race and iq historical misuses and contemporary issues
TRANSCRIPT
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
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
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
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
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.
Goddard (continued)
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
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
WAIS Popularity
WAIS
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%)
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)
SAT to IQ conversion table
SATV+M
IQ 15 SD
%ile SATV+M
IQ 15 SD
%ile
1600 152.18 99.975 1010 109.46 73.587
1590 151.45 99.970 1000 108.74 71.985
1580 150.73 99.964 990 108.01 70.338
1570 150.00 99.957 980 107.29 68.647
1560 149.28 99.949 970 106.56 66.916
1550 148.56 99.940 960 105.84 65.149
1540 147.83 99.929 950 105.12 63.347
1530 147.11 99.916 940 104.39 61.516
1520 146.38 99.901 930 103.67 59.659
1510 145.66 99.883 920 102.94 57.780
1500 144.94 99.863 910 102.22 55.883
1490 144.21 99.840 900 101.50 53.972
1480 143.49 99.813 890 100.77 52.052
1470 142.76 99.782 880 100.05 50.128
Relationship between SAT and IQ
1. For SAT scores before 1996IQ = (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."
WAIS Verbal Subtests
WAIS Performance Subtests
Picture Completion
Picture Arrangement
Block Design
Object Assembly
Digit-Symbol Substitution
Interpreting IQ scores
Interpreting IQ scores (normal curve)
The Flynn Effect (1995 data)
IQ scores tend to rise 3 points every 10 years
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)
IQ and Education
IQ and education/occupation (same data)
IQ tests’ strengths and weaknesses
The IQ racial gap
Possible explanations for the gap
The tests are bad
Genetic differences
Environmental differences
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)
Chitling Intelligence Test (Dove, 1971)
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.
CB
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 ofa) timeb) tunec) taled) twist
3. Deuce-and-a-quarter isa) moneyb) a carc) a housed) dice A, A, B
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
Cultural bias data
Are the tests (racially) biased?
Argument 3:
The tests have different construct validity for Blacks and Whites
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
IQ and Education (1990)
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
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
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:
1. Race group differences would be eliminated, but…
2. Scores would have little relevance
3. Scores would not allow tracking of group outcomes/disparities
Possible explanations for the gap
The tests are bad (Data indicate no bias!)
Genetic differences
Environmental differences
The heritability of IQ
But is the racial gap genetic?
Hard to determine due to environmental differences.
To be continued…
Is the racial gap genetic?
Many controversial “studies”
Between-group vs within-group variation
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
Environmental Factors
Social class matters Motivation and test taking stills matters Stereotype threat matters Interventions matter
Family Factors and IQ
Social Class matters
Environmental Factors
Social class matters Motivation and test taking stills matters Stereotype threat matters Home environments matter Interventions matter
Stereotype threat matters
Stereotype threat literature
Steele and Aronson (1995)
Ryan and Anthony (2006)
Home environments
Interventions matter
The Culture of Poverty (Kutner, 1975)
Blaming the victim (Ryan, 1976)
Four Steps to Blaming the Victim
1. Identify a social problem
2. Study those affected by the problem to discover how they are different from those who are not affected by the problem.
3. Define the difference as the cause of the problem itself
4. 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
Blaming the (IQ) victim
1. Social problem: African American children underperforming
(relative to Whites) on IQ tests
2. Study those affected by the problem to discover how they are different from those who are not affected by the problem
1. Black families more likely to be less educated2. Black families more likely to have poor study spaces3. Black children more likely to be unmotivated to do well on tests4. Black children less likely to associate education with success
3. Define the difference as the cause of the problem itself
Black children under-perform on IQ tests because Black families don’t value education
4. Create a humanitarian action (social service) program to correct the problem cause
?
Blaming the (IQ) victim, continued