The Flynn Effect and Its Clinical Implications

The Flynn effect is undoubtedly one of the most puzzling observations made during the last 30 years in the domain of human intelligence. In 1984, Flynn published an article in which he analyzed 73 U.S. studies (N total=7431) comparing the scores on several intelligence tests across time (Stanford-Binet Intelligence scales and Wechsler scales). All these studies compared the IQs obtained by a sample of individuals on each test and on the previous version of the same test, i.e., using norms collected in the U.S. population at two different points of time. These studies used 10 different norms, collected from 1932 to 1978. Several of Flynn’s questions are discussed in this chapter, bringing into focus the consequences of the FE on the clinical use of intelligence tests, especially the WISC-V.