Eyferth study
The Eyferth study, conducted by German psychologist
Eyferth's study was first published under the title Eine Untersuchung der Neger-Mischlingskinder in Westdeutschland in the journal
Study design
The children studied had been raised by their unmarried German mothers. Most of the fathers, white or black, had been members of the US occupation forces stationed in Germany. At the time of the study, the children were aged between 5 and 13 (mean age: 10). The mothers of the children were approximately matched for
For assessing IQ, a German version of the WISC intelligence test (Hamburg Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, HAWIK) was used.[7]
Results
The white children studied averaged an IQ of 97.2, whereas the average of the racially mixed children was 96.5.[8]
Sorted out by sex and race, the average scores obtained were:[9]
| Group | Boys | Girls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 101 | 93 | 8 |
| Mixed race | 97 | 96 | 1 |
| Difference | -4 | 3 |
Interpretations
Stressing the similarity of average IQ scores across racial groups in the Eyferth study, James Flynn, Richard E. Nisbett, Nathan Brody, and others have interpreted it as supporting the notion that IQ differences between whites and blacks observed in many other studies are mostly or wholly cultural or environmental in origin.[10] Moreover, they have pointed out that mixed-race children may have faced prejudice growing up as a racial minority, making the similarity of results even more significant.[11]
See also
Notes
- ^ See, for example:
- Scarr, Sandra; Weinberg, Richard A. (October 1976). "IQ test performance of Black children adopted by White families". American Psychologist. 31 (10): 726–739. .
- Clark & Hanisee 1982
- Winick, Meyer & Harris 1975
- ^ See, for example:
- Bailey, Ronald (December 1, 2006). "Closing the Black/White IQ Gap? James Flynn and Charles Murray search for a solution". Reason.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- Nisbett, Richard E. (December 9, 2007). "All Brains Are the Same Color". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- Gladwell, Malcolm (December 17, 2007). "None of the Above. What I.Q. doesn't tell you about race". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- Gasper, Phil (January–February 2008). "IQ, genetics, and racism". International Socialist Review. Archived from the original on February 20, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- Kirp, David L. (May 1, 2009). "Getting Smarter About IQ". The American Prospect. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Eyferth 1959
- ^ Eyferth 1961
- ^ Jensen 1998, p. 482
- ^ Jencks & Phillips 1998, p. 19
- ^ Jensen 1998, p. 482
- ^ Brody 2003, p. 403
- ^ Jensen 1998, p. 482
- ^ See e.g.:
- ^ Dickens 2005
References
- Brody, N. (2003). "Jensen's Genetic Interpretation of Racial Differences in Intelligence: Critical Evaluation". In Nyborg, H. (ed.). The Scientific Study of General Intelligence: Tribute to Arthur R. Jensen. Oxford: Pergamon Press. pp. 397–410.
- Clark, E. A.; Hanisee, J. (1982). "Intellectual and adaptive performance of Asian children in adoptive American settings". Developmental Psychology. 18 (4): 595–599. .
- Dickens, W. T. (2005). "Genetic differences and school readiness". The Future of Children. 15 (1): 55–69. S2CID 201780938.
- Eyferth, K. (1959). "Eine Untersuchung der Neger-Mischlingskinder in Westdeutschland". Vita Humana (in German). 2: 102–114.
- Eyferth, K. (1961). "Leistungen verschiedener Gruppen von Besatzungskindern in Hamburg-Wechsler Intelligenztest für Kinder (HAWIK)". Archiv für die gesamte Psychologie (in German). 113: 224–241.
- Flynn, J. R. (1999). "Searching for justice: The discovery of IQ gains over time". American Psychologist. 54: 5–20. .
- Jencks, C.; Phillips, M. (1998). "The Black-White Test Score Gap: An Introduction". In Jencks, C.; Phillips, M. (eds.). The Black-White Test Score Gap. Brookings Institution. pp. 1–52.
- Jensen, Arthur Robert (1998). The G Factor: The Science of Mental Ability. Praeger. ISBN 978-0-275-96103-9.
- Nisbett, R. E. (2005). "Heredity, environment, and race differences in IQ: A commentary on Rushton and Jensen (2005)". Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. 11 (2): 302–310. .
- Winick, M.; Meyer, K. K.; Harris, R. C. (1975). "Malnutrition and environmental enrichment by early adoption". Science. 190 (4220): 1173–1175. S2CID 30964949.