Table of contents:
- Can someone's IQ change?
- Various theories regarding IQ
- Theory 1: Intelligence is measured by ability, not just knowledge
- Theory 2: IQ increases by 3 points every decade
- Theory 3: Experience and formal education can change IQ
- Theory 4: IQ does not exist, and IQ test results are relative
- Theory 5: We can train ourselves to improve intelligence
When we grow up, the institutions where we study usually perform intelligence tests on their students, also known as IQ tests. Have you taken the IQ test many times? How is the result? Stay the same, increase or decrease? Why is that? Several studies suggest that IQ changes with age. However, what you need to know is that intelligence is not established from birth.
Can someone's IQ change?
When children and adolescents, a person's intelligence tends to be vulnerable to change. So, it's still very possible to change. In children, the relationship between brain size and IQ was less influential than in adults. IQ itself is associated with brain development in complex ways. A study cited by the Psychology Today website, with pediatric participants, found that 7-year-olds with a high IQ (over 120) tended to have less cortical thickness, but afterwards found increased cortical thickness in children with High IQ.
According, Nicholas J. Mackintosh, an IQ researcher, in his book IQ and Human Intelligence quoted by Psychology Today, if your IQ at 40 years old is still the same as your IQ at 10 years old, then something serious is wrong in your life.
Various theories regarding IQ
A series of IQ tests are believed to be valid results to determine a person's interest and intelligence, is that right? For more details, here are the opinions of several researchers quoted from the Live Science website:
Theory 1: Intelligence is measured by ability, not just knowledge
According to Jack Naglieri, research lecturer at the University of Virginia, IQ can change depending on several factors. The best way to measure intelligence is to measure the abilities based on the knowledge he has acquired, separate from the knowledge he has. Sometimes, intelligence is obtained not because children are taught to be intelligent, intelligence is obtained by teaching them to use what they have efficiently. According to Naglieri, people find it difficult to distinguish between ability and knowledge. A person can learn and improve vocabulary, but that doesn't necessarily make him smarter.
Theory 2: IQ increases by 3 points every decade
According to Richard Nisbett, lecturer in psychology at the University of Michigan, IQ can change at any time. However, IQ tests often give the same results, even after years of retrying. However, as you get older, the stability will affect the score results. So, the average IQ of each person will change over time. In modern society, abilities also increase, so it is very possible that IQ increases 3 points per decade. The study revealed an 18-point increase in the average IQ of people living between 1947 and 2002. The average IQ of people aged 20 years in 1947 was lower than that of 20-year-olds living in 2002. However, as for cases IQ as a measure of intelligence, Nesbitt is not sure about its validity.
Theory 3: Experience and formal education can change IQ
According to Stephen Ceci, a lecturer in development psychology at Cornell University, after conducting research by observing participants from childhood to adulthood for years as the object of his research, it is evident that there is a change in the verbal area in the brain, so that adolescents experience an increase in verbal IQ. According to him, many studies show IQ can change. There are several factors that correlate with changes in IQ, one of which is changes in the way it is taught in school. Children who are taught in a systematic, not thematic way, usually have an increase in IQ. Because, the systematic pattern is more influential in several IQ tests.
Also found several studies that show changes in the brain. A taxi driver in London underwent brain changes when his brain wasscan after and before his driving activities, when he had to learn to navigate London's mazed roads. This is triggered by the navigation capabilities used. According to Ceci, life experiences and experiences related to one's school days can change a person's brain and IQ.
Theory 4: IQ does not exist, and IQ test results are relative
In contrast to the opinion of previous experts, according to Alan S. Kaufman, lecturer in clinical psychology at Yale University School of Medicine, there is no such thing as IQ. The concept of IQ itself is relative. IQ is only a representation of how well you do something, whereas an IQ test is only a comparison with people your age. You can't just swallow an IQ test result, for example a score of 126, because even a reliable IQ test gives you a 95% confidence interval. So, you could say that at that 95% interval, a person whose IQ score is 126 could have an IQ of between 120 and 132.
Theory 5: We can train ourselves to improve intelligence
Kevin McGrew, leader Institute for Applied Psychometrics, mentioned that the change in IQ depends on several things. According to him, it is important for us to distinguish two different types of intelligence. There is such a thing as biological intelligence, in this case it is defined as neural efficiency. In addition, there is psychometric intelligence - a measurable IQ score, this is an indirect and imperfect method of estimating your biological intelligence.
The question now is, can we improve biological intelligence? Various studies have been carried out over the past few decades using neurotechnologies (a program that knows how to understand the brain in various ways), it is very likely to improve the efficiency of your nerves. Your cognitive function can be trained to work more efficiently.
The other question now is, can a person's IQ change? The answer is, yes you can. The change in score may not be based on a significant change in overall intelligence, but rather due to differences in the tests used to measure different abilities. Some abilities are more stable (eg verbal skills), some are less stable (eg cognitive processing speed, short-term memory).
What's important is that you know how to use your intelligence, not just having a certain level of intelligence in general. The question you can ask yourself is, how well do you plan? How well do you respond if things don't go well? These non-cognitive traits can change your cognitive abilities.
