Are Movies Making Us Smarter?: The Role of Cinematic Evolution in the Flynn Effect. Issue 1 (1st March 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Smith, Tim J.; Essex, Claire; Bedford, Rachael
• Is Part Of: Projections. Volume 17:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 52
• Page End: 66
• Publication Date: 2023-03-01
• Subjects: cognitive development -- evolution -- executive function -- film history -- film literacy -- intelligence -- visual attention; Filmwetenschap; 791.4301
• DOI: 10.3167/proj.2023.170107
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1934-9688

Abstract

Abstract: IQ tests have charted massive gains over the last century, known as the Flynn Effect . Over the same period, the time society spends with screens has massively increased and intensified, for example, shorter and closer shots, increasing narrative complexity. In Movies on our Minds (2021), James Cutting suggests a potential bidirectional link between the two effects: generational increase in visual processing abilities led to movie makers increasing the demands their movies place on viewer cognition, which in turn has trained societal visual processing capacity. In this commentary we review the evidence for such a positive association. The evidence indicates that increasing screen time may be associated with faster visual processing but also a potentially decreased ability to process this information (i.e., reduced executive functions). Further, effects may be dependent on the type of screen experience (e.g., developmental appropriateness of content and delivery platform such as TikTok) and other environmental considerations (e.g., socioeconomic status, parenting), suggesting that the factors influencing our evolving media/mind niche may be more complex than originally proposed.