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Abstract: Flynn effect gains are predominantly driven by environmental factors. Might these factors also be responsible for group differences in intelligence? Group differences in intelligence have been clearly shown to strongly correlate with g loadings. The empirical studies on whether the pattern of Flynn effect gains is the same as the pattern of group differences yield conflicting findings. We present new evidence on the topic using a number of datasets from the US and the Netherlands. Score gains and g loadings showed a small negative average correlation. The general picture is now that there is a small, negative correlation between g loadings and Flynn effect gains. It appears that the Flynn effect and group differences have different causes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Secular gains in IQ test scores have been reported for many Western countries. This is the first study of secular IQ gains in South Korea, using various datasets. The first question is what the size of the Flynn effect in South Korea is. The gains per decade are 7.7 points for persons born between 1970 and 1990. These gains on broad intelligence batteries are much larger than the gains in Western countries of about 3 IQ points per decade. The second question is whether the Korean IQ gains are comparable to the Japanese IQ gains with a lag of a few decades. The gains in Japan of 7.7 IQ points per decade for those born approximately 1940–1965 are identical to the gains per decade for Koreans born 1970–1990. The third question is whether the Korean gains in height and education lag a few decades behind the Japanese gains. The Koreans reach the educational levels the Japanese reached 25–30years before, and the gains in height for Koreans born 1970–1990 are very similar to gains in height for Japanese born 1940–1960, so three decades earlier. These findings combined strongly support the hypothesis of similar developmental patterns in the two countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: IQ scores have been increasing over the last half century, a phenomenon known as the Flynn effect. In this study, we focused on the question to what extent these secular gains are on the g factor. Two IQ batteries: the Interest-School achievement-Intelligence Test (ISI) and the Groningen Final Examination Primary Education (GALO) yielded small and modest negative correlations between standardized gains and g loadings. As these studies employ large samples this suggests that the combined literature now shows a modest negative relationship between d (the secular change in test score) and g. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In an otherwise interesting and enlightening article, Borghans, Golsteyn, Heckman, and Humphries (2011) analyzed evidence from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79) to support their contention that “achievement” tests have greater power than “IQ” tests in predicting “a variety of life outcomes”. A key point in their argument is their contention that scores on the Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT) represent “achievement” scores and that the AFQT is qualitatively different from purported true “IQ” score data also available in the NLSY79. This contention is based on both conceptual argument and empirical analysis of NLSY79 data. This comment disputes their contention on both grounds. First, it argues that their conceptual distinction is contradicted in the educational testing literature and is based on erroneous assumptions about the nature of the purported true “IQ” test data in the NLSY79. Second, it presents evidence that their empirical findings flow from problems in true “IQ” score imputation and large gaps in calendar time between the purported true “IQ” tests and AFQT and personality test data in the NLSY79 data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]