Studies by the late English psychologist Cyril Burt of IQ scores of separated twins strongly suggested that intelligence was inherited. A summary of recent research costs doubt upon the validity of Burt's work. (SL)

Taylor (1980) claims to show that the similarity in IQ between monozygotic twins reared apart found in prior studies is due to similarity in their environments. A reanalysis using Taylor's classification of environments but an alternative IQ measure shows that his findings do not constructively replicate. (Author/RD)

A critical review of Jensen's book which contains a reprint of the original controversial 1969 "Harvard Educational Review" article, 5 related articles by Jensen, and a bibliography of related articles. (EH)

Research has shown that differences among ordinary people in intelligence and personality depend equally on individual genetic variability and on differences in the environments that siblings experience within the same family, not differences in the neighborhood, school, and community environments. As of yet, there are no adequate theories to…

The purpose of this paper is to clarify some of the conceptual issues involved in discussions of psychology and education which rely on the assumption that biological factors serve as a basis or are responsible for human intelligence. (Author/ND)

This paper presents the results of a study which examined heritability ratios for the major ethnic and socioeconomic groups in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Scores on three measures (the Cooperative Primary Reading Test, the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, and a composite set of intelligence tests) were compared for twins from…

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)

This article reviews sex studies of children of cousin marriages and three studies of children of incestuous matings. It is argued that these studies, taken as a whole, provide no substantial evidence for an inbreeding depression effect within the polygenic system commonly asserted to determine IQ. (Author/DB)

As a response to recent public debate about the nature of intelligence, this article reviews the "state of the art" in the study of intelligence, exploring significant conceptualizations of intelligence, the use and interpretation of intelligence tests, racial or ethnic differences in intelligence, and major issues yet to be resolved.…

Lower class black and lower class white first-grade children learned an unorganized and an organized list of words to test Jensen's hypothesis of racial differences in mental abilities. Both groups of children performed significantly better on the organized list with comparable means for each list. Most of the predicted relationships were not…

This paper considers the role of intelligence in lifetime achievement, noting the importance not only of general cognitive ability but also abilities not measured by standardized intelligence tests. It urges educators of the gifted to utilize their knowledge of intelligence and talent development to challenge the one-dimensional conception of…

Seeing intelligence as neither strongly hereditary nor necessarily stable over time, and accepting the notion that it is a significant determinant of future occupational status, liberal psychologists and educators rely on the intervention of social institutions, primarily the school. The liberal view toward testing and intelligence is discussed.…

Briefly reviews the content and impact of Arthur R. Jensen's 1969 Harvard Educational Review (HER) article How Much Can We Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement, noting that "the reaction stirred by this article" in the subsequent issues of HER "was sharp." Among the critics were J. M. V. Hunt, Jerome Kagan, David Elkind, while Carl Bereiter, James…

Explanations of differences in IQs of Northern and Southern Blacks focus on selective migration (hereditarians) or environmental causes such as education, discrimination and cultural deprivation. In this paper the environmentalist position is questioned and certain neglected features of Lee's data are construed as providing strong evidence for…

IQ tests and intelligence were discussed from an evolutionary perspective and implications concerning legal decisions and social policy were presented. It was concluded that disproportionate social and economic benefits need not result from the use of IQ tests in the selection of educational and occupational elites. (RD)