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Race and IQ

Race and IQ. Historical misuses and contemporary issues. Race and IQ. The history of IQ testing A brief introduction to IQ tests Race-group differences A summary of the issue Possible explanations Test bias Genetic differences Environmental differences. Alfred Binet.

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Race and IQ

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  1. Race and IQ Historical misuses and contemporary issues

  2. Race and IQ • The history of IQ testing • A brief introduction to IQ tests • Race-group differences • A summary of the issue • Possible explanations • Test bias • Genetic differences • Environmental differences

  3. Alfred Binet • Lawyer, self taught in psychology, studied under Charcot (who also influenced Freud) • Asked by French government to create a test to identify students who would benefit from remedial education • Along with Theodore Simon, created first widely-used standardized test of intelligence, the Simon-Binet Scale

  4. Henry Goddard • Translated Simon-Binet into English (1908) • Distributed 22,000 copies of translated test across the U.S. • Set up first laboratory to study mental retardation in New Jersey: Vineland Training School for Feebleminded Girls & Boys  • Strong advocate of eugenics • 1912 book The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of Feeble-mindedness • original article • summary and analysis

  5. Goddard (continued) • Wanted to prevent the breeding of feebleminded people • hesitated to promote compulsory sterilization, even though convinced it would solve problem • suggested "colonies" where the feeble-minded could be segregated • Established an intelligence testing program on Ellis Island in 1913 • rejects 80% of immigrants as "feeble-minded" • 83% of all Jews • 80% of the Hungarians • 79% of the Italians • 87% of the Russians. • resulted in an exponential increase in deportations

  6. Goddard (continued) • The Immigration Restriction Act (1924-1965)  • Strongly influenced by American eugenics' efforts restricted numbers of immigrants from undesirable racial groups (including Jews).  • Upon signing, President Coolidge commented, "America must remain American."  • Publicized race-group differences on Army IQ tests and claimed Americans were unfit for Democracy • One of many scientists (including Galton and Terman) that inspired scientific racism movement in Europe & U.S.

  7. Robert Yerkes • Founded first non-human primate research lab • Chaired committee that created the Army Alpha and Beta intelligence tests used in U.S. during World War I

  8. David Wechsler • Obtained Ph.D. in 1925 • Chief psychologist at Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital from 1932-1967 • Developed several intelligence tests, including Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). • Born in Rumania, emigrated to U.S. at age 6 • Worked as a psychological examiner in army during WWI

  9. WAIS Popularity WAIS

  10. Defining Intelligence • “Global capacity to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with the environment” (David Wechsler) • Survey of 1020 experts on intelligence • Abstract reasoning (99.3%) • Problem-solving ability (97.7%) • Capacity to acquire knowledge (96.0%) • Memory (80.5%) • Adaptation to environment (77.2%)

  11. Intelligence vs other types of tests • Aptitude tests measure a narrow range of ability • Achievement tests measure what you know or what you learned/achieved Question: What is the SAT? Answer: A multiple aptitude test (related to intelligence)

  12. SAT to IQ conversion table

  13. Relationship between SAT and IQ • 1. For SAT scores before 1996 IQ = (0.126 x SAT combined) + (-.4.71E - 5 x SAT combined x SAT combined) + 40.063 (Detterman and Frey, Case Western Reserve Univ.) • 2. For SAT scores from 1996 -2004 IQ =(0.095 X SAT Math) + (0.003 X SAT Verbal) + 50.241 Scores for SAT were "re-centered" in 1996, raising the average SAT back to 500 (Detterman and Frey, Case Western Reserve Univ.) • “SAT to IQ conversion is an inexact science, particularly for SAT's under 900. The chart's creator writes: "The lowest point of reference was the theoretical average IQ of high school students being 110 and the current average SAT I V+M (verbal + math) score being 1019. Everything below that is extrapolation. Also note that the decimal places give the impression that the numbers are more precise than they really are."

