African Americans are the richest, most well educated large population of blacks in the world. And their average 85 IQ surpasses that of any African or black Carribean nation. Slavery was horrible, but as it turns out, black Americans have not been hindered by living in a white dominated society. On the contrary, they have benifited.Originally posted by fsuman110
This is very important as it explains why Blacks tend to score poorly. Blacks are educated in a White-dominated society, which has proven to be very problematic. Generally speaking, member of other ethnic groups naturally have different ways of learning and must be taught differently in order to learn effectively.
You can cherry pick and occasionally find a question that seems odd. But as a rule, the tests are not culturally biased.Have you read the questions on some of these bias-free IQ exams? I have, and they are certainly far from bias-free. For example, in an IQ test given in a High School in Miami, Florida last year (keep in mind the high Hispanic population in Miami) there was a question regarding tobogganing.
As far as I know, they are all PhDs. Some of them are famous scholars.This may or may not be relevant, but did you notice that among the 50 or so "experts" only 1 of them appears to have a degree above a bachelors.
Yes, somewhat. He includes musical and athletic ability as part of "intelligence" doesn't he? Seems a bit of a stretch, but it is interesting.Are you familiar with Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences?
Originally posted by fsuman110
I hope that my last post didn't sound condescending or anything...
Originally posted by Matthew C. Perry
Yes. If you adjust for income and education level the gap decreases. This is stated in "The Bell Curve". But a large gap remains, and we don't know if income is more a cause of IQ level or a result. The latter seems more likely.
This is not entirely true, I think. Due to the diaspora there are a lot of different genes in Jewish blood, they are not a very homogeneous group. I've found only a comparison of Y-chromosome haplogroup frequency in selected 72 eurasian populations, but I think, this already shows the heterogenity:Not necessarily, Jews are part of the caucasoid group, but they are a fairly distinct line, having married mostly within their tribe for the past 2000-4000 years.
Originally posted by Golgo_13
The Island nation of Barbados in the Carribean, which is predominantly black populated, has an average SAT score among their high school graduates higher than the average score of those in the U.S.
Please explain why.
Originally posted by bossel
I think, what I meant is not covered in "The Bell Curve". This is the study I thought of:
http://www.northwestern.edu/univ-relations/media/news-releases/*archives/*soc-policy/duncan.html
Excerpt:
"As in many other studies, the black children in the study had IQ scores a full 15 points lower than their white counterparts. Poverty alone, the researchers found, accounted for 52 percent of that difference, cutting it to 7 points. Controlling for the children's home environment reduced the difference by another 28 percent, to a statistically insignificant 3 points -- in essence, eliminating the gap altogether."
This is not entirely true, I think. Due to the diaspora there are a lot of different genes in Jewish blood, they are not a very homogeneous group.
Keeni84 said:Whatever. With my 85 IQ I'll probably fail out of PT school because everyone knows that whites are smarter than me anyway, and I'll always end up under the curve (if I don't lower it of course, with my bad grades on the exams and practicals).
And you know what? I think I should go talk to my professors, because my A in Chemistry can't be right, can it? I mean, as an average black, I can't possibly score well on a Chemistry exam, or do well in a Chemistry class!
You guys make me sick.Why should I even listen to someone who believes in the "congnitive elite". That's a lose-lose situation, surely!
fsuman110 said:oh sorry, i forgot to mention that of course i do not think that all japanese are this way, or even the majority for that matter. as the saying goes, " it only takes a few to ruin it for everyone"
Matthew C. Perry said:Have you ever taken an IQ test? I seriously doubt that your IQ is 85. It would be pretty tough to get an A in a college level chemisty course with an IQ that low. In any case, there is no reason to assume that your own IQ is equal to the average for African Americans, or that white people are smarter than you are. No individual's abilities can be predicted from group averages.
Obviously some people are smarter than others, and a small number of people are much smarter than average. "Cognitive elite" is just a term to describe these people.
