Under 70 is the official definition of Mental Retardation, even though that term is politically uncorrect :p
Yes, you are correct when you say that the average doesn't tell you anything about the individual. There is a lot of testing to back up the fact that Blacks score the lowest, but that doesn't mean all blacks are inferior. There will inevitably be very intelligent black individuals, and therefore there is no justification of discrimination simply based on color.
Also, just because blacks score lower doesn't mean it's genetic. IQ = genetic + environmental/cultural factors. I would think, given that the human races do not differ by much genetically, that genetic factors are only playing a small factor in inferior black intelligence on average. You can give a Native african an IQ test and he will probably score at or below retarded range. Yet it is typical that these individuals display relatively normal ranged verbal abilities not seen in retarded individuals. This is clear evidence for cultural/enviromental factors lowering IQ.
The only problem for Blacks seem to be that they also score inherently lower (~90) on culture free tests, such as Ravens SPM. There is some debate over this, as to why it occurs. IF the differences are purely environmental then there should not be a ~10 point discrepancy on such a test that only relys on visual logic and memory. I suppose the test could still be flawed, and higher scores could be produced by environments more typical of higher class whites.
But again, if the Ravens SPM actually turns out to be culture biased, why do asians score the highest on it? It was, afterall, developed by a white european man. Possibly the strict upbringing of the average asian? Could a very strict education increase fluid testing ability? Probably, as evidence has shown IQ can very as much as 15 points given a lot of training (or lack of :p).
Either way, lower scores on average is no justification for racism; you must judge people as individuals, not as a race.
Congratulations on your high scores, by the way.
2007-03-23 15:19:34
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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Some people just do not do well on tests. My score was high but probably could have been higher except I refuse to guess at something I don't know for sure so left some blank. Also, I have issues and can't wait to get out of a room so I was the first one finished. I will just do it and never double back or rethink anything. Things like that affect a score negatively.
2014-12-03 14:00:19
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answer #2
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answered by Janet 1
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Forgive me for saying this, but ugh. So stereotypical. I can't believe some people would go as far as averaging black people's IQs to see if they really are inferior or whatever.
Hey, I'm asian and everyone thinks we're *soo* smart. Not all of us are, and there are some pretty smart African American intellectuals out there. I'm pretty sure that when the dude whoever wasted his time finding the blacks' average IQ didn't mean *every* black person. And you're right, African Americans aren't genetically inferior. It's just some stupid stereotype so don't worry =)
2007-03-23 13:57:52
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answer #3
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answered by Banana Hero [sic] 7
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You're pretty much correct, anyone who tells you differently is an ignorant biggot. The gap between blacks and whites is shortening (I don't have any sources on this, I just remember it said in my psych class). Also, black and white children seem to about the same when tested as infants (using a method that correlates pretty strongly with paper IQ tests) and seem to be about the same when more biologically based methods are used (e.g., processing speed). It seems as though there is a larger difference between SEC (social economic class) and IQ than race, and those at the lower end (i.e., poor people) IQ tends to vary quite a bit (meaning that some are very intelligent and some have very low IQ) this could simply be because IQ is very dependent on whether the person is getting the necessary developmental materials, (e.g., books, proper nutrition, school, off drugs, etc) in some poor households, they are not, in others, they are--which may result in the enormous variability of IQ in the poor. IQ doesn't vary so much in middle class, because all children have what they need to develop (I use this term very broadly) and are less likely to drop out, less likely to use drugs, more likely to have parental involvement, etc.
Also, African Americans express themselves orally (because of orally based african tradition) AND do not use the same inflection/vocabulary as whites. Because most paper IQ tests assess verbal ability (to some extent) blacks (and other minorities) are on not the same playing field as whites. This reminds me of some of my friends in highschool, who could come up with very clever rap lyrics, but probably didn't do extraordinary on IQ tests (although, I'm sure they did alright).
