Data from the Colorado Adoption Project for 493 first-grade adopted and nonadopted children are used to separate parental intelligence quotient (IQ) from the effects of school environment. Several of the variables show direct environmental associations with reading and mathematics achievement independent of effects of parental IQ. (SLD)

It is argued that the United States is declining as a nation, a decline that can be confirmed by any of the criteria that historians have ever used to measure the state and condition of a nation and its people, and it is asserted that this decline is rooted in the overall decline of the intelligence capital of the nation, a decline in the levels…

Although British psychologist Francis Galton lost the battle for the definition of intelligence in his own time, his views live on in the work of Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray. They argue that the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is an adequate measure of intelligence, and that IQ is highly heritable. They contend that there are racial and…

This article summarizes the thesis of "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life," noting its rejection of educational intervention to solve social problems correlated to low IQ. It critiques the book for its failure to consider important research findings, and addresses the race issue, urging that the book's…

The controversies surrounding the use of intelligence quotient (IQ) tests with children are summarized. This article discusses what intelligence is and how intelligence is measured. It also examines factors which can affect measurement, including examiner training or bias, examinee age, misinterpretation of test scores, and poor tests. The…

This book starts with a review of the evolution of the notion of intelligence in its first chapter. In 1969, an article by psychologist Arthur R. Jensen suggested that there may be innate differences in intellectual potential between blacks and whites, and, if so, these differences should be taken into account in educational planning. The…

Suggests that intimate, proximal situations within the genetic environment, more than heredity, determine child development and achievement. Stresses the need to compensate for skill deficiencies among children from disadvantaged environments through early training for language acquisition and personality development. Describes a program in Iran…

Two essays address these issues in American higher education: popular response to a 1994 book entitled "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life," which addresses assumptions underlying intelligence testing; and recent litigation and controversy over colleges' responsibility to provide instruction at a level…

Responds to Dunn's monograph on Hispanic-Anglo differences in IQ scores. Reviews studies of between-group variance in IQ scores for Blacks, Anglos, and Hispanics; concludes that sociocultural factors are major contributors to such variance. Presents an IQ assessment system that develops sociocultural norms via multiple regression. Contains 24…

The book is designed as the primary text for courses that consider the nature of giftedness. It offers a strong introduction to the study of gifted education, and is accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students. Chapters address the following topics: the study of gifted students; heredity and environment; intelligence constructs;…

This paper advocates that assessments of children's educability should utilize strategies based on a paradigm of plasticity of intellect within a wide range of hereditary limits rather than on a straightforward heritability paradigm. The relationship between science and values is discussed and the role of each in the creation of Project Head Start…

The history and use of intelligence testing are reviewed, with emphasis on the validity of intelligence tests for black populations. Different definitions of intelligence are summarized, followed by an historical review of intelligence testing. The work of Alfred Binet is discussed, as well as the validity and reliability of his scales. A…

The several statistical methods described for detecting test bias in terms of various internal features of a person's test performances and the test's construct validity can be applied to any groups in the population. But the evidence regarding groups other than U.S. blacks and whites is either lacking or is still too sketchy to permit any strong…

This paper critically examines the portions of Arthur Jensen's books, "Genetics and Education" and "Educability and Group Differences," that concern Barbara Burks' 1928 study of adoptive families. Jensen cites the low correlations of children's IQs with measures of home environment from Burks' study as evidence that environment…

The National Multicultural Seminar on Mental Retardation among Minority Disadvantaged Populations was initiated in response to concern about the root causes of mental retardation especially in mild forms which tend to be more prevalent and more devastating among persons living in depressed, disrupted, and impoverished environments. Nineteen papers…