Gregory Freeman: IQ Controversy: The Other Side. P-D 10/23/1994

Headline: IQ CONTROVERSY: THE OTHER SIDE
Reporter: By Gregory Freeman

Publication: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed: Sun., Oct. 23, 1994
Section: WAR PAGE, Page: 4B, Edition: FIVE STAR

A 51-YEAR-OLD man who apparently gets his jollies from looking down his nose at people is getting quite a bit of notoriety these days because of his book, "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life."
   The author, Charles Murray, concludes in his book that IQs are inheritable, and that we as a society should not waste efforts on the dumbest among us and instead focus on the brightest Americans. He argues that smart people almost always marry smart people and that dim people almost always marry dim people, and that those with high IQs naturally do well in society, academically, financially and otherwise.
   The book suggests that race and gender are significant determining factors in how bright an individual will be.
   It's only the latest book by those who have worked hard to try to prove that blacks are intellectually inferior to whites.

But a study conducted by an assistant professor of sociology suggests otherwise.
Jonathan Crane, of the University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute of Government and Public Affairs, suggests that disadvantaged children of all races could make up the entire gap in cognitive test scores if they received greater intellectual stimulation at home and if socioeconomic inequality were eliminated.

Crane's study is called "Dispelling the Myth of Black Intellectual Inferiority." To conduct it, Crane used data on mothers and children from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The survey, an annual study of 12,686 people born between 1957 and 1964, provided the basis for Crane's study.
   "The survey follows people for many years and collects a tremendous amount of information, " Crane said in an interview. "It's like other surveys, but it goes much more in depth. It not only asks things like income information, but it goes much deeper, looking at such things as psychological profiles and child-rearing practices."
   Those conducting the survey actually spend time with their subjects to observe how they handle a variety of situations.
   "There's a widespread belief that blacks aren't as bright as whites, " he said. "This study made it clear that intellectual performance has nothing to do with race."

Through the study, Crane examined the effect of race on the math and reading test scores of children.
"I didn't examine IQ but instead chose math and reading achievement scores because I think they're more relevant, " Crane said. "Those test-specific skills that are needed later in work situations and in life in general."
What he found was significant. When all other factors were equal, he said, he found no differences in the scores. In fact, in one reading test, black children scored considerably higher than white and other nonblack children with the same home and family backgrounds.

Crane concluded that children - regardless of race - with a level socioeconomic playing field and intellectual stimulation at home performed equally.
"By intellectual stimulation, I don't mean the formal, sitting down with a child and doing homework together, " he said. "Instead, I mean reading together with your children, talking about things as you walk down the street, generally teaching about the world around your children, so that learning can be fun for them, not just something they have to do for school."

Crane said that while the goal of leveling the playing field may not be achieved in the near future, intellectual stimulation can be improved now. Through early intervention, parent training and an education system that emphasizes parental involvement, it is possible to change some environmental factors.
"Money provides access to better housing, better neighborhoods, better education and cultural advantages, " he said. "Parents who are better educated tend to be more comfortable reading to their children. Those with less education may not read as much to their children because they are not as comfortable doing so."

Unlike Murray's book, Crane's study is much more realistic. Instead of taking a fatalistic approach to intellectual success based on genetics, Crane moves in a much more rational direction, stating that anyone, given the right circumstances, can achieve.
Crane's study is unlikely to change the minds of those who are using Murray's book to back up their own stereotypes. But it ought to cause those who aren't sure whether Murray is correct to think again.

Daniel Schesch - Webweaver

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