Perspectives on Psychological Science

New Capabilities

Published the 2015 meta-analysis

In 1932, the average American would have scored 70 on a modern IQ test—the threshold for intellectual disability. By 2013, that same population's raw performance had climbed by 30 points. A landmark 2015 meta-analysis examining 271 studies across 31 countries and nearly 4 million participants confirmed what psychologist James Flynn had argued for decades: IQ test scores have been rising steadily worldwide at roughly 3 points per decade throughout the 20th century.

Updated Jan 22