IQ among Americans is falling

FireDragon76 said:

Having been diagnosed with Asperger's myself, I don't think the level of autism has actually increased in any significant way. I think people are being diagnosed more because late modern society is more complicated than in the past, with more diverse gender roles and work expectations, all of which require dealing with more social complexity.

There is no epidemic of autism. It’s an epidemic of need

The more autism we recognize, the more people we can help.

www.statnews.com

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The other thing is level 1 autism (Asperger's) doesn't usually include intellectual deficiency. Most aspies have a higher than average intellect.

Ceallaigh said:

Don't level 2 and 3 autistics only make up a tiny percentage of the population?

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They did before 1979. They used to be 1:10K (like natural triplets). Some years ago, they were 1:200-250. And they have gone up since then...!

FireDragon76 said:

Having been diagnosed with Asperger's myself, I don't think the level of autism has actually increased in any significant way.

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I have Aspergers ASD1, too.
ASD1

• is neuro-diversity (not a cognitive deficit),
• has not (likely) increased and
• is not germane to the OP.

I was constantly under-employed until I went on disability, but there is a big difference between having a social disability (only) and having severe cognitive deficits on top of that (like two of my children do). I consider the former to be a mere handicap in comparison.
And there are niches where 1s can thrive (though they are few and far between).

That said, ASD1 does not negatively impact collective IQ scores, the subject of your OP.

Sabertooth said:

I was constantly under-employed until I went on disability, but there is a big difference between having a social disability (only) and having severe cognitive deficits on top of that (like two of my children do). I consider the former to be a mere handicap in comparison.
And there are niches where 1s can thrive (though they are few and far between).

That said, ASD1 does not negatively impact collective IQ scores, the subject of your OP.

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There's more than social disability though. There's focus issues, perception issues, sensory issues and coordination issues that accompany ASD1. While intellect itself isn't impacted, I think the focus and perception issues might affect certain aspects of an IQ test.

Early studies of adult individuals have found a heritability of IQ between 57% and 73%,[6] with some recent studies showing heritability for IQ as high as 80%.[7] IQ goes from being weakly correlated with genetics for children, to being strongly correlated with genetics for late teens and adults.

Also another interesting tid-bit.
Meta-analyses have found that environmental factors, such as certain nutrient deficiencies, can result in large reductions in average IQ; iodine deficiency, alone, has been shown to produce a reduction of 12.5 IQ points on average.


Another reference point:
In the early 1900s, the Great Lakes, Appalachian, and northwestern regions of the United States were endemic regions for IDD, but since the iodization of salt and other foods in the 1920s, dietary iodine levels generally have been adequate. However, sustaining these iodization programs has become a concern.


Data collected in the United States by National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I (NHANES I) for the years 1971-1974 showed that the median urinary iodine level was 320 mcg/L, reflecting adequate dietary iodine intake. [11] However, by the time of NHANES III (1988-1994), the median urinary iodine value had fallen to 145 mcg/L.

It's something that CDC has on their radar as well

It dipped way down in the late 80's and early 90's, and then slowly came back up a tad by early 2000's and stabilized there. (that would cover the time period when a lot of the young adults today were in their forming years.

And keep in mind, that's just one particular nutrient. (and it can account for a loss of 12.5 IQ points).

Iodine is most certainly not alone on "nutritional impacts on IQ" list.

It may make more sense to look at the food and changing diets before prematurely scapegoating social media usage as the primary culprit.

While they're may be some impact on certain forms of cognition from social media....

Take for instance, S. Korea, Japan, and Germany...
...they have higher percentage of people on social media than we do, and they've seen either stable or increasing IQ scores.

durangodawood said:

Our attention is constantly scattered and we can hardly focus on challenging things, or anything really, in a sustained way.

Thanks, internet / phones / social media.

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Absolutely! I had a professor in college joked she had no attention span left from watching too much TV. In the last few decades, screen time had gotten worse.

FireDragon76 said:

IQ started falling in Europe before the US. It seems the US has finally caught up. It doesn't seem to be due to immigration, as countries that have less immigration have sometimes had more average IQ drop. It also doesn't seem to be due to dysgenic mating (eg, Idiocracy), as we can see IQ drops within the same family (younger siblings vs. older siblings).

I wonder if it's due to the changing nature of kids' free time. When I was growing up, we played with actual toys, blocks, Legoes, board games, that sort of thing. We also had actual physical books to read. Now days, kids are spending time in front of cell phones or tablets, and probably spend alot less time reading.

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It's American culture as it exists today.

Education is not valued or respected.

In Japan, Korea, China, Finland, it is.

Highest student scores are in Finland,
Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and
Singapore.

