Perceptualand Motor skilb, 2003, 97, 662-664. @ perceptualand Motor skills 200j
A NE,\TESTIMATEOF THE IQ IN ESTONIA'''
RICFIARDLYNN
Uniuersityof Ulster
HELLE PULLMANN, IURI ALLIK
Estonian Centreof Behauiouraland Healtb Sciences
Uniuersit"yof Tartu
Sumnzary-lyfue Standard ProgressiveMatrices was standardized in Estonia in
2001 on a sampleo{ 1,8357- to !1,-yr.-olds.The meanIQ of the Estoniansamplewas
estimated at 98 in relation to a British IQ of 100 and 99 based on the combined results for two studies.
Sfle have recendypublished data for a standardizationof the Standard
ProgressiveMatrices in Estonia for adolescentsaged 12 through 18 years
and estimatedthat the mean IQ of this sampleis 100.2in relation to a British rneanof t00 (Lynn, Allik, Pullmann,& Laidra,2002).In this paper we
report the resultsof a study of the ProgressiveMatricesgiven to a sampleof
Estonian7- through 11-yr.-oldsto examinewhetherthe resultsof theseprimary school children are consistentwith those of the secondaryschool adolescents.These studiesform part of a researchprogram for estimatingthe
meanIQs of different nationspublishedby Lynn and Vanhanen(2002).
Method.-In 2001 the StandardProgressiveMatriceswas standardtzed
in Estoniaon a sampleof L,857junior schooichildren aged7 through 11
years.The samplewas drawn from 17 sociallyand geographicallyrepresentative schoolsfrom all of the 15 Estonian countries (maakond),including the
capital city of Tallinn, smallercities,e.g.,Tartu, small toums,and rural areas.
The sample containedapproximatelyequal numbers of boys (n -965) and
gijr.ls(n-892). The childr€n testedwere in the first four gradesof primary
school (pohikool).Children in Estoniawho attain 7 yearsof age by 1 October of the current year are obiiged to start their studies.Normally the duration of study is nine years.The duration of study, however, may be prolonged becausestudentswho fail in a grade are obliged to repeatthat grade.
Thus, an individual curriculum may be shorter or longer than the norm. As
a result, the agesof studentsin one grade may differ by 2 ot 3 years.The
test was administeredwithout time limits. A descriptionof the test and British norms for children ages6 to 15 yearscollectedn L979are given by Ruven (1981).
Results.-The resultsare given in Table 1. The columnsgive the agesof
'\ilrc
thank Liisa Kiik for helping to collect data. This researchwas supportedbv Estonian
tui'"Itiry- "i'gJ";fi;
f-cie-qceFoundation Grant q5tf and a grant from rh; E ;i""
(0182585).
'Address
enquiriesto R. Lynn, 4 LongwoodHouse,Failand,Bristol BS8lTL, uK.
663
NE\r ESTIMATEOF IQ IN ESTONIA
the children, the numbers at eachage, and the mean scoresand standard
deviationson the test for eachgroup 7 through 11 years.The right hand column givesthe IQs of Estonian children estimatedfrom their percentileson
the British standardization
norms given by Raven(1981).The mean of the
EstonianIQs is 101. This figure needsto be adjustedfor an estimatedincreasein the British IQ from 1979,the year of the British standardization,
The mean British IQ asto 2001,the year of the Estonianstandardization.
Matricesincreasedby approximately2 IQ points a
sessed
by the Progressive
decadeover the period 1938to 1989(Lynn & Hampson,1986).The rate of
increaseof IQs appearsto have declinedduring the last t'wo decadesof the
twentieth century.In the United States,the rate of increaseof the \Wechsler
IQ was 3.3 IQ points per decadeover the period t932-I978 (Flynn, 1984),
but it fell to 1.71over the yearsL978-I995 (Flyttt, 1998).In Denmark the
rate of secularincreaseof a nonverbalreasoningtest similar to the ProgressiveMatricesover the years1988-98wasL.35IQ points (Teasdale& Owen,
assumptionis that the samerate
2000).\7e considerthat the most reasonable
of increasehas taken placefor the ProgressiveMatricesin Britain and therefore that the British IQ increased1.0 IQ points over the period 1979-2001,.
To adjustthe result for Estoniato a British IQ of 100 for 2001,it is thereto deduct 3.0 IQ points from the EstonianIQ, giving an IQ
fore necessary
of 98.
TABLE 1
Dere Fon EsroNreN SreNoenprzertoN oF THE SreNoeno ProcrsssrvE MernrCes
Age (yr.)
Mean IQ
7.0
50
8.0
8.5
9.0
9.5
10.0
10.5
11.0
11.5
252
1,83
223
214
211
226
209
92
L)+
24.82
24.86
26.99
30.34
31.30
)4.79
36.95
37.r8
39.47
40.29
8.95
9.4)
9.50
8.86
9.59
x 11
7.84
8.90
8.87
8.22
L14
104
101
99
100
100
98
96
99
99
in relaDiscussion-The meanIQ of 98 for Estonian7- to 11-yr.-o1ds,
tion to a British meanof l-00,reportedhere is closeto the IQ of 100.2as in
our previousstudy of Estonianadolescentsaged 12 through 18 years(Lynn,
et al., 2002). The high IQ obtained by the Estonian 7-yr.-olds and the
slighdylower IQ obtainedby the primary schoolchildren comparedwith the
,..ondury school children should probably be attributed to samplingerrors.
Combining the resultsof the two studiesgivesan IQ for Estoniaof 99. The
664
R LYNN. ET AL.
interest of the study is that it showsthat the result obtained in our first
study of secondaryschool children is replicable and reliable and that, despite somecultural, environmental,and economicdifferences,the IQ in Estonia is virnrally identical to that in Britain and other Europeanpeoples.
REFERENCES
FrrNN,j. R (1984) The mean IQ of Americans:massivegains 1932to 1978. PsychologicalBulletin,95,29-57.
FrysNN,
J. R (1998) \fAIS-m and SIISC-III IQ gains in the United Statesftom 1972 to 1995:
how to compensatefor obsoletenorms.Pirieptual and Motor Skills,86,1234-1242.
LyNN,R-, A.lLrK,J., Punu.e.NN,H., &Ianone, K. (2002) A smdy of intelligencein Estonia. Psychological Reports,91, 1022-L026.
Lyr.rN,R., & HaupsoN, S. L. (1986) The rise of national intelligence: evidence from Britain,
Japanand the USA. Personalityand IndiuidualDffirences,7, )23-332.
LwN, R., &VeNneNsN,T. (2002) IQ and the wealth of nations.\trestport, CT: Praeger.
Oxford, UK: Oxford PsychologistsPress.
Rawu, J. (1981) lrish and British standardisatiozs.
(2000)
Forry-yearsecular trends in cognitive abilities. IntelliTresoen, T. \tr, &OlrrN, D. R.
gence,28,L15-I20.
AcceptedAugust 20, 2003.