Keeni84 said:My IQ (based on the IQ test) is 126. HOWEVER, I don't really care, because it doesn't say anything about me. Not a thing. Well, maybe how well I take the IQ test, but that's it.
Matthew C. Perry said:we do know that children with high IQs tend to graduate from college at a higher rate, and earn more money later in life than low IQ siblings born into the same familes.
Matthew C. Perry said:Some people's brains just work better than other people's. And IQ tests are at least a crude measure of this variance in brain function.
bossel said:It's not as simple as you picture it here, high IQ may even be the reason for failure in life. I found an interesting article regarding the correlation of high IQ & mental problems:
"Unpleasant Fact #3: Honest talk about IQ would expose some deeply personal inconsistencies among our most influential thinkers. Although the typical white intellectual claims he wants to censor discussion of IQ to shield black self-esteem, his sometimes-berserk reactions reveal that he finds it a peril to his own. The typical white intellectual considers himself superior to ordinary white people for two contradictory reasons: a] he constantly proclaims belief in human equality, but they don't; b] he has a high IQ, but they don't."
"Darwinistic Elitism is Idiotic" by Al Siebert
Just some general stuff about IQ tests & criticism of the "Bell Curve".
Excerpt:
"They advocate that because "people in the underclass are in that condition through no fault of their own but because of inherent shortcomings about which little can be done...." and "a significant part of the population must be made permanent wards of the state.""
If these are really quotes from the "Bell Curve" the book is actually worse than I thought.
IQ tests are only good for scientific research, but almost completely useless in everyday life.
They may be useful as part of a hiring test, but only for very few occupations. Most jobs need abilities that aren't measured by IQ tests or at least much better measured by specific job-related tests.
I don't "accept the reality of a low IQ underclass", esp. none where this is based on race. People of all races vary greatly in their cognitive abilities. The differences in IQ are gradual, there is no clear line to draw.Matthew C. Perry said:Well, if you accept the reality of a low IQ underclass, what then do you propose doing with them? If people can't fend for themselves in an increasingly high tech society, then they must be cared for by the state. What other option is there?
That's a misconception. IQ tests do not measure brain function in general. They measure certain (by far not all) cognitive abilities. The significance is limited to these particular abilities.If IQ is measuring brain function, and I think it is, then it is measuring something that is important in almost all aspects of life.
I'm not saying that it is based on race. It isn't anyone's race that causes them to have a low IQ. And of course there are people of all races with low IQs.bossel said:I don't "accept the reality of a low IQ underclass", esp. none where this is based on race.
Yes, of course.People of all races vary greatly in their cognitive abilities. The differences in IQ are gradual, there is no clear line to draw.
Doesn't this contradict what you just said about there being "no clear line to draw? You were right the first time. There are people with low IQs who have obvious handicaps, and there are others who appear normal until a test reveals that they have an IQ of 73. The ghettos are filled with such people. And they are the reason we need extra police, social workers, and all the other sorts of outreach programs. These people might not need as much help as someone who suffers Downs Syndrome does, but they do need help. Otherwise, American cities begin to look like Haiti.Apart from some special cases of mentally handicapped people I can't see any reason to have somebody "cared for by the state."
We don't really know what they measure, but yes, it seems reasonable to think that they measure aspects of brain function that relate to cognitive abilities. I didn't claim otherwise.That's a misconception. IQ tests do not measure brain function in general. They measure certain (by far not all) cognitive abilities. The significance is limited to these particular abilities.
For some boring, repetitive sorts of jobs, a duller person might be a better fit. But the percentage of these sorts of jobs in the workplace is going down, at least in areas like manufacturing and farming. And it's getting harder and harder to make a decent living at jobs that don't require much thinking ability.As you said there is a certain tendency for people with higher IQ to get better jobs, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all of them are better suited for all these jobs.
Sorry, probably my mistake: mistranslation. The German "geistig behindert" to me means an illness, the translator I use gave it as "mentally handicapped". Maybe "mental retardation" is a better term, from Error 404 | Not Found:Matthew C. Perry said:Doesn't this contradict what you just said about there being "no clear line to draw?
