Rising mean IQ: Cognitive demand of mathematics education for young children, population exposure to formal schooling, and the neurobiology of the prefrontal cortex

Blair, Clancy; Gamson, David A.; Thorne, Steven L.; Baker, David P.

doi:10.1016/j.intell.2004.07.008

Cited by 203 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…It has been suggested that the Flynn-effect (Flynn 1987), a secular increase in raw intelligence test scores by 2.5 IQ points per decade in most western countries, is attributable to increased demands of certain forms of abstract and visuospatial cognition in modern society and schooling, although improved nutrition and health status may also play a part (Neisser 1997;Blair et al 2005). On the whole, however, the Flynn effect seems to reflect a change in which specific forms of intelligence are developed, rather than an increase in general fluid intelligence.…”

Section: Mental Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Enhancement: Methods, Ethics, Regulatory Challenges

2009

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Cognitive enhancement takes many and diverse forms. Various methods of cognitive enhancement have implications for the near future. At the same time, these technologies raise a range of ethical issues. For example, they interact with notions of authenticity, the good life, and the role of medicine in our lives. Present and anticipated methods for cognitive enhancement also create challenges for public policy and regulation.

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Section: Mental Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Enhancement: Methods, Ethics, Regulatory Challenges

2009

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“…However, we could only control for the quantity of education relative to one's cohort, not for its quality. The later-born BASE-II cohort probably benefitted from higher-quality education by, for example, elementary mathematics curricula being shifted from less flexible forms of learning, such as rote memorization, to cognitively demanding mathematical tasks emphasizing fluid skills (Blair, Gamson, Thorne, & Baker, 2005). It would also be instrumental if future studies would explore how further mechanisms, including self-regulation or working memory (see Jaeggi, Buschkuehl, Jonides, & Perrig, 2008), may have changed across cohorts, particularly in old age.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Secular Changes in Late-Life Cognition and Well-Being: Towards a Long Bright Future With a Short Brisk Ending?

2015

The Gerontologist

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How sociocultural contexts shape individual functioning is of prime interest for psychological inquiry. Secular increases favoring later-born cohorts in fluid intelligence measures are widely documented for young adults. In the current study, we quantified such trends in old age using data from highly comparable participants living in a narrowly defined geographical area and examined whether these trends would generalize to quality-of-life indicators. To do so, we compared data obtained 20 years apart in the Berlin Aging Study (in 1990 -1993) and the Berlin Aging Study II (in 2013II (in -2014, applied a case-matched control design (per cohort, n ϭ 161, M age ϭ 75), quantified sample selection using a nationally representative sample as the reference, and controlled for number of physical diseases. The later cohort performed better on the fluid intelligence measure (d ϭ .85) and reported higher morale, less

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“…Most directly, the mental stimulation experienced when learning-be it in school or through informal channels-enhances cognitive development through increasing the synaptic density in relevant parts of the brain (39). Many experimental and observational studies have provided confirmation of a robust effect of education on executive functioning and cognitive abilities (40)(41)(42); neurocognitive and neuroimaging studies have also shown strong associations between adaptive changes in the brain and learning experience in classrooms (43). Abstract cognitive skills, such as categorization and logical deduction acquired through schooling, enhance the way educated individuals reason, solve problems, assess risks, and make decisions (44).…”

Section: The Demographic Metabolism Model Of Social Change Through Comentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Sustainable Development priorities 500 y after Luther: Sola schola et sanitate

Lutz

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Martin Luther succinctly summarized his theology in sola statements, such as sola scriptura, viewing the Bible (scriptura) as the only valid source of information about God rather than what he viewed as the extraneous, corrupting church doctrine of the time. As a secular side effect of this focus on individual reading skills, the Protestant territories were the first to acquire high literacy rates, which subsequently fostered health, economic growth, and good governance. Here I argue that a similar priority focus on empowerment of all segments of all populations through education and health (sola schola et sanitate) is needed today for sustainable development. According to decades of research, education and health are essential prerequisites for ending poverty and hunger, for improving institutions and participation in society, for voluntary fertility declines and ending world population growth, for changing behavior and adoption of new and clean technologies, and for enhancing adaptive capacity to already unavoidable climate change. This approach avoids paternalistic imposition of development policies by focusing external aid on enabling people to help themselves, their families, and communities. Prioritizing education and health also helps move more industrialized, aging societies from a focus on material consumption to one on quality of life. Sola schola et sanitate suggests that well-being will increasingly be based on health, continued mental stimulation, and consumption of cultural products, rather than fossil fuels and materials. Thus, cognition-or brain power-can be viewed as the zero-emissions energy for sustainable development.Sustainable Development Goals | reformation | education | health | world population

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Rising mean IQ: Cognitive demand of mathematics education for young children, population exposure to formal schooling, and the neurobiology of the prefrontal cortex

Cited by 203 publications

References 41 publications

Cognitive Enhancement: Methods, Ethics, Regulatory Challenges

Cognitive Enhancement: Methods, Ethics, Regulatory Challenges

Secular Changes in Late-Life Cognition and Well-Being: Towards a Long Bright Future With a Short Brisk Ending?

Global Sustainable Development priorities 500 y after Luther: Sola schola et sanitate

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