The culture of America- to the extent it can
be said to have such-is weak and self indulgent.

Ceallaigh said:

While intellect itself isn't impacted, I think the focus and perception issues might affect certain aspects of an IQ test.

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Since there has been no discernible change in the numbers of ASD1 cases, those conditions should not impact collective IQ scores. Undiagnosed ASD1s had the same issues before that we face now, having a diagnosis.

Larniavc said:

Man of Wars.

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Thank you! (One of these days I'm going to have to get access to that internet I've been hearing so much about.)

FireDragon76 said:

Having been diagnosed with Asperger's myself, I don't think the level of autism has actually increased in any significant way. I think people are being diagnosed more because late modern society is more complicated than in the past, with more diverse gender roles and work expectations, all of which require dealing with more social complexity.

There is no epidemic of autism. It’s an epidemic of need

The more autism we recognize, the more people we can help.

www.statnews.com

Click to expand...

Here is a quote from the first page of a 2020 California report PDF,*
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More than 2 decades ago, autism cases began to increase
More than two decades ago, California began to recognize a surprising increase in autism cases in its Department of Developmental Services (DDS) system. In 1999, DDS issued a report that showed a startlingly rapid rise over the previous decade in the number of persons receiving services for autism. The DDS is the California agency that is responsible for coordinating services for persons of all ages with qualifying developmental disabilities. In 1999 it reported that its caseload of the most severe form of autism had increased from 3,864 to 11,995, a 210% increase, far greater than the increases in other developmental conditions. The agency concluded, referring to its autism caseload:

“…the number of young children coming into the system each year is significantly greater than in the past, and that the demand for services to meet the needs of this special population will continue to grow.”
–California DDS 1999

In 2003, the DDS issued an update, which demonstrated that the rise in the caseload had not only continued unabated, but was becoming steeper every year.
In 2007, another DDS report documented the continuing dramatic increase in the autism caseload, noting that “the number of persons with autism being served by the regional centers rose 26 times faster than that of the general California population.”
In 2009, scientists at the UC Davis MIND Institute analyzed the California autism prevalence and incidence (i.e., new diagnoses) rates based on the DDS data and all births in the state. Comparing children born from 1990 to 2002, they confirmed a continuing increase in rates of autism diagnoses that was substantial —a 600% rise —and determined that this growth could not be explained by changes in the underlying population or changes in the way autism was diagnosed.
Now, nearly 20 years after that period, DDS data reflects a continuing upward surge in autism in the state. The purpose of this report is to help bring the public—including individuals and families affected by autism, service providers, and local, state, and federal policymakers—up to date about this urgent public health issue that seldom receives the attention it warrants...
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From page 10,...
California DDS and US CDC have similar trends
•CDC Autism and Development Disability Monitoring Network (ADDM) reports show higher estimated prevalence than the California DDS finds
•This is expected, as the California DDS has more stringent criteria and excludes milder cases
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Again, DDS autism means ASD2/3. It does not include ASD1 cases.

*Report found at

Chesterton said:

Thank you! (One of these days I'm going to have to get access to that internet I've been hearing so much about.)

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I wouldn't.

Tinker Grey said:

I suspect the IQ test isn't measuring modern ways of thinking. Think "back in my day". If a test were given that measured one's ability to use a slide rule, we'd almost all fail ... and mutter "so what, not relevant". Remember when teachers used to say "they won't let you use a calculator in college".

Anyway, ways of processing the world change ... probably faster than tests that measure that do.

Just a WAG.

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I don't recall any IQ tests that judge your ability to use a tool, or even any that test on specific knowledge. Instead, they largely seem to be questions dealing with if you can use logic and reason, with some basic math thrown in -- things that haven't change in the last century.

Chesterton said:

Thank you! (One of these days I'm going to have to get access to that internet I've been hearing so much about.)

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I thought that; but it’ll never catch on.

FireDragon76 said:

IQ in northern Europe has been decreasing, especially in Finland and Denmark. Even though both countries have relatively good healthcare, high life expectancy, and availability of healthy foods.

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Good healthcare systems and availability of healthy foods isn't the same as a society having good nutrition.

People having the option doesn't mean everyone is choosing the option.

The Europe Fast Food market is growing rapidly with a growing workforce that increasingly relies heavily on fast food due to its busy schedule. The Europe Fast Food market is driven primarily by increasing urbanization and rising per capita disposable income.

One point of reference:
the fast food sector's market share has risen by almost exactly the same amount over the same period (2013-2023), from 9.4% to 17.1%.

An increasing number of people eating worse food (and more of it) isn't a uniquely American problem.

Let him who thinks he is wise become a fool. As scripture says..