Name: Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents'
Uploaded: 2013-09-26T15:10:46Z
Duration: 18 min 27 s
Description: It's called the "Flynn effect" -- the fact that each generation scores higher on an IQ test than the generation before it. Are we actually getting smarter, or just thinking differently? In this fast-paced spin through the cognitive history of the 20th century, moral philosopher James Flynn suggests that changes in the way we think have had surprising (and not always positive) consequences.

It's called the "Flynn effect" -- the fact that each generation scores higher on an IQ test than the generation before it. Are we actually getting smarter, or just thinking differently? In this fast-paced spin through the cognitive history of the 20th century, moral philosopher James Flynn suggests that changes in the way we think have had surprising (and not always positive) consequences.

James Flynn: Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents'

Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents'

Massive IQ gains over generations reveal a shift from concrete thinking to abstract reasoning, challenging our ancestors' cognitive limits.

IQ scores have soared over a century; today's norms would rate early 1900s populations as significantly less intelligent.

Modern education evolves from rote facts to fostering abstract thought, enhancing our ability to tackle complex problems.