Re: Thoughts on IQ scores (was Re: [Futurework] Talmud vs. Science (or Censorship thereof)

[Barry]

I need to interject a study in your conversation - the Carolina 
Abcedarian Project (http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~abc/ 
<http://www.fpg.unc.edu/%7Eabc/> begun in 1972 (if memory serves). A 
control group of 54 infants (matched in terms of demographics and risk 
factors) were followed for the duration of the study. ). This project 
placed 57 infants (randomly selected from a larger pool of 'at-risk' 
children in an experimental education-enhancement programOne result that 
strikes me as particularly relevant to your discussion is that by age 
10, the control group children showed an average IQ of 77, but the 
experimental group showed an average IQ of 115. Once the intervention 
ended, IQs gradually declined such that by age 21, there was only a very 
slight difference remaining between the two groups.  This suggests that 
the environment may be far more important to intelligence (whatever it 
is and however it's measured) in the long run than genetics - most 
populations appear to have comparable genetic potential in this area. 
The determining factor seems to be early childhood environment. With 
this in mind, I'd like to ask both Ed and Keith (and any interested 
others) if they are aware of any cultural differences between Eastern 
European Jews and other Western societies - particularly as they may 
relate to child-rearing practices and the community's support for 
pregnant women and young children. The website mentioned above can 
provide relevant references in the literature, or if you're interested, 
I can provide a few references as well.

Very interesting conversation!

Barry

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