Extra police for reasons of lower IQ levels? Reasoning based on Haiti?There are people with low IQs who have obvious handicaps, and there are others who appear normal until a test reveals that they have an IQ of 73. The ghettos are filled with such people. And they are the reason we need extra police, social workers, and all the other sorts of outreach programs. These people might not need as much help as someone who suffers Downs Syndrome does, but they do need help. Otherwise, American cities begin to look like Haiti.
I don't know where you live & how you define it, but IMO most jobs are boring & repetitive.For some boring, repetitive sorts of jobs, a duller person might be a better fit.
There is probably some relationship between low IQ and criminality. Of course there are smart criminals, and most low IQ individuals do not turn to crime, but convicted criminals, as a group, have IQs that are substantially below average, at least in America. I think it probably has to do with lower brain function leading to generally poor decision making, and sometimes to criminality.bossel said:Extra police for reasons of lower IQ levels?
Haiti has an average IQ of 72, which means that the majority of the country is borderline retarded by developed world standards. Haiti has no public educational system, and is 60-70% illiterate primarily because it has so few people who are smart enough to organize schools and teach, or even recognize the importance of such activities. And it doesn't help that many of Haiti's more capable individuals emmigrate to greener pastures.Reasoning based on Haiti?
Haiti is actually a very good example of a dysfunctional education system (apart from other dysfunctional systems there). You can't blame the mentally retarded or handicapped for the condition of this particular society.
I agree that they are a sign of malfunction. Police and social workers can only make the situation marginally better, but that may be the best that anyone can do. Government could spend a few hundred billion dollars, tear down all the slums and buy every resident a house in the suburbs. But I'm afraid the whole scenario would just begin again.The ghettos you mentioned are not a very good example either. Where are these ghettos in Europe. With the exception of some French suburbs there are almost none. Ghettos are a sign of a malfunction in society. More police or social workers won't make ghettos disappear.
I am an American living in Japan, living the somewhat boring repetitive life of an English teacher. It sure beats factory work though. I agree that lower IQ people can be trained to do many jobs, and that government should make the effort to see that this happens.I don't know where you live & how you define it, but IMO most jobs are boring & repetitive.
Apart from that, there are lots of jobs even people with an IQ lower than 80 could fulfill, if trained properly. Although I have to agree that for some of these jobs a special training would be needed.
Modern technology can make it even easier to integrate mentally retarded or handicapped into the work force.
*ding ding* in the red corner, weighing in at 85kg... wearing a plaid jacket and mocka shoes... PERRY!
8 kg? Hey, I'm not that fat! I'm just a common European Tree Frog.TwistedMac said:weighing a whopping 8kg, being a frog... BOSSEL!!!
Maybe more of them get caught for being not smart enough to outrun justice?Matthew C. Perry said:convicted criminals, as a group, have IQs that are substantially below average
If there is no public educational system, it seems more logical to me to say that this is the reason for such a low IQ average.Haiti has an average IQ of 72, which means that the majority of the country is borderline retarded by developed world standards. Haiti has no public educational system,
Just because someone has a low IQ doesn't mean one is mentally retarded.
That's the point exactly. People with a low IQ don't need some help imposed on them, they know very well that some situations are too abstract/complicated & then can call for help. You don't need to put social workers (& surely no police) on their heels to tell them how to live their lives.Matthew C. Perry said:I'm not that interested in the formal definitions. People who have low IQs and are funtionally impaired need help. People who have low IQs but function normally in most situations, might still need some help. At least their situation should be evaluated realistically. It makes no sense to just ignore the fact that their brains function at a lower level, and expect that they can become doctors, teachers, or wise government leaders of modern nations.
Keeni84 said:I believe Xenophobia and racism to be different. Xenophobia is the fear of "outsiders" or strangers to your country. It even applies to people who may be of your country, but are recent immigrants. Racism is the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others. It's different.