When French psychologist Alfred Binet designed the first standardized intelligence test, he felt strongly that an IQ score shouldn't become a label. Binet feared that a low IQ score could affect a person's self esteem as well as the opinions of others. But it wasn't long before people were using IQ test scores to categorize and discriminate. Henry Goddard, who popularized IQ testing in the US, held that low IQ was caused by a recessive gene. Goddard's views echoed those of the American public at the time, who worried that a disproportionate number of immigrants were of low intelligence.
The concept of a fixed, immutable level of intelligence soon entered mainstream consciousness. And despite numerous studies showing that many factors can affect IQ scores over time, the idea that we're stuck with the intelligence we're born with persists, even with many psychologists and educators.
But if IQ isn't fixed, it follows that we must be able to do something to make ourselves smarter. Until earlier this year there had been a dearth of concrete ideas about how to successfully accomplish this.
Brain Training That Makes You Smarter
Last year, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Queensland, Graeme Halford, theorized that as we work on a mental task, our brain has a finite degree of processing power. It divides this processing power, Halford suggested, between managing our short term memory (known as working-memory in this application) and fluid intelligence, or problem-solving functions. The more we have to think about what we need to remember, the less we can focus on solving the problem.
Halford's theory inspired researchers from the Universities of Michigan and Bern to propose that increasing working-memory capacity might free up brain power to dedicate to solving problems. Using a specially designed exercise to progressively train visual and aural working-memory capacity, the scientists set about testing their hypothesis.
Their study tested participants' fluid intelligence before and after training using questions from a standard IQ test administered in a restricted time period. And to allow for familiarity with the test they compared these results to those of a group who hadn't received any training. Remarkably, the study not only demonstrated that fluid intelligence could change with working-memory training, the degree of change was dramatic. With 19 days of training, the fluid intelligence scores for each person in the trained group increased by at least 40% more than those in the non-trained group.
Since the team published its research findings in April there has been considerable interest in this new training method. Members of the general public have been eager to take advantage of it. (In the interests of full disclosure, I must mention that I was so inspired by the results myself that my company right away made the training available as a software program. People who've tried the training at home report experiences that fully support and extend the research findings. Those who have taken a before and after IQ test have found that the training does indeed increase IQ scores.)
With this groundbreaking study we can at last leave behind us the concept of immutable intelligence. I've no doubt that Alfred Binet would be pleased to see his principles vindicated, even though it took more than a century to come about.
The concept of a fixed, immutable level of intelligence soon entered mainstream consciousness. And despite numerous studies showing that many factors can affect IQ scores over time, the idea that we're stuck with the intelligence we're born with persists, even with many psychologists and educators.
But if IQ isn't fixed, it follows that we must be able to do something to make ourselves smarter. Until earlier this year there had been a dearth of concrete ideas about how to successfully accomplish this.
Brain Training That Makes You Smarter
Last year, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Queensland, Graeme Halford, theorized that as we work on a mental task, our brain has a finite degree of processing power. It divides this processing power, Halford suggested, between managing our short term memory (known as working-memory in this application) and fluid intelligence, or problem-solving functions. The more we have to think about what we need to remember, the less we can focus on solving the problem.
Halford's theory inspired researchers from the Universities of Michigan and Bern to propose that increasing working-memory capacity might free up brain power to dedicate to solving problems. Using a specially designed exercise to progressively train visual and aural working-memory capacity, the scientists set about testing their hypothesis.
Their study tested participants' fluid intelligence before and after training using questions from a standard IQ test administered in a restricted time period. And to allow for familiarity with the test they compared these results to those of a group who hadn't received any training. Remarkably, the study not only demonstrated that fluid intelligence could change with working-memory training, the degree of change was dramatic. With 19 days of training, the fluid intelligence scores for each person in the trained group increased by at least 40% more than those in the non-trained group.
Since the team published its research findings in April there has been considerable interest in this new training method. Members of the general public have been eager to take advantage of it. (In the interests of full disclosure, I must mention that I was so inspired by the results myself that my company right away made the training available as a software program. People who've tried the training at home report experiences that fully support and extend the research findings. Those who have taken a before and after IQ test have found that the training does indeed increase IQ scores.)
With this groundbreaking study we can at last leave behind us the concept of immutable intelligence. I've no doubt that Alfred Binet would be pleased to see his principles vindicated, even though it took more than a century to come about.
About the Author:
Learn more: increasing fluid intelligence by training working-memory. Martin Walker is a member of The British Neuroscience Association, Learning and The Brain, and MENSA. Mind Evolve, LLC publishes free information on the field of neuroscience and brain training, as well as effective, affordable brain training software under the Mind Sparke brand.
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