How and why do racial and ethnic groups differ in mental ability scores
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Theories concerning racial differences in intelligence are age-old and antedate empirical studies by thousands of years; Greek and Roman writers in the centuries preceding and following the birth of Christ had much to say about the weak intellects of “barbarians.” The development of IQ tests made possible more experimental investigations, and we now have a plethora of results from such studies. Unfortunately, these results are not easily interpreted, and diametrically opposite views have been expressed by different writers. Some are clearly writing outside the scientific tradition (Lawler, 1978; Liungman, 1972; Gillie, 1976), and such works only contribute to the popular suspicion that psychologists are not scientists evaluating empirical evidence, but prophets mouthing environmental or genetic shibboleths. But agreement is not noticeably closer when we turn to more academic works, ranging from Kamin (1974), who denied that there is any evidence of genetic causes of IQ differences even within a given racial group, through Block and Dworkin (1976), Flynn (1980), Eckberg (1979), Halsey (1977), and Loehlin, Lindsey, and Spuhler (1975), to Eysenck (1971) and Jensen (1972, 1973, 1980). The writers involved in the dispute acknowledge that those whose views they criticize have important points to make, and none suggest that sufficient data are available, or that the available data are of sufficient quality, for a final decision to be made on the question(s) raised in the title of this chapter. Show
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Rights and permissionsReprints and Permissions Copyright information© 1984 Plenum Press, New York About this chapterCite this chapterEysenck, H.J. (1984). The Effect of Race on Human Abilities and Mental Test Scores. In: Reynolds, C.R., Brown, R.T. (eds) Perspectives on Bias in Mental Testing. Perspectives on Individual Differences. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4658-6_8 What is the cause of ethnic differences in intelligence?The scientific consensus is that there is no evidence for a genetic component behind IQ differences between racial groups. Growing evidence indicates that environmental factors, not genetic ones, explain the racial IQ gap.
How does socioeconomic and ethnic differences impact intelligence test scores?For example, racial and ethnic minority children are statistically more likely to be exposed to disadvantaged socioeconomic environments, poor quality health and nutrition, and poor quality education, all of which are correlated with lower IQ scores.
What best explains why ethnic minorities achieve lower scores?The Inferiority/Pathology model stipulates that minorities score lower than Whites because they are genetically and biologically deficient (i.e., lacking the desirable genes to score as high as Whites on particular IQ and achievement tests).
How are intelligence tests biased?Tests can be biased if they treat groups unfairly or discriminate against diverse groups by, for example, “underestimating their potential or over-pathologizing their symptoms” (Suzuki et al., 1996, p. xiii).
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