Is the Evidence on Ethnicity and Intelligence Conclusive?

While praising the Sternberg et al. article, the present author has a couple of concerns. One is that the authors imply that the question of whether the Black-White IQ discrepancy has a genetic component should be a closed issue. I maintain that no argument should be intelligence evolved in colder c...

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Veröffentlicht in:The American psychologist 2006-02, Vol.61 (2), p.176-177
1. Verfasser: Templer, Donald I
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:While praising the Sternberg et al. article, the present author has a couple of concerns. One is that the authors imply that the question of whether the Black-White IQ discrepancy has a genetic component should be a closed issue. I maintain that no argument should be intelligence evolved in colder climates because of the greater difficulty in obtaining food and protection from the elements. Sternberg et al. (2005) maintained that Rushton's position has regarded as a closed one when there are so many psychologists on both sides of a scientific position. In light of a study by M. Snyderman & S. Rothman (1988) the fact that 24% of the experts surveyed expressed uncertainty in this matter means that more research and dialogue rather than a "case closed" orientation is needed. My second concern is that of the insufficient respect given to the work of J. P. Rushton (1995), who contended that greater no more merit than contending that greater intelligence evolved in tropical climates because of the need to cope with tropical diseases and the violence associated with hot weather. Rushton presented a vast array of scientific evidence in his conceptualization, for example, a correlation of .62 between cranial capacity and distance from the equator with 20,000 crania representing 122 ethnically distinguishable populations (K. L. Beals, C. L. Smith, & S. M. Dodd, 1984). D. I. Templer and H. Arikawa (2003) reported a correlation of -.71 between mean IQ and mean high winter temperature and a correlation of -.61 between mean IQ and mean low winter temperature with 129 countries. There are alternative explanations to those of Rushton for such findings. To relegate Rushton's theory to the realm of absurdity, however, would neither constitute optimal scientific reasoning nor represent an ideal spirit of scholarly disagreement.
ISSN:0003-066X
1935-990X
DOI:10.1037/0003-066X.61.2.176b