E176: College Student IQ Has Collapsed: Researcher Breaks Down His New Meta-Analysis - Dr. Bob Uttl

A cognitive psychologist explains why college student IQ now averages about 102, why that shift is mathematically inevitable as enrollment expands, and how outdated testing norms and student-evals can quietly wreck both education and clinical decisions. GUEST BIO Dr. Bob Uttl is a cognitive psychologist and professor at Mount Royal University (Canada) who researches psychometrics, assessment, and how intelligence tests are interpreted and misused in real-world settings. TOPICS DISCUSSED (IN ORDER) What IQ is, how it’s measured, and why scores are standardized (mean 100, SD 15) The Flynn Effect and why “raw ability” rose over the last century Why expanding university enrollment mathematically lowers the average IQ of undergrads The meta-analysis: how the team compiled WAIS results over time and what they found (down to ~102) The Frontiers controversy: accepted, posted, went viral, then “un-accepted” after social media blowback Clinical misuse: comparing modern test-takers to decades-old norms and the harms that follow Impacts inside universities: wider ability range, teaching to the lower tail, boredom at the top Grades + incentives: student evaluations as satisfaction metrics that push standards downward Employers adapting: degrees losing signaling value; rise of employer-run assessments/training Differences across majors and institutions: SAT/GRE as IQ-proxies; fields with feedback/standardized licensure “Reverse Flynn” talk: why some skills crater (speeded arithmetic, fluency) as tools replace practice AI and learning: hallucinations, the need for human judgment, and the possible return of oral exams European exam models vs North American incentives Final takeaways: fix misinformation about undergrad IQ; remove harmful incentives; reintroduce standards MAIN POINTS IQ tests are periodically re-normed, so “100” always tracks the current population average even as raw performance changes. As a larger share of the population attends university, the average IQ of undergrads must move closer to the population mean—this is arithmetic, not an insult. Uttl’s meta-analysis argues today’s undergrads average around 102 IQ, far closer to “average” than older assumptions (e.g., 115+). Outdated norms and sloppy cross-era comparisons can shave ~20+ points off a person “on paper,” creating bogus diagnoses and high-stakes harm (disability decisions, fitness-for-duty, litigation). Universities now teach a wider spread of ability, which pressures instruction toward the lower end unless programs stratify or standardize outcomes. Student evaluations function like customer satisfaction scores; combined with adjunct/contract insecurity, they incentivize grade inflation and lower rigor. Employers respond by discounting degrees and building their own testing/training pipelines. Some “reverse Flynn” patterns may reflect skill/fluency loss (e.g., speeded arithmetic) as calculators/AI replace practice—not necessarily a uniform drop in reasoning. A plausible reform path: reduce reliance on student evals, adopt clearer standards, and consider more direct assessments (including oral exams) where appropriate. BEST 3 QUOTES “The decrease in average IQ of university students is a necessary consequence of increased enrollment.” “Student evaluations of teaching are basically measures of satisfaction.” “We need to remove the misinformation about what is the IQ of undergraduate students.” 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright 💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/ 📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts. ⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!