A estabilidade da inteligência da infância à idade adulta

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to verify the stability and variables associated to changes in intelligence throughout life. In order to reach this goal, 120 youngsters aged between 19 and 28 years (average = 23.57 standard deviation = 2.30), being 68 (56.7%) men and 52 (43.3%) women, were evaluated, initially evaluated in 2002 at the Pedagogical Center of the UFMG when they were still children. Already in the adult phase, each participant was evaluated with cognitive measures in the Laboratory of Evaluation of Individual Differences. Raven's Progressive Matrices were applied as a measure of fluid intelligence and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales (WAIS-III) as a measure of crystallized intelligence. In addition, the subjects answered an individual interview and sociodemographic questionnaires. The results indicated significant correlations between measures obtained in childhood and adulthood, suggesting intellectual stability. More specifically, a positive correlation of 0.480 (p < 0.001) was found between the fluid intelligence measured at both moments. The correlation between the WISC-III IQ-verbal obtained in 2002 and WAIS-III IQ-verbal after the 12-year interval was 0.461 (p < 0.001). Regarding the educational level of the participants, it was verified that those with high results in childhood reached higher levels of formation in adulthood. It replicates in this way the findings of international studies which maintain that intelligence is associated with better academic results. Given the existence of intelligence stability, the challenge for education to increase it or even prevent it from declining seems to be a more complex than education policies.