January 26, 2012
--- Research shows that small-group
settings can alter some people’s expression of IQ, especially women. ---
According
to scientific research from the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, small-group
dynamics can alter the expression of IQ in some people.
The scientists recruited subjects
from two universities and began by studying individuals who had the same IQ.
They discovered that when put in a group and rated on cognitive tasks against
their peers, some dramatically lost the ability to solve problems.
Age and ethnicity did not show a
significant correlation with performance or brain responses, but gender did. Male
and female participants had the same baseline IQ, but significantly fewer women
(3 of 13) were in the high-performing group and significantly more (10 of 13) were in the low-performing group.
The study also found that subjects had dynamic
responses in the brain regions thought to be involved in
emotional processing, reward, pleasure and problem solving.
All subjects initially showed
activity in regions of the brain that corresponded with a lower problem-solving
ability.
Corie Russell