A comparison of Stanford-Binet and Colored Raven Progressive Matrices IQs for children with low socioeconomic status

Verbal test items are generally believed to be susceptible to social exposures, while nonverbal items are free from such influence. 789 pupils, aging from 7 through 9-11 years, from a low socioeconomic area were tested individually with the Stanford-Binet (SB) followed by the Colored Raven Progressive Matrices (CRPM). It is inferred that intelligence as measured by the SB is comparable for color, sex, color-sex, and age-color-sex groups. The assumption is made that there are no real differences in intelligence as measured by the SB for the Negro and white boys and girls. The CRPM discriminated on the basis of color, with Negro means lower than white means. Results with the CRPM suggest that this test cannot be considered a test of intelligence but a measure of a specific skill. Intelligence tests loaded with nonverbal items may discriminate against Negro children.