Separation of home intellectual environment and maternal IQ as determinants of child IQ.

Measured both parental and child IQs with the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; Ss included 80 mothers, 35 fathers, and 80 children (mean age 12 yrs). Home intellectual environment was assessed through a 2-hr interview with the mother. Multiple regression analyses showed that for each IQ test and for the 2 scores combined, the addition of home environment ratings to the regression equations did not add a significant increment to the prediction of child IQ from that provided by maternal IQ, whereas the addition of maternal IQ to the regression equation did add a significant increment to that provided by home environment ratings. Thus, the correlation of home environment and child IQ is considerably overestimated when maternal IQ is allowed to covary. When maternal IQ was statistically controlled, the correlation between home environment ratings and child IQ was attenuated to nonsignificance. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood depression, locus of control, and school achievement

Childhood depression and locus of control (as assessed by a 20-item peer nomination inventory and the Children's Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, respectively) were studied as they relate to each other and to measures of school achievement and intellectual functioning. Ss were 452 male and 492 female 4th and 5th grade public school children. Measures of achievement included standardized reading and math scores and teacher ratings of work/study habits and school achievement. The Draw-A-Person Test was used as an index of intellectual functioning. Locus of control and depression were positively related. All measures of achievement were negatively related to both external locus of control and depression. The negative relationship also held for IQ, although it was not as strong. The joint association of depression and locus of control with achievement and IQ was evidenced by a significant correlation between canonical variates representing these 2 sets of variables. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family environments, language, and intelligence.

Examined the relationship between family environment and children's language and intellectual abilities. 40 1st graders, 20 middle-class and 20 of low socioeconomic status (SES), were administered the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities and the WISC-R. To measure press for language in the home, an interview was conducted with mothers. Results show the middle SES group scoring significantly higher than the lower SES group on the language and intelligence measures, as well as having stronger presses for language and intellectual development in the home. However, it was found that press variables contributed little to the predictive efficiency of the model. An alternative approach by T. Williams (1974) is suggested for future research. (French summary) (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal IQ and home environment as determinants of early childhood intellectual competence: A developmental analysis.

Children at risk for sociocultural mental retardation were studied longitudinally from birth to 4 yrs of age. Maternal IQs were assessed before the children's births, and children's IQs and home environments were assessed at regular intervals during the 1st 4 yrs of life. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to separate the contributions of maternal IQ and home environment to child IQ at 24, 36, and 48 mo. When the effect of maternal IQ was controlled, home environment's association with child IQ was significant only at 48 mo. When the effect of home environment was controlled, maternal IQ's association with child IQ was significant only at 24 mo. Taken together, the 2 predictors explained 11, 17, and 29% of the variance in child IQ at the 3 respective times. The overall pattern suggested a monotonic increase in the predictability of child IQ within the context of a shift in the relative importance of maternal IQ and home environment as predictors. The integration of the study of behavioral genetics with the study of the process of intellectual development requires an ontogenetic perspective. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The adopted child's IQ: A critical review.

Summarizes all reliable published data about the nature and nurture of adopted children's IQs, and draws conclusions about the relative importance of heredity and environment on children's mental development. Any study that compares the central tendency of adopted children's IQs with a group mean of 100 IQ points for a normal population cannot be taken seriously until several methodological criteria have been met: (a) representative sampling, (b) no differential loss of Ss over time, (c) accurate, age-corrected information on biological and adoptive parents, (d) careful attention to early separation and placement of children, and (e) elimination of practice effects and regression to the mean artifacts. Analysis of the resemblance between individual adopted children's IQ scores and their adoptive and biological parents' mental abilities shows that the adoptive parents' home environment has only a modest effect on their adopted children's intellectual growth, while heredity and environment of the biological parents have a strong effect on their own children's intellectual growth. At present there is disagreement about the precise values of genetic and environmental effects on IQ, and several assumptions must be made before accurate statistics can be derived. But, the available data strongly suggest that under existing circumstances, heredity is much more important than environment in producing individual differences in IQ. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Race, IQ, and rampant misrepresentations: A reply.

In L. E. Longstreth's (see record 1979-23197-001) critique of F. K. Trotman's study (see record 1978-06591-001), he attributes conclusions and interpretations to Trotman that indicate either a misunderstanding or misinterpretation on Longstreth's part or a failure in effective communication on Trotman's part. In any case, Trotman's response represents an attempt to clarify Longstreth's apparently cloudy view of the earlier Trotman work. J. L. Wolff (see record 1979-23222-001) suggested that experimenter bias operated to produce anomalies in Trotman's findings that despite similarity in socioeconomic standing, there was a difference in the intellectual home environments of Blacks and Whites, that IQ was related to home environment, and that home environment did as well as academic achievement in predicting IQ. On examination of Wolff's statements and reference citations, however, Trotman finds evidence of bias and irregularities in his critique. For example, Wolff misconstrues data, selectively either omits or includes reference citations, or statements out of context, and misrepresents previous investigations, suggesting a possibility of commentator bias. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Delinquency, delay of gratification, recidivism, and the Porteus Maze Tests.

