Thursday's Psychology Trivia Answer: Who Is Dumber? Victorians or Google Searchers?

Take off the Dunce Cap*

Thought for the Day: This week we have been looking at what makes education work. We started with the debate over the time & energy spent on standardized testing raised by a poster on Sunday's Comic Strips.  Yesterday's Words of Wisdom were from Mary MacCracken encouraging educators to utilize sincere caring & find educational opportunities in all types of experiences. How will the internet & google searching impact on our intelligence?  The answer to today's trivia question may shed some light on the future of men & women's intelligence. On Tuesday's Psychology Trivia we asked:  
     
    Are we dumber than our Victorian ancestors? Who's IQ is higher? 
             a) Victorians
             b) People today

The answer is a. &, or b., depending on how you measure intelligence. A controversial study, by Dr. Jan te Niijenhuis & his colleagues, led me to ask this trivia question. Dr. Jan te Niijenhuis, a professor from the University of Amsterdam, found that all our technological advances & educational opportunities have not increased our IQ. In fact, according to his study, we have lost 14 IQ points since the Victorian Era. To measure such a shift, Dr. Jan te Niijenhuis analyzed the results of 14 intelligence studies conducted between 1884 to 2004. They used reaction time to measure a person’s mental processing speed as an indicator of general intelligence. One explanation they give for the decrease in general intelligence is related to the industrial revolution, the shift to cities & access to steady food supply. So, if we trust their findings, modern man is dumber than his or her Victorian ancestors.

Their findings are even more discouraging since they attribute the loss of IQ to women with higher IQ's having fewer children than women with lower intelligence. When searching for an image for this post, I felt uncomfortable choosing a girl in a dunce cap, but there were only cartoons or this photo to choose from. It would be sad to let this study's findings discourage women & girls from their their hard fought quest for knowledge, equal educational opportunities & advancement & make women feel guilty for having less children.

I prefer to see the decrease seen in IQ scores as a reflection of the methodology the researchers chose to measure intelligence. Since we no longer need to hunt for food, our reaction time is slower in modern times, but is that really an indication of lower intelligence? Other measures are better indicators of intelligence & problem solving skills necessary in modern times. When standardized tests of intelligence are used, the results are significantly different.

**Perhaps Victorians should wear the Dunce cap

It does not surprise me that a study conducted by James Flynn found a steady rise in IQ scores around the world since the 1940's. When any standardized IQ test, like the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), is used to measure intelligence, they consistently find an 18 point increase in IQ since 1949 (3 points per decade). Because of this rise, called the Flynn Effect, IQ tests need to be revised & re-standardized. This would suggest that intelligence is increasing, not decreasing, in our era thanks to better education, nutrition & technological advances. Perhaps, the rise in the numbers of educated women & working mothers since World War II, is actually contributing to a well documented rise in IQ. Therefore, educated mothers don't need to feel guilty for working or having less children & girls should put the dunce cap on their Victorian ancestors' heads, since women's educational advances may play a role in the rise in intelligence in the modern world.

Which study do you think is more accurate? Are we dumber than our Victorian ancestors?

The jury is still out on how computers & the internet will impact on IQ. What skills will our children need in the future? Some people worry that memory skills will decrease, since computers & google searches will replace our memory. How important are standardized tests & memorized knowledge in a world where information is at our fingertips in seconds? Should problem solving, creativity & learning how to analyze information be the goals of education? What are your thoughts?


*Photo from FlickrCC.com
* Take Off the Dunce Cap 'untitled' http-/www.flickr.com/photos/9020344@N02/7990153054 
** 'Queen Victoria' http-/www.flickr.com/photos/96526303@N00/3435244541

Motivational Mondays: #Gunsense Send Your Message to Congress

Thought for the Day: This Monday, I'd like to start the week off by helping you have a voice in Washington DC, but I will need your help to do it. Those of you following my blog have seen multiple posts about the rising violence in our society. As a psychologist, I am concerned about the traumatic impact this rise in violence has on our society. From bullying (Bullying Part I, Bullying Part II,  Bullying Part III , Bullying Part IV), to intolerance, to educational & mental health proposals to the Newtown tragedy, I have been raising my voice for saner gun control, more respect & tolerance in our society. I have written to the president asking for changes not only in gun control, but also in education & mental health provisions to help curb bullying & violence in our schools & society. This Wednesday, I will get a chance to speak my mind with senators & congressmen in Washington DC when I join a nonpartisan group of concerned mothers & fathers, Moms Demand Action for Gunsense in America. Statistically 90% of Americans want more #gunsense when it comes to legislation about safer control of guns, ie. enforcing background checks, closing loopholes which allow transfers of guns without background checks, & stopping of gun trafficking of illegal guns from state to state.

