Considerations Relating to the Study of Group Differences in Intelligence

Abstract

There are signs that the debate over racial and gender differences in intelligence is about to begin again. In this article we will be concerned primarily with racial differences but will make remarks about gender differences where applicable. Previously there have been bitter arguments over whether or not races exist, over whether it is either important or proper to study racial and gender differences in intelligence, and over the conclusions that have been drawn about environmental and genetic causes as determinants of these differences. We argue that races do, indeed, exist and that studying differences in cognitive competence between groups is a reasonable thing to do. We also point out that past research on both racial and gender differences in intelligence has been marked by methodological errors and overgeneralizations by researchers on all sides of the issue. We propose ten principles of design, analysis, and reporting that ought to be considered carefully when doing or evaluating research in this area.

So young and already victims of stereotype threat: Socio-economic status and performance of 6 to 9 years old children on Raven’s progressive matrices

“…However, there is still strong disagreement amongst researchers about what explanation is more appropriate (for a recent example, see Hunt & Carlson, 2007;Sternberg & Grigorenko, 2007): a cultural reproduction which leads each new generation coming from disadvantaged social classes to lose interest in scholastic and academic success (see, for example, Bourdieu & Passeron, 1964); a genetic limitation in the intellectual abilities of the working classes (Herrnstein & Murray, 1994); or even the existence of situational pressure which leads to a decrease in the intellectual performance of these individuals (Croizet & Claire, 1998;Croizet, Désert, Dutrevis, & Leyens, 2001. According to the last theory, stereotype threat (Steele, 1997;Steele & Aronson, 1995), i.e., the risk of confirming a negative stereotype about one's social group, might generate additional evaluative pressure.…”

Applying the Theory of Successful Intelligence to Education—The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre: Commentary on Sternberg et al. (2008)

“…Although there are public statements to the contrary researchers in the field of practical intelligence seem to accept Boring's (1923) Hunt & Carlson, 2007a.) It may be that conventional testing can identify individuals who have these skills on at least a probabilistic basis.…”

Statistical inference and spatial patterns in correlates of IQ

“…The measurement of intelligence is a controversial field (Gould, 1981;Jensen, 1982), particularly where comparisons are made among races (Hunt & Carlson, 2007) or nations (Lynn & Vanhanen, 2006). The recent compilation of an international dataset of IQ results from a wide range of countries (Lynn & Vanhanen, 2006) has made possible broad comparisons between nations, of which a great many have already been published (see for a review of this literature).…”