Two principal scores are derived from an S's performance on the Porteus Maze Test: Test Age (TA) and Qualitative (Q) score. It was originally thought that a person's delinquent tendencies could be predicted on the basis of the relationship between his/her TA and IQ, but a careful review of the literature does not support this view. Reanalysis of previous studies shows that the Q score was specifically developed to identify delinquents and appears to do so very well. When Q scores of delinquent and normal groups are compared, the differences are consistent and highly significant. When the established cutoff points are used, Q score correctly identifies about 70% of delinquents sampled, as well as 70% of normals. Additional Q score findings within delinquent and nondelinquent groups are also discussed. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's cognitive ability from 4 to 9 years old as a function of prenatal cocaine exposure, environmental risk, and maternal verbal intelligence.

This study examined the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure, environmental risk, and maternal verbal intelligence on children's cognitive ability. Gender and age were examined as moderators of potential cocaine exposure effects. The Stanford-Binet IV intelligence test was administered to 231 children (91 cocaine exposed, 140 unexposed) at ages 4, 6, and 9 years. Neonatal medical risk and other prenatal exposures (alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana) were also examined for their unique effects on child IQ. Mixed models analysis indicated that prenatal cocaine exposure interacted with gender, as cocaine-exposed boys had lower composite IQ scores. Age at assessment did not moderate this relation, indicating that cocaine-exposed boys had lower IQs across this age period. A stimulating home environment and high maternal verbal IQ also predicted higher composite IQ scores. Cocaine-exposed boys had lower scores on the Abstract/Visual Reasoning subscale, with trends for lower scores on the Short-Term Memory and Verbal Reasoning subscales, as exposure effects were observed across domains. The findings indicate that cocaine exposure continues to place children at risk for mild cognitive deficits into preadolescence. Possible mechanisms for the Exposure × Gender interaction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intrinsic intellectuality: Its relations to social class, intelligence, and achievement.

Distinguishes between orientation toward intellectual behavior that is motivated by ulterior purposes (e.g., grades, material success) and intellectuality for its own satisfaction. A scale was devised that excludes instrumental attitudes toward intellectual pursuits and measures intrinsic intellectual motivation (IIM). Data were obtained on 455 high school sophomores testing hypotheses that involve the relations between IIM, SES, need achievement, intelligence, and sex. Ss were administered a battery of tests that included the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule and Metropolitan Achievement Tests: High School Battery. Findings indicate a positive relationship between IIM and scholastic achievement, whereas need achievement showed no relationship. IIM was only moderately related to IQ and was weakly related to SES. No relationship was found between IIM and need achievement. When IQ was controlled, no relationship between IIM and SES appeared. Results show that IIM contributes significantly to academic achievement in addition to and independent of IQ. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is speed of processing information related to intelligence and achievement?

Speed of processing information, measured by mean response time and slope of response times for tasks of varying levels of complexity, was correlated with intelligence (measured by the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test, which emphasizes power rather than speed) and with achievement (measured by Stanford Achievement Test scores in reading and mathematics). Three tasks (sentence–picture comparison, pictorial similarities and differences, and matrix analysis) were individually administered to 94 6th graders, 51 males and 43 females. Reliability of mean response time was greater than that of slope and correlated significantly with IQ (–.6) and with achievement (–.4–.5). Correlations with achievement dropped to near zero with IQ partialled out. Speed of processing information was found to generalize across experimental tasks and to reliably indicate intellectual ability. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prognostic indicators for children in a psychiatric hospital.

In an effort to find prognostic indicators of improvement for a group of 34 hospitalized children, the relationship between improvement and initial test score was computed. A combination of rated improvement and improvement in Full Scale Wechsler IQ was used as the criterion of improvement. Initially high scores on the Goodenough Draw-A-Man, Wechsler Performance IQ, Similarities, and Picture Completion subtests were significantly related to subsequent improvement in the hospital setting. Initially low deviation scores on Digit Span and Comprehension relative to the other subtests were found related to subsequent improvement. It is concluded that children with a normal intellectual potential but incapacitated by anxiety or other acute emotional disturbances show the most improvement in a hospital setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in scholastic achievement and intelligence of Indian children enrolled in a foster placement program.

Attempted to determine whether Indian students participating in a foster home placement program would show educational gains greater than those previously found with other Indian education programs. 84 children who had been enrolled for 5 or more yrs were selected as Ss and their standardized testing records obtained from the schools. The tests, administered when the Ss were 8-14 yrs old, included the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and California Test of Mental Maturity. Although testing records were incomplete, it was found that compared to national norms, the mean achievement score for this group declined with successive yrs of participation in the program and total IQ scores showed no significant changes. It is concluded that results are similar in this respect to those obtained on Indian students who remain at home and are educated in public schools. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological testing and functional outcome for individuals with traumatic brain injury

The relationship between performance on neuropsychological measures and the vocational and independent living functioning of individuals with traumatic brain injury was examined. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) IQ and Stroop Color and Word Test scores differentiated individuals who required no assistance with activities of daily living from those requiring some level of assistance. Only the Stroop Color and Word Test scores differentiated individuals who were competitively employed or engaged in degree-oriented education from those who were unemployed or in sheltered or supported employment. Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) scores did not differentiate these groups.     

