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Cited by 284Cognitive Abilities and TestingPsychometric Methodologies and TestingIntergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies

The nature of the black–white difference on various psychometric tests: Spearman's hypothesis

Jensen, Arthur R.·1985·Behavioral and Brain Sciences
DOI 10.1017/s0140525x00020392
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Abstract

Although the black and white populations in the United States differ, on average, by about one standard deviation (equivalent to 15 IQ points) on current IQ tests, they differ by various amounts on different tests. The present study examines the nature of the highly variable black–white difference across diverse tests and indicates the major systematic source of this between-population variation, namely, Spearman's g. Charles Spearman originally suggested in 1927 that the varying magnitude of the mean difference between black and white populations on a variety of mental tests is directly related to the size of the test's loading on g , the general factor common to all complex tests of mental ability. Eleven large-scale studies, each comprising anywhere from 6 to 13 diverse tests, show a significant and substantial correlation between tests' g loadings and the mean black–white difference (expressed in standard score units) on the various tests. Hence, in accord with Spearman's hypothesis, the average black–white difference on diverse mental tests may be interpreted as chiefly a difference in g , rather than as a difference in the more specific sources of test score variance associated with any particular informational content, scholastic knowledge, specific acquired skill, or type of test. The results of recent chronometric studies of relatively simple cognitive tasks suggest that the g factor is related, at least in part, to the speed and efficiency of certain basic information-processing capacities. The consistent relationship of these processing variables to g and to Spearman's hypothesis suggests the hypothesis that the differences between black and white populations in the rate of information processing may account for a part of the average black–white difference on standard IQ tests and their educational and occupational correlates.

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  • The only other study which has examined Spearman's hypothesis in context of intra-SIRE ancestry-related differences is Hu et al.

    “The only other study which has examined Spearman's hypothesis in the context of intra-SIRE ancestry-related differences is Hu et al. [18].”

    From Global Ancestry and Cognitive Ability (2019) · cites this paper as [18]

  • Previous meta-analyses and non-systematic reviews have generally supported Spearman's Hypothesis in US W-B comparisons, with positive vector correlations observed across all cognitive batteries and samples.

    “Previous meta-analyses and non-systematic reviews have generally supported SH in US W-B comparisons, with positive vector correlations observed across all cognitive batteries and samples (Jensen, 1985(Jensen, , 1998;;te Nijenhuis & van den Hoek, 2016).”

    From A Meta-Analysis of Spearman’s Hypothesis in the United States (2026) · cites this paper as Jensen, 1985

  • Before the present study, the total literature of Spearman's hypothesis tested on Black and White adults in the US consisted of only six datasets on adults, five reported in Jensen and one in Nyborg and Jensen; the correlations ranged from r = 0.30 to 0.81.

    “Before the present study, the total literature of Spearman's hypothesis tested on Black and White adults in the US consists of only six datasets on adults, and five of these six studies are reported in Jensen [37] and one of these six is reported in Nyborg and Jensen [38]; the correlations for these studies ranged from r = 0.30 to 0.81.”

    From Spearman’s Hypothesis Tested on Black Adults: A Meta-Analysis (2016) · cites this paper as [37]

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Authors
Jensen, A. R.
Affiliations
University of California System (US)
Corresponding author
Jensen, Arthur R.
Venue
Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
1985-07
Volume
8
Issue
2
Pages
193-219
ISSN
  • 0140-525X (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-1825
DOI
10.1017/s0140525x00020392
OpenAlex
W1994167260
Cited by
284
References
300
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 4
FWCI
20.12
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 8984 d)
Locations
Behavioral and Brain Sciences (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies
Keywords
Spearman's hypothesis, general intelligence factor, g-loading, racial differences in intelligence, processing speed, psychometric tests

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