Denise Andrzejewski

Systematic generational test score increases, commonly known as the Flynn effect, have been extensively documented in younger populations. However, much less is known about whether and how this phenomenon manifests in later adulthood. This study provides the first systematic examination of the Flynn effect and changes in the positive manifold of intelligence among older adults (aged 50+) across 22 countries from 2005 to 2022, using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Results revealed predominantly positive Flynn effects across five cognitive domains, with verbal fluency exhibiting the strongest gains ( d = 0.48), followed by working memory ( d = 0.38) and free recall ( d = 0.27) whilst numeracy showed weaker effects ( d range 0.07-0.08). When accounting for age and education, the observed effects were substantially attenuated, and were differentiated across domains and countries in terms of strength and direction. Interestingly, the positive manifold appeared to somewhat increase in strength, but showed considerable country-specific differences. In all, our findings demonstrate cross-temporal changes in executive functioning that are differentiated according to specific domains, but are unrelated to shifts in the positive manifold of intelligence.

After almost a century of global generational IQ test score gains, the Flynn effect has, in the past decades, been observed to show stagnation and reversals in several countries. Tentative evidence from academic achievement data has suggested that these trajectory changes may be rooted in a decreasing strength of the positive manifold of intelligence due to increasing ability differentiation and specialization in the general population. Here, we provide direct evidence for generational IQ test score and positive manifold strength changes based on IQ test standardization data from 1392 Austrian residents between 2005 and 2018. Our analyses revealed positive Flynn effects across all domains of the IQ test (Cohen’s d from 0.21 to 0.91) but a trend toward decreasing strength in the positive manifold of intelligence (R² from .908 to .892), though these changes were not statistically significant. Our results are consistent with the idea that increasingly inconsistent Flynn effect trajectories may be attributed to increasing ability differentiation and specialization in the general population over time.

High rates of mental health problems are a growing concern in Czech higher education, negatively impacting students’ performance and wellbeing. Despite the serious nature of poor mental health, students often do not seek help because of negative attitudes and shame over mental health problems. Recent mental health research reports self-compassion is strongly associated with better mental health and reduced shame. However, relationships between those constructs remain to be evaluated among Czech students. This study aims to appraise the relationships between mental health problems, negative mental health attitudes, mental health shame, and self-compassion in this population. An opportunity sample of 119 psychology students from a Czech university completed questionnaires regarding these constructs. Correlation, regression, and path analyses were conducted. Mental health problems were positively associated with negative mental health attitudes and shame, and negatively associated with self-compassion. Self-compassion negatively predicted mental health problems, while negative attitudes and shame did not. Last, self-compassion fully mediated the negative attitudes-mental health problems relationship, and partially mediated the shame-mental health problems relationship. Findings suggest self-compassion is essential for mental health in Czech students and associated with negative mental health attitudes and mental health shame. Czech universities can benefit from incorporating self-compassion training into their curricula to protect students’ mental health.