Effective learning.(Dear Reader)(Editorial)

One of the most remarkable discoveries of the past 20 years is the fact that Americans are getting smarter. It's remarkable because the conventional wisdom seems to postulate that people are getting dumber. As evidence, critics point to a variety of "usual suspects": the ubiquity of television shows that cater to the lowest common denominator; educational curricula that seems less rigorous; and, to the consternation of many musicians, the current diminished interest in classical music in favor of the basest forms of pop music. The list could go on and on.

However, the reality is that IQs are steadily rising despite these "negative" cultural phenomena.

Several theories for the increase have been suggested, including better health care, better nutrition and even economic growth. One of the most interesting and thought provoking is proposed by author Steven Johnson in his book, Everything Bad is Good for You (Riverhead Books). The subtitle provides the clue: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter. Johnson's thesis is that the very thing we think is making us dumber, "popular culture," is, in reality, making us smarter.

He uses as a prime example television. TV today is much "harder" than it was 20 to 30 years ago. Then, a typical show had two characters, a single story line, and moved to a decisive conclusion in 30 minutes.

Today's programs have multiple plot threads, dozens of characters who flow in an out of the story lines and subtle, inconclusive episodes. Johnson argues that these greater cognitive demands contribute to an increase in IQ rather than a decrease.

So what's my point? Well, all of this is background to a portion of his book devoted to video games. Johnson uses the same arguments to praise the cognitive development resulting from video games. However, I was quite intrigued by his thoughts ...