Clark, Lawlor-Savage, and Goghari (this issue) point out that evidence of IQ rises had been documented decades before it was named the Flynn effect. These previous studies, however, were conducted sporadically and in isolated samples. Flynn (1984, 1987) examined them in a large-scale manner and was able to show their systematic and global nature. These findings still remained relatively unknown until they were cited in The Bell Curve by Herrnstein and Murray (1994), who were among the first to call them the Flynn effect. Since then, numerous researchers (e.g., Pietschnig & Voracek, 2015) have continued to find similar results. These results indicate that IQ is rising throughout the world (with no exceptions to date), and the rise is higher in tests of fluid reasoning than in tests of crystallized reasoning. Further, the Flynn effect is experienced at the same rate by individuals throughout the distribution, including the upper and lower tails (Kanaya, Scullin, & Ceci, 2003; Wai & Putallaz, 2011). These findings have led Flynn and others to question: (a) What could cause these specific, secular and global patterns? and (b) What do these gains mean? The authors have outlined many of the theories and go further to propose one that is similar to Flynn's (2009): that societal demands have changed such that abstract reasoning skills are relied upon and reinforced more now than in the past. They also argue that the gains do not reflect changes in intellectual abilities and begin to tease apart the difference between intelligence and IQ. This first article in the current issue provides background, outlines the context of the discussion carried on throughout the entire issue, and sets the stage for the discussions that follow in other articles contained in this issue of the journal.