Wait, Where’s the Flynn Effect on the WAIS-5?

The recent release of the WAIS-5, a decade and a half after its predecessor, the WAIS-IV, raises immediate questions about the Flynn effect (FE). Does the traditional FE of points per decade in the U.S. for children and adults, identified for the Full Scale IQs of all Wechsler scales and for other g...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Emily L. Winter, Sierra M. Trudel, Alan S. Kaufman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Journal of Intelligence
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/12/11/118
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850068523462688768
author Emily L. Winter
Sierra M. Trudel
Alan S. Kaufman
author_facet Emily L. Winter
Sierra M. Trudel
Alan S. Kaufman
author_sort Emily L. Winter
collection DOAJ
description The recent release of the WAIS-5, a decade and a half after its predecessor, the WAIS-IV, raises immediate questions about the Flynn effect (FE). Does the traditional FE of points per decade in the U.S. for children and adults, identified for the Full Scale IQs of all Wechsler scales and for other global IQ scores as well, persist into the 2020s? The WAIS-5 Technical and Interpretive Manual provides two counterbalanced validity studies that address the Flynn effect directly—<i>N</i> = 186 adolescents and adults (16–90 years, mean age = 47.8) tested on the WAIS-IV and WAIS-5; and <i>N</i> = 98 16-year-olds tested on the WISC-V and WAIS-5. The FE is incorporated into the diagnostic criteria for intellectual disabilities by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), by DSM-5-TR, and in capital punishment cases. The unexpected result of the two counterbalanced studies was a reduction in the Flynn effect from the expected value of 3 IQ points to 1.2 points. These findings raise interesting questions regarding whether the three point adjustment to FSIQs should be continued for intellectual disability diagnosis and whether the federal courts should rethink its guidelines for capital punishment cases and other instances of high stakes decision-making. Limitations include a lack of generalization to children, the impact of the practice effects, and a small sample size.
format Article
id doaj-art-47b229a461194b2b8d50cf3319273ca0
institution DOAJ
issn 2079-3200
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Journal of Intelligence
spelling doaj-art-47b229a461194b2b8d50cf3319273ca02025-08-20T02:48:02ZengMDPI AGJournal of Intelligence2079-32002024-11-01121111810.3390/jintelligence12110118Wait, Where’s the Flynn Effect on the WAIS-5?Emily L. Winter0Sierra M. Trudel1Alan S. Kaufman2School of Health Sciences, Touro University, 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036, USADepartment of Psychology, Marist College, 3399 North Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, USANeag School of Education, University of Connecticut, Charles B. Gentry Building, 249 Glenbrook Road U-3064, Storrs, CT 06269, USAThe recent release of the WAIS-5, a decade and a half after its predecessor, the WAIS-IV, raises immediate questions about the Flynn effect (FE). Does the traditional FE of points per decade in the U.S. for children and adults, identified for the Full Scale IQs of all Wechsler scales and for other global IQ scores as well, persist into the 2020s? The WAIS-5 Technical and Interpretive Manual provides two counterbalanced validity studies that address the Flynn effect directly—<i>N</i> = 186 adolescents and adults (16–90 years, mean age = 47.8) tested on the WAIS-IV and WAIS-5; and <i>N</i> = 98 16-year-olds tested on the WISC-V and WAIS-5. The FE is incorporated into the diagnostic criteria for intellectual disabilities by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), by DSM-5-TR, and in capital punishment cases. The unexpected result of the two counterbalanced studies was a reduction in the Flynn effect from the expected value of 3 IQ points to 1.2 points. These findings raise interesting questions regarding whether the three point adjustment to FSIQs should be continued for intellectual disability diagnosis and whether the federal courts should rethink its guidelines for capital punishment cases and other instances of high stakes decision-making. Limitations include a lack of generalization to children, the impact of the practice effects, and a small sample size.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/12/11/118Flynn effectIQ testscognitive assessmentWechsler scalesWAIS-5WAIS-IV
spellingShingle Emily L. Winter
Sierra M. Trudel
Alan S. Kaufman
Wait, Where’s the Flynn Effect on the WAIS-5?
Journal of Intelligence
Flynn effect
IQ tests
cognitive assessment
Wechsler scales
WAIS-5
WAIS-IV
title Wait, Where’s the Flynn Effect on the WAIS-5?
title_full Wait, Where’s the Flynn Effect on the WAIS-5?
title_fullStr Wait, Where’s the Flynn Effect on the WAIS-5?
title_full_unstemmed Wait, Where’s the Flynn Effect on the WAIS-5?
title_short Wait, Where’s the Flynn Effect on the WAIS-5?
title_sort wait where s the flynn effect on the wais 5
topic Flynn effect
IQ tests
cognitive assessment
Wechsler scales
WAIS-5
WAIS-IV
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/12/11/118
work_keys_str_mv AT emilylwinter waitwherestheflynneffectonthewais5
AT sierramtrudel waitwherestheflynneffectonthewais5
AT alanskaufman waitwherestheflynneffectonthewais5