> CB: With respect to IQ tests, couldn't it also be that the problem
> types, even specific questions, have gradually seeped into the common
> sense grapevine of the masses. There are also many test prep courses,
> books and materials available now that haven't always been available.
> Even "puzzle" books. The type of problem that IQ testers consider a
> test of "intelligence" is not as much of a secret as it was 80 years
> ago; and that type of test problem probably hasn't changed as much as
> the awareness of it has leaked out into general knowledge. Probably a
> lot of teachers use standardized style questions and tests in there
> regular curricula than did in the past. Standardized testing culture
> has merged into elementary and high school academic culture.
>
> There's a diffusion of the standardized test mode of thought as well as
> the "scientific mode".
This won't really serve to explain the rise of IQ scores, in my opinion, primarily because the rise observed is a rise in the *mean*, most of which comes from rising scores in the bottom half, while the top half remains stable. So the "smart" kids aren't necessarily getting any smarter. The "dumb" ones are. And I would imagine these aren't the types who revel in practice tests or soak up the standardization culture. Many believe rising scores are caused by nothing more exciting than better nutrition and such, i.e., the same factors that cause populations to increase in average height over time. And that makes perfect sense to me.
And, many people forget, the Flynn Effect is a worldwide phenomenon, so any "cultural" explanations would have to account for that.