The ‘Bell Curve’

• Herrnstein and Murray’s Arguments

  1. Analysed IQ scores and admissions to universities and colleges in the US over 50 years:

  • The most important factor in college attendance was intelligence, not social class or wealth.

  1. Intelligence is the best predictor of job performance.
  2. There is a cognitive elite in the US, based on a separation of society through education and the workplace, in which the central factor is intelligence.
  3. Intelligence will thus soon become the basis of the American class system • People with higher intelligence will be in the top of this class system.
• Herrnstein and Murray’s Arguments

  5. Low IQ scores are a strong precursor to poverty, more so than any socioeconomic condition.

  6. IQ scores are a better predictor of economic and social welfare than socio-economic status.

  • Low IQ scores predict students dropping out of education
  • Low IQ scores are related to unemployment
  • Low IQ scores are associated with higher rates of divorce, lower rates of marriage and higher rates of illegitimate births.
• Race and IQ, according to Herrnstein and Murray

  • On the Wechsler Intelligence test (measuring verbal and non-verbal intelligence) white Americans score 15 IQ points higher than black Americans.
  • Therefore immigration is pushing down the IQ of the US.
  • We should not expect education to influence these low IQ score.
  • Programmes of affirmative action lead to a decrease of intelligence in the workplace.

  
• How did they reach these conclusions?

  
• Six premises of Herrnstein & Murray’s argument

  1. There is a general factor of cognitive ability on which humans differ – i.e., g
  2. All standardised tests of academic aptitude or achievement measure this general factor to some degree, but IQ tests measure intelligence most accurately.
  3. IQ score reflect what most people mean by the word intelligence.
  4. IQ scores are stable over a person’s life.
  5. IQ tests are not demonstrably biased against any social, economic, ethnic or racial groups
  6. Genetic heritability of intelligence is between 40 and 80%.
• These arguments and their implications are not just seen in the US…

  As a historical detour à India has a caste system that is considered to be 3000+ years old

  • Historically, this caste system influenced people’s lives socially and politically.
  • There was a strict hierarchy that afforded privileges to certain castes and discriminated against others.
  • In the 50s, legislation was enacted to prevent discrimination based on caste
• These arguments and their implications are not just seen in the US…

  Unfortunately though, children who are from certain groups or ‘castes’ do not experience the same access, resource or inclusion, parQcularly in schools (Human Rights Watch, 2014 report):

  • We know that access to educaQon (length of Qme in school and delays in starQng) impact IQ scores.
• These arguments and their implications are not just seen in the US…

  When programmes designed to promote inclusion of individuals from these groups/‘castes’ are in place, there is no difference in actual performance (Bhavani & Lee, 2018).

  • “Programmes of affirmaQve acQon lead to a decrease of intelligence in the workplace.” (Herrnstein & Murray)