PSYC 106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Dysgenics, Normal Distribution, Gene Therapy

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 106
• Professor: Sherri Atwood

Document Summary

If the smartest people are having the fewest children (dysgenic fertility) and. Inherited intelligence is going down over generations but acquired intelligence is going up. At least this is the case if reaction time is a basic indicator of mental ability as galton suggested: though potential problems with the reliability and validity of old data raise concerns, these findings are worth pondering. Economics and education: one of the best predictors of intelligence is wealth (ses). Being raised in a high ses family can raise 12-18 iq points. Low ses may impair brain development (most influential in early childhood). High ses families are more likely to provide intellectual stimulation: the correlation between amount of formal education and intelligence is large (r=. 55-. 90). Smart people tend to stay in school and school makes people smarter. Education may improve test-taking ability rather than general cognitive ability.