Effects of sex and lesion locus on measures of intelligence.

Previous reports of the cognitive effects of lateralized brain damage in men and women have been conflicting, some suggesting significant differences in the pattern of intellectual deficits and others failing to do so. This article reports Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) IQ data from 64 patients with cortical neoplasms confined to one of four brain quadrants. Analyses indicated a significant main effect for lesion laterality for verbal IQ scores (but not for performance IQ scores) as well as for verbal IQ–performance IQ difference scores. There were no significant main effects for sex or lesion site (in the anterior–posterior dimension) and no significant interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intelligence, schooling, and society.

IQ test scores are measures of g, or general intelligence, the common element present in diverse tests of cognitive abilities that are positively related to each other. IQ scores are related to the acquisition of knowledge in school and occupational settings. IQ test scores also relate to the academic achievements of one's children. In many contexts, the relationship between IQ and various outcomes is not attributable to the relationship between IQ and social class background. IQ is an index that distinguishes among individuals with common social and demographic backgrounds. The relationship between IQ and various outcome measures may be reduced by relying on multivariable selection procedures, by modifying educational and occupational practices, and by interventions designed to increase IQ. Representative studies that provide evidence for these assertions are considered. Although the influence of the ability indexed by IQ may be reduced, it probably cannot be eliminated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental problem-solving speed as a correlate of intelligence in parents and their adopted and natural children.

300 families of adoptive parents and their 5–15 yr old adoptive and natural children took the age-appropriate form of the WAIS or the WISC. An index of speed of problem solving was obtained for each parent based on the times taken to solve easy problems of the Block Design subtest. Speed of solution correlated .26 with Verbal IQ and .51 with Performance IQ among the parents. Parental speed was then correlated with the subtest scores of their children on the WISC. Although mothers' speed correlated negligibly with the scores of adoptive and natural children, fathers' speed correlated more positively with their natural children's Performance scores than with their adopted children's scores. Results suggest a relationship of parental problem-solving speed to children's intellectual performance. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Academic underachievement, other-direction, and attitudes toward women's roles in bright adolescent females.

Studied achievement patterns and the relationship of other-direction and attitudes toward women to achievement in 43 10th-grade females with IQ scores above 110. Underachievers were Ss whose high school grade average was below the class mean. Achievement indices consisted of high school grades and scores on the Stanford Achievement Test and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development. Grade averages from Grades 2 through 10 were examined. Achievement patterns revealed a significant difference between the grades of achievers and underachievers beginning at Grade 6. Other-direction and attitudes toward women were significantly related to mathematical achievement test scores and high school grades. Results are discussed in relation to research in locus of control and factors contributing to adult underachievement in bright females. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Which is the stronger correlate of school learning? Time to learn or measured intelligence?

Time to learn (TTL; measured by the number of trials to criterion on single units of material from 6 academic areas) and intelligence (measured by the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test) were correlated with each other and with school achievement (measured by standardized test scores) in a study of 153 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. TTL was a strong correlate of school achievement (.85–.89). Correlations were lower between TTL and IQ (.50–.69) and between IQ and achievement (.59–76). It is concluded that TTL is a stronger correlate of school learning than IQ is. TTL is discussed as a tool for teachers who design individual instruction and as potentially the fairest measure of school performance available at the present time. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Daydreaming and curiosity in gifted and average children and adolescents.

307 gifted (CA 10–16 yrs; mean IQ 138.8) and 192 age-matched average Ss (IQ 100.8) completed the Imaginal Processes Inventory, the Children's Reactive Curiosity Scale, and the Academic Curiosity Scale. Demographic and IQ data were obtained from Ss' school records. Factor analysis of the data resulted in factors indicative of individual difference dimensions in daydreaming content and curiosity independent of demographic and IQ factors. Analyses of factor scores by grade level revealed decreasing linear trends over grade on the Guilt and Fear of Failure Daydreaming factor in both groups. Increasing trends over grade level were found for the Curiosity and Positive-Constructive Daydreaming factors in the gifted group. Average Ss showed a developmental decline in curiosity. Compared to average Ss, gifted Ss had higher Curiosity factor scores, lower Guilt and Fear of Failure Daydreaming scores, and higher scores on the Intelligence and Family Enrichment factor. The validity of the distinction between intellectual power and intellectual styles and the development of intellectual styles are discussed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Verbal labelling, auditory-visual integration, and reading ability.

Classified 32 male 2nd graders into good and poor readers on the basis of whether their scores on the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test were at or above vs below the level predicted from their IQ scores on the Otis Quick-Scoring Mental Ability Test. Ss were given verbal labeling and auditory-visual integration tasks. In general, good readers performed better than poor readers on the verbal labeling task. There was, however, no difference between the good and poor readers in performance on auditory-visual integration. Results are interpreted as lending support to the data that poor readers may have a general lack of ability in linking symbols with objects or actions. (French summary) (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)