Back to Back Issues Page
The Psych Up, Issue #012- 10 Interview Tips
December 21, 2006

Monthly Electronic Newsletter

Prickly Issues and Innovative Solutions


Issue# 013

Editor: Saqib Ali Ateel


I would like to welcome the new subscribers who have joined "The Psych Up" since the last issue. I am also thankful to others who have been continuing their support. This ezine is sent ONLY to the confirmed subscribers. If you don't want to receive it in future, please follow the links at the end.


Join RSS Feeds

"The Psych Up" is not a regular monthly electronic magazine. However, I ensure to send it only once every 30 days.

It doesn't mean that I don't publish useful content during the irregular intervals. To keep abreast with the latest developments in the psychological testing, I invite you to join RSS feeds at my site.



IN THIS ISSUE:

1- EDITORIAL

2. FEATURED ARTICLE

"Reasons Behind Low Black IQ Test Scores and their Analysis"

3. FINAL NOTES



Editorial

I love criticism as much as I like appreciation...

Last month issue has generated a lot of reaction from the subscribers. Some have appreciated my article upon interview tips for its simplicity while others have criticized it for the same reason. I welcome all the comments...

One opinion from Mr. Dean Shelby was not only interesting but also useful for visitors of my site. He had included two of his own tips which I placed on this page with my point of view. You can read them at:

https://www.personality-and-aptitude-career-tests.com/interview-tips.html

Then I found a traffic generating source in my statistics. I found Kendra Burchill from St. Thomas University criticizing another article on the projective techniques at:

http://people.stu.ca/~gxlhb/engl1006/report1.htm

He has opined : “The purpose of the article is to give the reader information on the history and use of projective personality tests but the writer also seems to have an agenda. The first section introducing the topic uses words like “claims”, “obscure”, and “believe”. So it’s quite obvious that the writer is trying to sway us towards his point of view.”

I accept the accusation that it is my personal opinion but visitors have right to agree or differ. I think NO body can be swayed without logics. I may be wrong but I write whatever I feel correct.

Anyway I again welcome all criticism to my writings and opinions...

Saqib Ali Ateel



Sponsored Area

WARNING: Whatever You Do, *DON'T CLICK* On The Link Below! (Unless Of Course You Want To Know How Average People Like Me can Succeed with their non-technical Websites about their hobbies/interests.) Who else wants to include his personal website in Top 1% Websites World Wide?


Reasons Behind Low Black IQ Test Scores and their Analysis.

The reasons for low black IQ test scores start from IQ test structure, depend upon hereditary constant factor ‘g’, lead to bell curve and end in race specific theories. But they have attracted a lot of criticism. Interestingly, neither the definition of intelligence nor the grouping of black people is clear.

The supporters of low black IQ test scores include all people in the definition of blacks who are not whites. However, the critics claim that in the United States, the black people don’t mean 100% African origin. An average black person is considered to be about 20% white. If genes or inheritance has to do something with a particular community then the racial admixture must have strong impact upon different black IQ test results.

Factor ‘G’ and Low Black IQ Test Scores

The factor ‘g’ is considered a constant to measure intelligence. The low black IQ supporters claim that it remains constant not only in individuals but also in the communities. By 2005 most of the psychologists have accepted this factor and they have conducted different studies to establish its validity. Some have tried to correlate it with brain-evoked potentials, brain PH, nerve conduction velocity etc. Some have even tried to establish a correlation between factor ‘g’ and the gray matter of your brain.

On the other hand the dissenting voices are not wordless either. The critics argue that intelligence is much more complicated then to be expressed with a single letter or factor. They argue that the brain structure and its components in blacks and whites are similar and ratio of the differences is almost the same in the all communities.

Are IQ Test Score Good Measure to Qualify Blacks?

While discussing low black IQ test results, you can’t ignore consistent rise in the IQ score over time. The fact was brought to the public by James Flynn so it is called Flynn effect. It proves two things; the IQ tests are not perfect to measure your intelligence and low black IQ difference is temporary.

Similarly, it has been proven many times that when you practice IQ tests you can enhance your IQ test results. None of the psychologist thinks that increase in score can be equated to increase in intelligence. It is just your familiarity with the test model that facilitates your mind application properly.

For example, the ability to repeat digits backwards is considered a measurable mental ability. If you practice reciting digits backwards for a few days, you will increase your IQ test scores. It is nothing more than training of your brain to do a thing efficiently.

The defectiveness of the IQ test scores can also be seen in the fact that Africans are generally reported to have an IQ of 70 while many tests show this rating for the mental disable people. On the other hand the Africans are completely comparable to the whites unless they are offered abstract cognitive tests.

Thus IQ test scores are not reliable source to qualify a whole community inferior or superior to others.

Different Black IQ Test Results

Some studies have proven that black children are above average in the starting years of schools. In many urban schools of the UK, the black children are scoring 30 to 40 percentile on the basic skills scores, way above the 15th percentile associated with an 85 IQ.

Unfortunately, the scores decline as the children grow up.

Why?

One obvious hypothesis is inferior schooling as claimed by Fryer and Levitt (2004). But black children attending excellent schools have also shown the same declining tendency in their IQ test scorings. School results in Chicago and Detroit prove that black children show 85th percentile in high grade. They excel to their white counterparts.

But situation is not the same everywhere.

Low Blacks IQ Test Scores VS Asians’ Grading

Another angle of the debate is even more interesting. The IQ test scores have been proving that the Asians are more intelligent than whites. Are they so? Richard Lynn of Ireland claims that Japanese score 11 points higher than Americans.

There are two camps. One claims that Asians are good in math so they score better but they are not more intelligent. The other camp claims that they are more intelligent so that score higher. And then there's Norm Matloff who agrees that Asians score better, but they are no more required in Silicon Valley.

Why Differences in IQ Test Scores?

In my opinion the differences of IQ test scores between different communities is result of IQ tests themselves. No general IQ tests are available that can show that a general population of blacks scoring equal to or better than a general white population. Some may go with quality of schools, quality of education, level of income, or spending habits, but main flaw still lies with the construction, validity samples and interpretation of the IQ test scores.



About the Author

Psychometrics? Some believe in them and others reject them altogether. However, reality lies in between. Saqib Ali Ateel unlocks secrets of personality, intelligence, aptitude and testing at https://www.personality-and-aptitude-career-tests.com/art

Important Note for the Publishers

You may publish/republish, print/reprint this article in yout magazine, newspaper, ezine, website etc without making kind of change. However, you are required to include "About the Author" Bye-Line at the end of the article.



FINAL NOTES

Thank you for reading "The Psych Up".

If you have liked this e-zine, please do a favor to me and your friends by forwarding it to them. And if a friend has forwarded it to you , please subscribe at https://www.personality-and-aptitude-career-tests.com/ezine

Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this e-zine and tell me what you think! Or click here for feedback form.

Back to Back Issues Page