  14. WAIS Verbal Subtests

  15. WAIS Performance Subtests Picture Completion Picture Arrangement Block Design Object Assembly Digit-Symbol Substitution

  16. Interpreting IQ scores

  17. Interpreting IQ scores (normal curve)

  18. The Flynn Effect (1995 data) • IQ scores tend to rise 3 points every 10 years

  19. Does IQ matter? • How can we tell? • Data indicate • IQ and school performance (GPA) • r=.50 for elementary and high school students • r=.40 for college students • IQ and years of education (r=.50, see next slide) • IQ and occupational attainment (r=.50) Likely due to very high correlation (r= mid .60s) between education and occupation • IQ and job performance (rs= .27 to .47)

  20. IQ and Education

  21. IQ and education/occupation (same data)

  22. IQ tests’ strengths and weaknesses

  23. The IQ racial gap

  24. Possible explanations for the gap • The tests are bad • Genetic differences • Environmental differences

  25. Are the tests (racially) biased? • Argument 1: IQ tests yield race-group differences, hence the tests are biased • Argument 2: The test item content is culturally biased Example: “What should you do when a child smaller than you begins to fight with you?” (comprehension)

  26. Chitling Intelligence Test (Dove, 1971) CB • A "handkerchief head" is: • (a) a cool cat • (b) a porter • (c) an Uncle Tom • (d) a hoddi • (e) a preacher • Many people say that "Juneteenth" (June 19) should be made a legal holiday because this was the day when: • (a) the slaves were freed in the USA • (b) the slaves were freed in Texas • (c) the slaves were freed in Jamaica • (d) the  slaves were freed in California • (e) Martin Luther King was born • (f) Booker T. Washington died.

  27. Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity • 100-item multiple-choice test, based on items drawn from Black culture • Sample Questions • 1. Alley Apple is a) brickb) piece of fruitc) dogd) horse • 2. CPT means a standard of a) timeb) tunec) taled) twist • 3. Deuce-and-a-quarter is a) moneyb) a carc) a housed) dice A, A, B

  28. Are the culture-specific tests valid? • Useful for building self-esteem • But low predictive validity • Low correlation between BITCH and achievement (Language =. 33, Math=.18) • Students in MR classes did no better on the B.I.T.C.H. than the WISC

  29. Cultural bias data

  30. Are the tests (racially) biased? • Argument 3: The tests have different construct validity for Blacks and Whites

  31. Are the tests (racially) biased? • Argument 4: The tests have different/inadequate predictive validity for Blacks and Whites B.I.T.C.H. correlations: Language =. 33 Math=.18

  32. IQ and Education (1990)

  33. Are the tests (racially) biased? • Argument 5: The tests have language bias because they are in standard English and many Blacks grow up speaking a Black dialect

  34. Are the tests (racially) biased? • Argument 6: The tests are neutral but the examiners are biased Evidence: 25 of 29 studies published prior to 1995 found no significant relationship between the race of the examiner and Black children’s scores

  35. Are the tests (racially) biased? • Argument 7: The tests are neutral but the norms are inappropriate In other words: Separate (rather than national) norms should be used to eliminate racial bias • Logical outcome: • Race group differences would be eliminated, but… • Scores would have little relevance • Scores would not allow tracking of group outcomes/disparities

  36. Possible explanations for the gap • The tests are bad (Data indicate no bias!) • Genetic differences • Environmental differences

  37. The heritability of IQ

  38. But is the racial gap genetic? Hard to determine due to environmental differences. To be continued…

  39. Is the racial gap genetic? Many controversial “studies”

  40. Between-group vs within-group variation

  41. What we know about IQ heritability • There is strong evidence of within-group heritability • Laws of heredity produce regression to the mean • There is a certain environment by gene interaction

  42. Environmental Factors • Social class matters • Motivation and test taking stills matters • Stereotype threat matters • Interventions matter

  43. Family Factors and IQ

  44. Social Class matters

  45. Environmental Factors • Social class matters • Motivation and test taking stills matters • Stereotype threat matters • Home environments matter • Interventions matter

  46. Stereotype threat matters Stereotype threat literature Steele and Aronson (1995) Ryan and Anthony (2006)

  47. Home environments

  48. Interventions matter

  49. The Culture of Poverty (Kutner, 1975)

  50. Blaming the victim (Ryan, 1976) Four Steps to Blaming the Victim • Identify a social problem • Study those affected by the problem to discover how they are different from those who are not affected by the problem. • Define the difference as the cause of the problem itself • Create a humanitarian action (social service) program to correct the problem cause (from #3) Real-world example: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/03/20050307-5.html

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