Racial Factors in IQ Testing

After much research has been conducted, it is evident that there are differences between races when it comes to IQ scores. African Americans and Hispanics are assumed to score up to as much at 15 points lower than Caucasians, while Asians are assumed to score higher than all other racial groups. Some researchers believe that genetics is a factor as to why, specifically, African American IQ tests are much lower. This finding is important because it finds general differences between races. Also, if a certain race score low in a particular area, it can help educators find how to improve their scores.

However, I do not agree with this finding. Since slavery times, African Americans have been viewed as non-human (3/5 of a person) and therefore never received quality education. Therefore from generation to generation, African Americans were not reared in environment conducive for learning. However, this does not mean that African Americans genetically are less intelligent, but it means that were not raised into families that strongly valued education. Also, this stereotype threat is a huge struggle for African Americans to cross. African Americans are expected to do worse in school and less likely to continue on to higher education. These stereotypes hinder African American progression because it discourages them from trying because science tells them that they are genetically insufficient.

There are other possible causes of the IQ difference, such as socioeconomic reasons (i.e. poverty). However, overall, these studies are at risk of being false due to confirmation bias. We live in a society that has a history of racial inequality. Therefore, when some of these studies were taking place (some were even taken place during the civil rights movement), researchers could have had a pre-proclaimed belief of what the study would show.

In the following video, media blames problems such as poverty and family environment as factors that hinder African American achievement as seen in a common IQ test (SAT) instead of genetics.