I would like your help today. If you have something you hope I will be able to convey to representatives in congress, please post a comment. I will bring along a print out with your comments to leave with every representative that I see. Feel free to write your feelings about the rise in gun violence & how it has impacted you, your children & your community. You are all experts on how the news about Newtown, Aurora & other gun violence have impacted on you. If you are a parent, how did you feel when you sent your children to school on the bus after the Newtown tragedy? Are you worried about their safety? Do you want teachers to carry guns? Have your children asked you questions that you are struggling to answer? If you are a retired teacher in Indiana, Wyoming or anywhere in the United States who found yourself crying all weekend after Newtown, write about it. If you are a therapist & have been speaking with your clients about their fears & concerns, please write about what your clients are feeling.  Your voice, feelings & experiences are important.

I will be joining mothers (& fathers) from across the nation for a day long event followed by a press conference with Senators Barbara Boxer & Diane Feinstein as two of the slated speakers. I will share my thoughts & impressions here as soon as possible, so check back often. (I may add additional posts or change the line up of posts, so this might be a good time to follow or set up an RSS feed of the blog.)

Please post whatever messages you would like to have me bring to the hill!

#FF Friday's Fab Finds: Art, Education, & Inspiration

Thought for the Day: This week I had too many finds to fit the post, so I held on to some for next week. By then I may have 15 or more to choose from! Let me know if you would like more or less finds each week. I have 5 great finds for you to explore. There are stories about amazing teachers who go above & beyond the call of duty, endangered artwork on part of the remaining segments of the Berlin Wall, a mind boggling viral video about the distribution of wealth in America, a mom's invention, that was right beneath her son's feet & how a woman overcame adversity & became a supporter & role model for homeless teens.

I hope you will have time to check these out over the weekend. While you are at it, you may want to come back to listen to Saturday's Songs for the Soul (last weeks segment featured Psychology & Music). This week I feature a songwriter who's songs have been covered by Elton John, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt & Faith Hill to name just a few.  I have been fortunate enough to get to know this amazing writer who taught at one of the songwriting retreats that I organized. She has used music as therapy & in the process has helped others as well. On Sunday you can check out Sunday's Comic Strips (last week's Sundays Comic Strips) which bring a humorous look at psychology. Have a great weekend!

Here are this week's Fabulous Finds-->

1) The first find is by Julie Fishman from Mom.Me. In a slide show: Leaders to Admire, she features teachers who, "Despite budget cuts, pink slips & unions under fire, a lot of our nation’s teachers are working harder than ever. From raising money, to starting clubs, to working without pay, the 10-plus following teachers have inspired students, parents and community members with their tenacious efforts and huge hearts. Read on for your daily dose of optimism."

http://mom.me/parenting/education/6186-inspiring-teachers/

2) The second story is a find that may soon be lost. It is endangered artwork which is an integral part of the history of the Berlin Wall. A picture is worth a thousand words & this link takes you to my third fabulous find, a video on Huffington Post Arts & Culture with pictures of the historic artwork which may be destroyed. I'm not an architect, but I would suggest that they find a way to incorporate the wall into the plans. Any hotel that did would become a destination & an instant landmark.

Berlin's Famous Street Art Threatened »

3) My third fabulous find is a Video explaining the distribution of wealth in the United States.

The differences between people's impression of the distribution of wealth, the ideal people imagine & the reality of how wealth is distributed in our country may surprise you.

