Note: Since money is tight, we apologize for not shelling out $ 36.95 for the purchase of the study A reversal of the Flynn effect for spatial perception in German-speaking countries: Evidence from a cross-temporal IRT-based meta-analysis (1977–2014).
The abstract will do just fine for us.
What is a spatial perception test? It involves 3D patterns and cubes, like the examples on this website. If you correctly match a flat pattern to a cube, or if you can identify a hidden symbol by looking at 3 representations of a cube, you are smart.
The "Flynn effect" says that the IQ of people tends to increase over the generations. There are several proposed explanations for this, including schooling, a more stimulating environment, nutrition, infectious diseases, less inbreeding.
The study on the spatial perception of Germans, though, claims we show an inverse u-shaped trajectory of IQ test performance changes in a large number of samples (k = 96; N = 13,172) on a well-known test for spatial perception (the three-dimensional cubes test, 3DC) in German-speaking countries over 38 years (1977–2014).
This sounds rather worrying, doesn't it? The good thing is, you don't need a 3D ability to visualize an "inverse U" - 2D is completely sufficient. Flip that U upside down, and you understand what the study says: Spatial reasoning of Germans went up, and then down.
The abstract of the study says: Our result suggest saturation and diminishing returns of IQ increasing factors (e.g., life history speed), which advocates of any "slow movement" may find very convincing. In addition, it says negative associations of IQ changes with psychometric g may have led to the observed IQ score decrease in more recent years.
The "g" in psychometric g is short for "general factor" (thanks Wikipedia), a general ability factor, which [Spearman] labeled g, and a large number of narrow task-specific ability factors. Also, critics say that emphasis on g is misplaced and entails a devaluation of other important abilities.
While the blogster has not followed test changes and modifications of metrics for quite some time, the critics seem to have a point which could have been discovered by MISPWOSO, the University of Maximegalon Institute of Slowly and Painfully Working Out the Surprisingly Obvious.
Should we be worried about Germans potentially experiencing the world flatter than it may really be? This biased blogster would say, only as far as the works of philosopher Heidegger go and in relation to the legal concept of the state as a transcending entity.
Who knows, they might return to an upwards trajectory of spatial perception ability once 3D virtual reality become cheap and pervasive.
The blogster will avoid any 3D cubes test until artificial intelligence the size of, say, a Halloween chocolate eyeball can be unobtrusively used to ace the test.
Another simple way to train spatial perception might be to meet your friends in person more often instead of being satisfied with miniature 2D versions on social media.
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