1. IQ on the Rise in Rural Kenya from 1984 to 1998 1984 1998 Ravens Progressive Matrices* 12.8 17.4 Picture Vocabulary 24.5 27.0 Digit Span 4.6 5.0 n.s. *IQ increase over 14 years:.8-1.75 SD or 11-24 pts From Psychological Science, 2003

2. What Factors are Implicated? 1984 1998 Food intake: Energy (kilocalories) 1,506 1,762 Protein 44 g 53 g Health status: hemoglobin deficiency 10% 27% (e.g., iron, vitamin, folic acid deficiency) Hookworm: 36% 18%

3. Have children learned to be better test-takers? Authors argue No. The 3 tests administered are very different from Kenyan standardized tests and are not familiar to Embu teachers.

4. Environmental Complexity? 1984 1998 Prefrabricated toys and games Absent Absent placemats in restaurants Absent Absent Cereal boxes Absent Absent Household with television 0% 9% Billboards, complicated visual packaging unknown

5. Are Family Demographics Relevant? 1984 1998 Family factors: Household members 9.2 6.7 Family structure: Fathers away from home for 8 months of a year: 4% 8% Unmarried mothers 0% 16%

6. Maternal Education and Literacy 1984 1998 Mother reported no schooling 26% 8% Mothers with more than 8 years education 7% 17% Mother average reading level 4th grade 8th grade Fathers’ educational levels also rose slightly between 1984 and 1998, but not as strikingly as mothers’ levels. In 1998 31% of parents belonged to parents’ association at school; 16% of total household budget spent on school related expenses

7. Were School factors relevant? Elementary School? Probably not: All children in both cohorts attended school, but had only attended school for 4 months when tested. 1984 1998 Preschool may have mattered: 7% 15%

8. Questions What factors are likely responsible for the dramatic rise in IQ in 14 years in rural Kenya? Which of these factors are unique to Kenya? Which are similar to those that may have influenced the IQ rise in the industrialized west?