Reviews Richard Herrnstein's article and book concerning I.Q. and argues that the questions of the nature of intelligence and the respective influences of environment and heredity are important not just in the interpretation of statistical evidence but because these questions have implications in the lives of human beings. (Author/JM)

The author reexamines the controversy surrounding his genetic hypothesis in an attempt to clarify his contention that differences in IQ scores between blacks and whites may be attributable as much to heredity as environment. (EH)

This paper discusses the nature-nurture controversy concerning the origins of mental abilities. Specifically, the author looks at the viewpoint of Arthur Jensen and critically examines his work. This paper presents an overview of Jensen's position followed by a discussion of shortcomings in his methodology and research techniques. The author…

The research results indicate that, although sex differences in mathematical abilities are not pronounced before high school, for some reason by the end of that period boys do better than girls in mathematical computation and problem solving. Environmental and biological explanations, intervention strategies and further research needs are…

A parent-offspring adoption path model, with a measured index of the home environment, was developed to assess extent to which genetic and environmental influences of the parents affect relationships between the environmental index and children's behavior. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) data from the Colorado Adoption Project were used. The…

A computer scan of ACT Assessment records identified 3,427 sets of twins. The Hardy-Weinberg rule was used to estimate the proportion of monozygotic twins in the sample. Matrices of genetic and environmental influences were produced. The heaviest loadings were clearly in the genetic matrix. (SJL)

Sets of randomly generated numbers are used to produce simulated data sets to illustrate that high heritability of a property within each of two populations may be consistent with a vanishingly small heritability in the combined population. (A response by Jensen appears in the next issue of Journal of Educational Statistics, p.385). (CTM)

Critiques ideas expressed by Gould in "The Mismeasure of Man." Agrees with Gould that many scientists who studied human intelligence were racist, but disagrees that their work must therefore necessarily be dismissed. Disputes Gould's claim that factor analysts who study human intelligence have reified their factors and that factor…

Michael Levin argues that data from the study are consistent with a black/white IQ difference that is significantly genetic. Richard Lynn maintains that adoption by middle-class, white families has no effect on intelligence. Waldman, Weinberg, and Scarr respond to these criticisms and support the original conclusions. (SLD)

Genetic effects on specific cognitive abilities as distinct from those on general cognitive ability were studied in 302 pairs of twins (some reared together, some apart) from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging. Overall, results showed significant genetic influence on specific abilities independent of influence on general ability. (SLD)

Examined low interrater agreement by decomposing common and unique variance among parent, adolescent, and observer reports of parental warmth and negativity into genetic and environmental factors. Model-fitting analyses findings generally supported predictions for warmth and negativity at Family and Individual levels. At the Social level, genetic…

Evidence on the poorer spatial visualization ability in various Negro populations compared to the White populations and on the direction and magnitude of sex differences in spatial ability relative to other abilities suggests the genetic hypothesis that spatial ability is enhanced by a sex-linked recessive gene and that, since the 20-30 percent…

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.…

The publication of "The Bell Curve" by R. Herrnstein and C. Murray enraged many with its contention that black children are genetically less able to learn because of their race and its suggestions that some groups may be less worthy of the expenditure of attention and resources because of a reduced capacity for education. This collection…

Examined changes in intelligence in Negro children at ages 4 and 7 as a function of sex, home stability and educational level of their parents. Results were interpreted as supporting an interaction hypothesis concerning the relative effects of heredity and environment on intelligence. (DP)