The Bell Curve IQ Graph and Its Meaning?
What is your IQ score? ...may be 100, 120 or 140 out of 1000 item scores. But none of these figures mean anything unless they are explained in the statistical and analytical modes. The bell curve IQ graph is a graphical bell shaped curve that was utilized by the authors of “The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life” to explain differences between different people effectively. How the Psychologists Draw your Bell Curve IQ Graph?The statistics have been proving that your frequency continue rising to a certain level and then it starts declining. The age group 24-39 is considered for the highest frequency of the correct answers. In a Bell Curve IQ graph, the age groups are put on the vertical axis while the correct answers on the horizontal. The meeting points of these two axes generate the bell curve.
Main Features of the Bell Curve IQ GraphA classical Bell curve IQ graph is supposed to have the following features:• It is bilaterally symmetrical, • It displays a single peak point at the center, • Maximum number of people stand at the mid level frequencies, and • The bell curve IQ graph declines on the both sides. There is nothing wrong with the tool. However, the chapter 13 of the book “The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life” has made it controversial. It was used to develop the most infamous conclusions:
1- All of the races can be represented on a bell curve IQ graph, from lowest to the highest levels. 2- Americans and blacks have IQ difference of 15 with one standard deviation. 3- The tests are biased on the side of blacks so they over-predict their future performance in academics and the jobs. Such conclusions were bound to attract a lot of noise. Are blacks inferior to the whites? Should they not be offered good jobs? Should whites be promoted at the stake of the other communities? Should the U.S government end all welfare schemes? The supporters of the book have their strong arguments. But the critics highlight some most crucial issues to determine value of the book. Intentions Behind the ResearchThe critics have reason to believe that faith behind this crucial research was not good. Most of the part of the research was funded by conservative bodies and the race advancing funding agencies.The “Pioneer Fund” provided $3.5 millions. It was purely established to advance studies of differences on the basis of race and hereditary. Its founder, Wickliffe Draper had been a staunch advocate of sending blacks back to Africa. Its first president, Harry Laughlin, always supported the idea of sterilization for the genetically unfit races. A conservative body “Bradely Foundation” allegedly provided $90000.00 to $113000.00 every year to the authors. Interestingly, the fund was increased when the book got published. They had purely political motives. You may like to disagree with the critics but you can’t disagree that the funding agencies have always some specific goals to achieve. Veracity of the Statistical DataMost of the critics have focused upon the third part of the book which contains explanation of the statistics offered. However, some big names have criticized the authenticity of the statistics.Nobel Prize Winner statistician James Heckman has seriously objected the statistical data offered in the book. The Pulitzer Prize winner book “Guns, Germs and Steel; The Fates of Human Societies” written by Jared Diamond shows a good number of statistical errors and ommissions. The Sociology Department of the University of California, Berkeley has also made the same kind of observations. The intelligence, like personality is an abstract reality. The psychometric tools may measure your current level of the mental alertness but can’t determine your future. “The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life” has tried to classify the human beings on basis of such unreliable tools. The book takes just 3 variables; IQ score, age and a socio-economic index to express its contentions. Only one IQ test, Armed Services Qualifying Test (AFQT), was used to make the most controversial judgments. Then it concludes that poverty is direct result of the low IQ score of the communities. Does it mean the rich people/races are always genius? But richness has nothing to do with your IQ score in most of the situations... Support and OppositionOn the other hand, the opposition is not minor. The list of critics is not only longer but also bigger. They include Professor Craig T. Ramey, Professor of Anthropology Michael Nunley, Leon Kamin, Howard Gardener, Thomas Sowell and John McLaughlin. A good response has come from Joe L. Kincheloe, Aaron Gresson and Shirley R. Steinberg. Their famous book Measured Lies: The Bell Curve Examined
Share Your Thoughts!How much different you think, it is valuable for other visitors and this website. However, decency is requested at any cost.
|
concludes that there is no evidence to prove that your intelligence has roots in your genes.
