NIESBETT CLAIMS LITTLE OR NO IQ RACE CORRELATION \doc\web\99\07\nisbett.txt From: SteveSlr@aol.com Date sent: Tue, 4 May 1999 18:20:06 EDT To: h-bd@egroups.com, ericsson@darwin.psy.fsu.edu Subject: [h-bd] Nisbett on IQ vs. white admixture in Af-Ams Anders Ericsson writes: <> Richard E. Nisbett is quoted thus: <<"The studies most directly relevant to the question of whether the IQ difference between blacks and whites is genetic in origin show no association between IQ and African, as opposed to European, ancestry. A few older studies of skin color are consistent with European superiority, but most are not. The best modern study shown no relationship between IQ and European ancestry as defined by blood group factors, but indicating that although there is a weak relationship between skin color and IQ, this has nothing to do with European ancestry. One other modern study of blood types also suggests that there is no genetic difference in IQ between the races, while the other weakly suggest African superiority. Studies of the children of black as against white GI fathers in Germany and of the European heritage of black children in Chicago show no advantage of European over African genes. a study of mixed-race children shows that those with white mothers and black fathers have much higher IQs than those with black mothers and white fathers.... The evidence thus indicates that if there are genetically determined IQ differences between the races, they are too small to show with any regularity in studies covering a wide range of populations and using a wide range of methodologies. This is an extraordinary important conclusion.">> Steve Sailer here: I too read this chapter by Richard E. Nisbett in this book edited by Christopher Jencks, and found it most interesting, so I invited him to join the Human Biodiversity discussion group. My invitation began: "Dear Dr. Nisbett: "I was impressed with your chapter in Jenck's book on the black-white gap in testing. My one concern was that the studies you cite about the lack of correlation between IQ and degree of white admixture in African-Americans would seem to not only demolish the genetic theory of IQ differences, but also the environmental theory as well (since there is a preponderance of evidence that beige African-Americans have tended to enjoy better environments than black African-Americans). And then where would be?" However, Dr. Nisbett is currently on sabbatical, so he never had a chance to reply. Although whites seldom pay much attention to skin color differences among African-Americans, there is a definite tendency for middle class African-Americans to be lighter in color than ghetto-dwellers. For example, one of the subplots of "A Man in Full" by Tom Wolfe (who very much concerns himself with patterns of human biodiversity) concerns a mayoral race in Atlanta between the beige, college-educated middle class (lead by their Morehouse-graduate Mayor) and the underclass blacks (lead by a candidate who is a former NBA star). Thomas Sowell, who is very dark himself, has attributed the greater wealth and social standing of the beige to often having ancestors who were freed before the Civil War by their owners/fathers, who would sometimes send them off to the cities of the South or North, occasionally with a small stake to set themselves up in business. (Sowell also notes the traditionally anti-black snobbery of light-skinned African-Americans. For example, a "black" woman who belonged to Jimmy Carter's Cabinet was long active in a beige sorority notorious for excluding blacks.) If these social/cultural/environmental advantages don't translate into higher IQ scores for lighter skinned African-Americans, then the entire environmental explanation of IQ differences is in serious trouble. A close reading of Nisbett's chapter, however, shows that his conclusions rest upon a not very impressive collection of studies. His references to two "modern stud[ies] of blood types" are both at least 20 years old. (You'll note that he refers to analyses of "blood types" rather than the more modern and accurate analyses of DNA.) One of these was conducted by Sandra Scarr, who went onto conduct the now-famous Minnesota Transracial Adoption study, which did not confirm this small earlier study. Nisbett's reference to a study of the children of black and white GI's and German women is to an even less modern 1962 paper. In summary, these are all interesting studies, but they beg to be redone with modern technology and larger sample sizes. So, the nature vs. nurture arguments about IQ can safely continue without too much worry that Nisbett has disproved both sides. Steve Sailer http://members.aol.com/steveslr ------------------------------------------------------------------------ @Backup - The #1 Online Backup Service Automatic, Safe, Reliable Backup and Restores. FREE for 30 Days. INSTALL Now and have a chance to win a Palm Pilot V! http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/218 eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/group/h-bd http://www.eGroups.com - Simplifying group communications