does iq reduce with age

Introduction

The relationship between age and IQ has been a subject of extensive research. Various studies have explored how IQ changes over the lifespan, considering factors such as heritability, mental health, physical health, and socioeconomic status. This synthesis aims to present a cohesive understanding of whether IQ reduces with age based on multiple research findings.

Key Insights

Stability of IQ Over Time:
- IQ tends to remain stable from adolescence into adulthood, with heritability reaching an asymptote at about 0.80 by age 18-20 and continuing at that level well into adulthood.
- In individuals with Williams syndrome, overall IQ remains stable with age, although Performance IQ may increase.
- In institutionalized mentally retarded populations, Full Scale IQ does not decrease with age; slight increments are observed, particularly in Performance IQ.
Impact of Physical Health:
- The effect of age on fluid intelligence is fully mediated by physical health, particularly diseases of the circulatory and nervous systems. Crystallized intelligence, however, is not mediated by physical health.
Early Life IQ and Later Life Outcomes:
- Higher IQ in early life is associated with better mental and physical health outcomes in later life, suggesting that early cognitive ability can buffer against age-related decline .
- Higher IQ in adolescence is linked to a younger subjective age in later life, mediated by higher openness.
Mental Health and Cognitive Function:
- Higher intelligence in youth is associated with a reduced risk of self-reported mental health problems at age 50, although it is linked with an increased risk of receiving a diagnosis of depression by age 50.
Cognitive Aging and Mortality:
- Higher IQ in the first two decades of life is related to lower rates of total mortality in middle to late adulthood, indicating that early cognitive ability has long-term health benefits .

Conclusion

The research collectively suggests that IQ does not necessarily reduce with age. While fluid intelligence may decline, this effect is largely mediated by physical health. Crystallized intelligence remains stable, and early life IQ has a significant impact on later life outcomes, including mental and physical health. Overall, maintaining good physical health and leveraging early cognitive abilities can help mitigate age-related cognitive decline.

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Does iq reduce with age

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

The Wilson Effect: The Increase in Heritability of IQ With Age

The heritability of IQ increases with age, reaching an asymptote of 0.80 at 18-20 years of age and continuing at that level well into adulthood, while shared environmental influence decreases across age.

Intelligence in youth and mental health at age 50

Higher intelligence in youth is associated with reduced self-reported mental health problems at age 50, but an increased risk of depression by the age of 50.

Higher IQ in adolescence is related to a younger subjective age in later life: Findings from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

Higher IQ in adolescence is associated with a younger subjective age in later life, with openness acting as a mediator.

The relationship between age and IQ in adults with Williams syndrome.

Adults with Williams syndrome show a stable overall IQ, but Performance IQ increases with age, suggesting that overall IQ may remain stable.

Psychological and physical health at age 70 in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936: links with early life IQ, SES, and current cognitive function and neighborhood environment.

High early-life IQ at age 11 can buffer the effects of adverse environments on physical and mental health problems in old age.

Premorbid (early life) IQ and later mortality risk: systematic review.

Higher IQ in the first two decades of life is associated with lower rates of total mortality in middle to late adulthood.

Aging and IQ Change in Institutionalized Mentally Retarded

Full Scale IQ does not decrease with age in institutionalized mentally retarded individuals, but Performance IQ shows larger and more consistent increments.

Age and IQ effects on stimulus and response timing

Increased age and decreasing IQ tend to increase variability in judgments of duration, but overall accuracy in timing tasks remains generally consistent across groups.

The effect of age on fluid intelligence is fully mediated by physical health.

The decline in fluid intelligence with age is fully mediated by physical health, with circulatory and nervous system diseases being the major mediators.

The impact of childhood intelligence on later life: following up the Scottish mental surveys of 1932 and 1947.

Childhood intelligence has a significant impact on survival and health in old age, with stable IQ scores from age 11 to 80, sex differences in cognitive aging, and a dedifferentiation hypothesis of cognitive aging.

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