Answers Sowell's charge that his work was misrepresented in an earlier article by Darity. Discusses Sowell's position on the relationship between culture and economic accomplishment, equality in the labor market, and the role of competition in the economic marketplace.(GC)

Because many people still believe that specific, identifiable genes dictate the level of human intelligence and that the number/quality of these genes can be evaluated, presents evidence from human genetics (related to nervous system development) to counter this view. Also disputes erroneous assumptions made in "heritability studies" of human…

Discusses the increasing concern with the need to study the problems of the poor, particularly Blacks, to remedy their plight. Reviews the research of many who have studied the culturally and educationally disadvantaged. (JOW)

Reviews the arguments supporting and opposing the idea that human intelligence can be improved. Research on the hereditary and environmental determinants of intelligence is examined. Problems in defining and measuring intelligence are discussed. (AM)

Discusses problems in both the "unfolding from within" and "enforcement from without" theories of children's cognitive development. Suggests that "mediation from above," which assumes that children are not independent beings, at least in the beginning, offers additional insight into children's interactions with adults. (WD)

Although it is possible to statistically estimate the degree to which genetic variation explains observed variation in human behavior, estimates of nongenetic behavior do not set an upper limit on the explanatory power of environmental variation. The two categories are not mutually exclusive: genetic variation often causes environmental variation.…

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)

Genetic research on intelligence has moved beyond the nature-nurture controversy to investigate developmental change and continuity, associations among cognitive abilities, and the developmental interface between nature and nurture. Advances in molecular genetics are leading to a new era of research. (Author/SLD)

Summarizes the positions of leading proponents of the belief in the biological basis of differences in intelligence, reviewing the ideas of Arthur Jensen, J. Phillipe Rushton, and the currently controversial "The Bell Curve" by Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein. Relations between social perceptions of race and class are discussed.…

Studied continuity and change in general cognitive ability from infancy to adolescence in adoptees (107 children), biological siblings (87 pairs), and twins (224 monozygotic and 189 dyzygotic pairs). Findings generally support previous findings about genetic and environmental factors, with the exception that in the transition to adolescence,…

Identifies three main strengths of Casey's spatial ability model, but notes that a study by McKeever found different results concerning the relationship between familial handedness and females' mental rotation ability. Considers the use of a familial handedness measure to be a weakness of the model because handedness might not be an inherited…

Pairs of genetically unrelated children reared as same-age siblings offer a design for investigating genetic and environmental influences on behavior. Results with 21 pairs support an explanatory model of intelligence that includes genetic factors. Shared environment appeared to have a very small effect on intellectual development. (SLD)

This book, a critique of "The Bell Curve" by R. Herrnstein and C. Murray, explores what "inequality" in society means, how it arises, and how it can be measured or dealt with quantitatively. It also considers how societal and other variables work to increase or decrease inequality. The book argues that "The Bell…

Adoption studies were reviewed for evidence of the malleability of intelligence quotient (IQ). Although moderate estimates range between 20 and 25 points, it is argued that the standard adoption study provides little evidence about IQ malleability and that a major study of contrasted environments yields even more conservative estimates. (SLD)