7]. While some current FE investigations have sought to use more robust methods, e.g., [8][9][10], there are still some methodological issues that remain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Investigation of Growth Mixture Models for Studying the Flynn Effect

Morgan

Beaujean

2014

J. Intell.

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The Flynn effect (FE) is the well-documented generational increase of mean IQ scores over time, but a methodological issue that has not received much attention in the FE literature is the heterogeneity in change patterns across time. Growth mixture models (GMMs) offer researchers a flexible latent variable framework for examining the potential heterogeneity of change patterns. The article presents: (1) a Monte Carlo investigation of the performance of the various measures of model fit for GMMs in data that resemble previous FE studies; and (2) an application of GMM to the National Intelligence Tests. The Monte Carlo study supported the use of the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) and consistent Akaike information criterion (CAIC) for model selection. The GMM application study resulted in the identification of two classes of participants that had unique change patterns across three time periods. Our studies show that GMMs, when applied carefully, are likely to identify homogeneous subpopulations in FE studies, which may aid in further understanding of the FE.

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“…A fourth complication for profile studies results from findings over the last decade indicating that IQ tests are not necessarily measurement invariant with respect to cohort ( [73,81], but see [83]). The subject of measurement invariance is a complex and still evolving field of research, a full discussion of which is beyond the scope of this paper.…”

Section: Suggestion 5: Use Iq Subtest Profiles In Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Future Efforts in Flynn Effect Research: Balancing Reductionism with Holism

Mingroni¹

2014

J. Intell.

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Abstract:After nearly thirty years of concerted effort by many investigators, the cause or causes of the secular gains in IQ test scores, known as the Flynn effect, remain elusive. In this target article, I offer six suggestions as to how we might proceed in our efforts to solve this intractable mystery. The suggestions are as follows: (1) compare parents to children; (2) consider other traits and conditions; (3) compare siblings; (4) conduct more and better intervention programs; (5) use subtest profile data in context; and (6) quantify the potential contribution of heterosis. This last section contains new simulations of the process of heterosis, which provide a plausible scenario whereby rapid secular changes in multiple genetically influenced traits are possible. If there is any theme to the present paper, it is that future study designs should be simpler and more highly focused, coordinating multiple studies on single populations.

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An item-level examination of the Flynn effect on the National Intelligence Test in Estonia

Cited by 16 publications

References 57 publications

Using Score Equating and Measurement Invariance to Examine the Flynn Effect in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Using Score Equating and Measurement Invariance to Examine the Flynn Effect in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

An Investigation of Growth Mixture Models for Studying the Flynn Effect

Future Efforts in Flynn Effect Research: Balancing Reductionism with Holism

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