21st October 2011 9:00
By Blue Tutors
A new study published this week suggests that IQ scores can change considerably throughout adolescence, challenging earlier beliefs that a person’s IQ was fixed from childhood. The results of the study are likely to impact considerably on the testing industry, which relies heavily on the concept of a fixed IQ.
Common entrance exams in England are popular methods of selection, taken at 11 or 13 years old. The study suggests that these tests are far less effective than previously thought in predicting a child’s educational outcome, because IQ has been shown to change in parallel with changes in the brain that occur during adolescence.
The study urged the educational community to consider the various factors involved, including biological development of nerves in the brain, and also the impact of intellectual stimulation at this crucial time in development. The researchers at UCL found that their subject’s IQs rose or fell by as many as 21 points over 4 years. These results are extremely significant, suggesting not only that a child’s educational and employment potential cannot be determined through key stage 3 exams, but also that intellectual stimulation during adolescence can have a profound effect on brain development.