From the monthly Saturday Review supplement, "Education in America, sponsored by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.

The thesis that intelligence is based on heredity was dramatically revived in 1969 by an article in the "Harvard Educational Review" by Arthur Jensen, a psychologist at the University of California at Berkeley. The article, which received wide attention, was sharply criticized by those who hold that it is environment rather than genes which puts…

In this address, Jensen discusses his views on the effects of heredity and environment on human intelligence, in an attempt to clarify his original statements on this subject. Since his article appeared in the "Harvard Educational Review" in 1969, the term "Jensenism" has accrued a variety of meanings through popular usage (according to Jensen)…

"The Bell Curve" by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray has generated enormous debate as a result of its claim that there is a connection between race and intelligence. The essays of this collection respond to "The Bell Curve" in various ways. Taken together, the following offer an antidote to a work of dubious premises…

Genetic influence was estimated on Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children subtests from inbreeding depression scores calculated on cousin marriages in Japan (n=1,854 children) and correlated with American Black-White racial differences. The genetic contribution of racial differences in cognitive performance may be more robust than was previously…

This study of 640 twins with reading disability and 436 controls (mean age 12) examined external validity of the distinction between specific reading retardation and reading backwardness, in 3 domains: genetic etiology, sex ratio and clinical correlates, and neuropsychological profiles. There was no evidence of differential genetic etiology of the…

Examines national data sets of cognitive scores for intellectual dysgenesis by considering race, socioeconomic status, and ability-related changes in test scores over time. The analysis did not support the dysgenic hypothesis; however, it indicates a convergence of the various segments of U.S. society. (MMU)

Pychologists, educators, and others have challenged the idea of a fixed IQ. This book uses recent research and earlier discoveries to argue that intelligence is not genetically set. Noting that the idea of learnable intelligence reflects the belief that intelligence can be taught, the book outlines a theory of learnable intelligence, including…

This collection of essays about intelligence stems from the revived nature-nurture controversy about the origins of mental abilities, led notably by Arthur Jensen, whose article in 1969 created a furore in the U.S.A., and more lately by H. J. Eysenck in Britain. In planning this book, an attempt has been made to step back from the debate itself…

This book is organized in nine parts, as follows. Part I, "Preface," includes an account of how the author went from the rather esoteric research on theoretical problems in serial rote learning to research on the inheritance of mental abilities and its implications for education. Part II, "How Much Can We Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement?," is…

A model-fitting analysis of the covariance structure of an intelligence quotient (IQ) data set is reported using a model that considers additive and nonadditive genetic parameters and shared and nonshared environment parameters that permit different estimates for different types of relatives. The use of LISREL for such purposes is reviewed. (SLD)

A reply to Plomin's critique and some criticisms of Munsinger's review of adopted child literature are presented. Selective bias in adoptee samples, implicit assumptions in models that lead to heritability estimates, and problems produced by lack of an accepted model of environmental transmission are also discussed. (Author/RD)

Urges educators and citizens to ignore the hype surrounding "The Bell Curve" and to grasp the ethnocentrism (or racism) that underlies eugenicist arguments. Both Carnoy and Ladson-Billings offer hope to those supporting educational equity and the appreciation of diversity. (SLD)

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…

Pseudoscience, or the process of persuasion by establishing a pretense of scientific discovery, is examined in this book in an effort to dispel false notions about the validity of various measures of intelligence and the correlations of genetics to mental ability. The history and development of concepts related to hereditary intelligence and…