Findings from a study reported in this paper indicate that the differences in family background that affect IQ are largely the result of genetic differences among parents, which affect the parents' own status attainment and which are passed on genetically to their offspring, whose status attainments are subsequently affected. (Author/EB)

It is concluded that equality of endowment is a myth dreamed up for ideological and political reasons. Educational policies must not be dictated by such fictions which fail to take into account biological reality. More quantitative studies are required to make equality of opportunity a concrete and realistic ideal. (EH)

Notes that preschool compensatory education has not resulted in any appreciable, durable gains in I.Q. or scholastic achievement. Posits that compensatory programs remedied deficiencies in knowledge but not in cognitive processes. Suggests further research into the nature of intelligence and its malleability. (PGD)

Critically examines the portions of Arthur Jensen's books that concern Barbara Burks' 1928 study of adoptive families. Findings are that Burks' sample was highly selective, that her environmental measures were limited, and that Jensen has misrepresented the content and implications of her study. It is also shown that Jensen's estimates of…

Scarr and Weinberg's results (Intelligence, 1977) are compared to those of similar adoption studies and found to be quite similar, despite the transracial adoption patterns in Scarr and Weinberg's sample. The author also suggests that the major contribution of behavioral genetics to psychology may be our increased understanding of the environment.…

Presents a brief, quick-reference check list of methodological errors, fallacies, mistakes, and instances of out-and-out trickery that are found in recent well-known studies of IQ, IQ heritability, and race differences, focusing primarily upon the works of psychologist Jensen, Herrnstein, Eysenck, including selected works of William Shockley and…

The assumption that a singular biological resource pool embedded in the central nervous system results in differences in macrolevel outcomes because of the constraints it imposes on efficiencies of microlevel processing is refuted. Moderating effects on the causal pathways between microlevel and macrolevel performance are discussed. (SLD)

This paper is the first chapter of a book and is divided into six sections. The first section discusses race taxonomy, the Negro American's origins from Africa, and the origin of race differences. The second section investigates the genetic aspects of race differences in intellectual performance, and includes a lengthy introductory discussion on…

This book contains papers that discuss the "g factor" (general intellectual capacity) in discerning intelligence and how to influence the development of intelligence. The g factor relates to the theory that individuals who do well on one mental ability test tend to do well on other mental ability tests due to an innate ability. Chapters…

The absence of a meaningful conception of Negro culture has forced the interpretation of almost all psychology's data on the Negro into two seemingly dichotomous categories: either that of biological incapacity, i.e., genetic inferiority, or social deviance and pathology, i.e., environmental deprivation. The cultural difference theory asserts that…

This book includes nine essays. In the Introduction: "The Lingering Infatuation with IQ," the editors argue that since the IQ test has again risen as an instrument of conservative policy, the test and the arguments built around it must be reexamined. Noam Chomsky criticizes the well-known "Atlantic" article, "IQ" (September, 1971), in "The Fallacy…

Composite reading performance data from 223 pairs of identical twins and 169 same-gender fraternal twins in which at least one member was classified with reading disability were subjected to multiple regression analysis. Results indicated that the genetic etiology of reading disability differs as a linear function of IQ. (Contains extensive…

Areas of agreement and disagreement concerning intellectual developmental and the problems of mental retardation espoused by the author and by Uzgiris are discussed in this paper. The importance of environmental factors, along with the genetic and/or constitutional nature of the organism on which these environmental events impinge, is seen as…

Much of our thinking about contemporary social problems reflects tacit presuppositions regarding the operation of heredity and environment in human behavior. These beliefs have important implications for practical decisions. Advances in genetics, psychology, anthropology, and other disciplines have contributed much to a clarification of the…

This book on the genetic and environmental influences on intelligence is comprised of the following papers: "The Structure of Intelligence in Relation to the Nature-Nurture Controversy," R. B. Cattell; "Theory of Intelligence," L. G. Humphreys; "Using Measured Intelligence Intelligently," P. R. Merrifield; "Intelligence: Definition, Theory, and…