Young people's IQ scores have started to deteriorate¹ after climbing steadily² since World War Two, a new study has found.

 

一项新研究发现，二战以后，年轻人的智力水平曾经历过一个稳步上升的阶段，此后，年轻人的智力水平开始不断下降。

 

The fall, which equates³ to about seven points per generation, is believed to have begun with those born in 1975, according to the first authoritative⁴ study of the phenomenon.

 

The drop in scores marks the end of a trend – known as the Flynn effect – which has seen average IQs rise for the past 60 to 70 years by roughly three points a decade.

 

Scientists have described the results as 'impressive' but 'pretty worrying', according to the Times.

 

The decline is to do with a difference in the way languages and maths are taught in schools, scientists have suggested.

 

However, it could also be down to people spending more time on technological⁵ devices instead of reading books.

 

Stuart Ritchie, a psychologist at the University of Edinburgh who did not take part in the research, told the newspaper: 'This is the most convincing evidence yet of a reversal of the Flynn Effect.

 

'If you assume their model is correct, the results are impressive, and pretty worrying.'

点击收听单词发音