/> Remaining a student for longer can help improve your IQ and intelligence[/caption] As discussed in previous posts, IQs can change over time. In particular, IQ scores may change fairly substantially during childhood and typically stabilize in your teenage years. This can be seen as good news as there may be scope to influence the development of IQ . But it is important to distinguish between the different types of intelligence and how easy it is to improve each type. We also emphasize in this post that it it much easier to improve your IQ score than it is to genuinely improve your intelligence, although both are possible with practice, dedication and suitable lifestyle choices. In simple terms, general intelligence can be decomposed into two parts: (1) Fluid intelligence, which represents one’s ability to solve novel problems; and (2) Crystallized intelligence, which relates to one’s ability to learn, retrieve and apply concepts that are either taught or learned. Crystallized intelligence for instance, is much higher in people who pursue advanced degrees or who read a lot of intellectually stimulating materials. Now that we understand the broad types of intelligence, how do these change as we age?Fluid intelligence peaks in our mid 20s, and begins a fairly steep decline thereafter. Crystallized intelligence, on the other hand, grows steadily until your mid 50s and begins a gentle decline thereafter. Scientific studies therefore confirm that IQ levels change naturally over time, although is possible to alter the so-called natural trajectory as discussed below.
Improve your IQ as well as your general intelligence
First and foremost, it has been shown that fluid intelligence is more difficult to improve relative to crystallized intelligence. This is so because fluid intelligence is thought to be largely innate and reflects your ability to solve problems that you should never have encountered before. Unlike studying for an exam (which makes higher use of crystallized intelligence, and the left hemisphere of the brain) for which you know broadly what materials may be tested, there is limited scope for teaching someone how to be able to react more effectively to never-before encountered situations. What would the curriculum of this course look like? If fluid intelligence is assessed by measuring someone’s ability to solve novel problems, it clearly would make no sense to have a training session to prepare the student on how to solve the problems that are likely to be encountered on such a test. But the case for improving your fluid intelligence is not a hopeless one. Enter working memory. Working memory is your mental scratchpad or chalkboard which holds information temporarily while you attempt to solve a particular problem. Training your working memory is one of the few approaches that have garnered some scientific support in respect of your ability to genuinely improve your fluid intelligence. More specific training methods will be discussed on future posts. All of this said, it is easier to improve your IQ score on fluid intelligence tests (i.e. your IQ score) than it is to genuinely improve your fluid intelligence. You can improve your IQ score on a fluid intelligence test by following these recommended steps:- Practice speed and thinking under pressure: this will help ensure that you don’t lose seconds unnecessarily on a timed fluid intelligence test. Processing speed (Gs) is trainable
- Attempt as many different types of fluid intelligence tests as possible as you will then begin to establish patterns in respect of the types of questions that might crop up on these tests. In other words, you are diminishing the surprise element on the test or the novel factor by exposing yourself to more types of situations that are meant to be novel
- Take each test more than once, and you will start seeing patterns that you may not have spotted the first time around. Practice effects resulting in improvement of up to 8 IQ points are widely known
- Learning new skills has been shown to increase the amount of grey matter in your brain. Learning how to juggle and practicing for at least 30 minutes a day will help your reflexes and processing speed
- It has been shown that for groups, each year of additional schooling raises IQ
- Read more complex material and stretch yourself
- Learning a new language, particularly a complex one with a different alphabet, can also bolster cognition