To answer the second part of your question, there is a pretty large heritability coefficient for IQ, (it's something like .7). meaning that it is mostly genetic (although some environmental factors come in to play--mentioned above). If this is true, it doesn't make sense to say that blacks are biologically predisposed to low IQ, because it has been proven that blacks and whites differ very little genetically.
No social scientist living in the modern era believes this crap.
Not to mention that not everyone believes in the whole IQ test crap, many are beginning to question it's validity. Remember: just because a test is reliable, (meaning that after testing 100,000 blacks and whites and come up with same results) doesn't mean that it's testing the right thing.
2007-03-23 13:15:06
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answer #4
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answered by Henry B. 3
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Of course that doesn't make African Americans seem stupid. The statistic is just general and doesn't have the scope to identify the average IQ of African Americans. Don't take such things to heart. IQ scores are criticized for not being sufficient enough to measure intelligence. It all depends on the individual and their dedication to learning.
2007-03-23 12:58:03
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answer #5
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answered by YouGotTold 3
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The average IQ is the same across races. In factm there is no biological thing as race. It is a social construction. We are all the same biologically, we just vary in physical attributes. If there is a difference in scores, it is most likely due to testing. Tests tend to be somewhat culturally biased, though they have vastly improved in recent years. No race is genetically predisposed to be smarter than another. There are bigger variations within groups than between groups.
And on most scales, an IQ of 70 or lower is considered mentally challenged, not 85.
2007-03-23 13:05:47
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answer #6
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answered by Mandy 3
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Intelligence has to do with genetics, if you have stupid handicapped people breeding wildly, the offspring will likely also have low intelligence, while smart people have smart children. Blacks as a whole are slow to learn and have simple brains, there are smart blacks but they are a small percentage. In the USA, most blacks get free social security checks monthly for taking the IQ tests while labels them as mentally disabled, yet it is illegal to give black students an IQ test in the state of California.
2016-02-20 06:28:34
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answer #7
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answered by Dfasdf 1
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if you want to know for fun i guess my average iq is 124.
not trying to sound racists or anything but alot of african americans are not dedicated to education which is why they tend to score lower iq scores. however you will see some african americans who do commit alot to education get high iq scores so it has alot to do with how thirst is the person when it comes to education. if a persons not motivated to learn how can you expect the person to get smarter?
These low statistics are not race related. Catagorizing people by race may make it look like its a race thing but its really not. Because it doesnt change the fact thay they are smart and brilliant african americans out there also. you cant just judge people on there skin color or race alone. You have to judge them by there character and values.
also they are many different types of iq. like reasoning, visual, mathematics and other forms of iq. So while one person might be a math genuis he might be a dick when it comes to reasoning and logic. People have strengths and weaknesses but its posibble for people though to work on there weakness and improve there iq.
2007-03-23 14:18:37
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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I would say that the information you have seen is very biased. Everyone has the same brain, but not everyone uses it the same way. Anyways they haven't tested enough black people to say that. I would say its all bullshit if you ask me. I think that that should be a case for Penn & Teller to solve. LOL! I love their show its always so opinionated and they get right down to it. Back to my point I think that it is very biased and it has a lot to do with the environment you are living in no matter what race you are. If you grow up with parents that demand that you have good grades then you will most likely have them, and vice versa. So I would just totally look beyond that report because I know Black people aren't dumb, slow, etc. I don't care what anyone says. No one is truly slow unless they just mentally cant go there or if they choose not to learn or try.
2007-03-23 13:13:07
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answer #9
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answered by sultryscorpio_pgi 2
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You're speaking of the cultural bias associated with standardized test, which is absolutely environmental. A researcher devised a test called the "***** Test" (named for the test subjects commenting "That test was a *****!") which illustrated cultural bias in the reverse. The questions used colloquial slang terms like "What is an "Oreo"? What is a "Deuce and a Quarter"? The black participants, whom IQ tests had deemed "retarded" outscored their white counterparts, who were ivy-leaguers.
2007-03-23 13:10:24
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answer #10
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answered by herogoggles 3
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