4) Marlo Thomas's blog share wonderful inspirational stories about women achieving their dreams. This week a story she shared is my fourth fabulous find. It tells the story of how a mother faced with her husband's chronic illness & the need for a source of income found an unmet need on a baseball field & persevered till she created a solution: Cleatskins,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/baseball-mom-scores-big-marlo-thomas-it-aint-over_n_2759258.html?icid=maing-grid7|heroes|dl39|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D279314

5) Finally, my fifth find is another inspiring video about how a woman, Lauri Burns, overcame her abusive & tumultuous upbringing & what led her to becoming an advocate for foster kids & homeless teens with the Teen Project.  --> 

http://www.makers.com/lauri-burns?icid=maing-grid7|heroes|dl29|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D278402

I hope you like these finds & share them with your friends. Let me know what you think. Would you like me to share more or less finds? What do you think about them?

 
 

Bullying Part V: Are We Riding on a Runaway Bus? Bullying Is the Symptom, Society is the Patient

A Segment from Bullying of Bus Monitor, Karen Klein

Thought for the Day: A 68 year old bus monitor was bullied to tears on Monday leading to a flood of reactions world wide on YouTube & in conventional media. It has lead to an outpouring of support for Karen Klein, the woman bullied on the bus including a fund to send her on vacation which has raised enough for her to consider retiring. There are stories all over the internet, but you can read one report here: Bullying of Bus Monitor My initial response was anger & I wondered why the bus driver was not alerted to the abuse. Why didn't they stop the bus? The more I think about it, the incident simply reinforces my belief that bullying is symptomatic of a societal illness. We, as a society are all riding on a runaway bus. We need to take back control. If we don't intervene, together, we are all responsible for the increase in bullying among children. I am working on developing ideas to help our society stop bullying & would love to hear your thoughts & suggestions. I need your support to help make a difference.

It is easier to point fingers at & blame the children, their parents or a single school system & pretend that this is just an isolated incident, but if we do, we will miss the mark. As I have been reporting in this series (Bullying Part I, Bullying Part II,  Bullying Part III , Bullying Part IV), bullying is an epidemic across the nation & around the world. Children are bullying children & teens to death. Some of the statistics include a Yale University  study which found bullied teens are 2 to nine times more likely to consider suicide. Bullied children are at times so angry that they are using firearms & attacking their classmates & teachers. Many youth have no respect for one another, adults or elders. The stories are always sensational. The media tells the story till the interest dies down. Often we react for a short time & feel the problem has been addressed.

When a child commits suicide, school systems bring in a team of therapists for a short period of time & then business goes back to usual. All too often, I see students, like Judy, (not her real name) in my private practice where brief "band-aid" solutions have occurred. Judy's best friend had died in a car accident. The school seemed to do all the right things. They held memorials, had therapists at school for the first week. Just a few months later, teachers had no patience for Judy when she was having trouble concentrating on her school work & her grades were slipping. They told her she should just get over it. Fortunately, her parents supported her request to see a therapist. Any intervention needs to be more comprehensive & last for at least a year. Teachers & students will need continued training to become more sensitive to their students needs following any traumatic event.

In family therapy, the family system is the patient. Often what psychologists call the "identified patient" or "IP" is seen as the the healthiest member of the family who recognizes that there is a problem & consciously or unconsciously, helps get the family into therapy. Their inappropriate behavior is symptomatic of the family's problems. Just as the whole family needs therapy in family systems models, the bully or bullying behavior is symptomatic of a societal problem. The interventions need to be with the society as a whole, not just a specific bully, victim & school system or town.

We all pay taxes which support our schools. Towns across the nation are cutting education budgets. Educators are forced to focus on the three R's & standardized test scores, while we are failing to teach our children to respect all human beings. Bullying is symptomatic of a society in need of comprehensive interventions. We need to get our priorities straight. If we do not speak up & demand that schools, parents, teachers & towns develop community wide programs to address this complex problem, we are all to blame & we will continue to see the rise in bullying & violence in our schools.

There are anti-bullying programs already being used successfully in some communities, but the scope needs to be broadened even more. The solutions need to come from people from all walks of life & varied professions. Both public & private, for profit corporations & non-profit organizations, film & media outlets, & all levels of educators from preschool to post graduate universities, parents, grandparents & childless couples need to join together creatively in efforts to heal an ailing society. If we put our resources together. it will take time, but we can make a difference.

We must take the wheel & be the drivers & monitors of society's runaway bus. Together we can stop it & get it moving in the right direction. I hope you become part of the solutions by sharing your comments.