Does the Raising IQ/Raising g Distinction Explain the Fadeout Effect?

Abstract

Previous investigations into raising IQ show that after an intervention ends, the effects fade away. This paper is an attempt to understand one possible reason for this fadeout. A large (N = 985) randomized controlled trial is re-analyzed to investigate whether the intervention, which began at birth and lasted for the first three years of their life, raised the underlying cognitive factor of IQ tests. The intervention indeed raised the g factor at age three. No such relationship is seen at follow-up assessments at ages five and eight after the intervention ends. Therefore, the raising IQ/raising g distinction is not appropriate to explain the fadeout effect, as changes to the environment can improve the g factor and still fade.

Keywords: Psychology, Education, Human Experimentation, Developmental Experimentation, Cognitive Development