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Cited by 325Cognitive Abilities and TestingSocial and Intergroup PsychologyPsychometric Methodologies and Testing

ETHNIC GROUP DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE ABILITY IN EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS: A META‐ANALYSIS

ROTH, PHILIP L., BEVIER, CRAIG A., BOBKO, PHILIP, SWITZER, FRED S., TYLER, PEGGY·2001·Personnel Psychology
DOI 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2001.tb00094.x
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Abstract

The cognitive ability levels of different ethnic groups have interested psychologists for over a century. Many narrative reviews of the empirical literature in the area focus on the Black‐White differences, and the reviews conclude that the mean difference in cognitive ability ( g ) is approximately 1 standard deviation; that is, the generally accepted effect size is about 1.0. We conduct a meta‐analytic review that suggests that the one standard deviation effect size accurately summarizes Black‐White differences for college application tests (e.g., SAT) and overall analyses of tests of g for job applicants in corporate settings. However, the 1 standard deviation summary of group differences fails to capture many of the complexities in estimating ethnic group differences in employment settings. For example, our results indicate that job complexity, the use of within job versus across job study design, focus on applicant versus incumbent samples, and the exact construct of interest are important moderators of standardized group differences. In many instances, standardized group differences are less than 1 standard deviation. We conduct similar analyses for Hispanics, when possible, and note that Hispanic‐White differences are somewhat less than Black‐White differences.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2001.tb00094.x

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130 of 130 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • European-American and African-American populations differ in mean general cognitive ability by about one standard deviation.

    “The European-American (EA) and African-American (AA) populations have been found to differ in mean general cognitive ability (or general intelligence, g) by about one standard deviation [1][2][3].”

    From Global Ancestry and Cognitive Ability (2019) · cites this paper as [3]

  • Roth et al. (2001) found around a one standard deviation difference in mean test scores between Black and White samples, with smaller differences between Hispanic and White samples.

    “A meta-analysis by Roth et al. (2001) looking at ethnic differences in occupational testing found support for previous findings that there is around a one standard deviation difference in mean test scores between Black and White samples, with smaller differences found when comparing Hispanic and White samples.”

    From Factors Related to Mean Score Group Differences on Cognitive Ability Tests: A Systematic Review (2025) · cites this paper as Roth et al., 2001

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 22

  1. *Cornwell GG., 1983, Test‐wiseness, test anxiety and racial bias in employment testing. (Doctoral dissertation, University of South Florida, 1983), Dissertation Abstracts International, 44, 2928
  2. *Educational Testing Service, 1989, Sex, race, ethnicity, and performance on the GRE general test: A technical report
  3. *Educational Testing Service, 1990, Sex, race, ethnicity, and performance on the GRE general test: A technical report
  4. *Educational Testing Service, 1991, Sex, race, ethnicity, and performance on the GRE general test: A technical report
  5. *Educational Testing Service, 1992, Sex, race, ethnicity, and performance on the GRE general test: A technical report
  6. *Educational Testing Service, 1993, Sex, race, ethnicity, and performance on the GRE general test: A technical report
  7. *Educational Testing Service, 1994, Sex, race, ethnicity, and performance on the GRE general test: A technical report
  8. *Educational Testing Service, 1995, Sex, race, ethnicity, and performance on the GRE general test: A technical report
  9. *Educational Testing Service, 1996, Sex, race, ethnicity, and performance on the GRE general test: A technical report
  10. Galton F., 1892, Hereditary genius
  11. Jensen AR., 1998, The g factor
  12. 10.1037/0021-9010.62.1.57 · DOI
  13. *Plamondon KE, 2000, An applied look at reducing adverse impact by differentially weighting selection measures
  14. 10.1037/0021-9010.61.3.341 · DOI
  15. Rattan AI, 1987, Introduction to assessing human intelligence, 5
  16. Ree MJ, 1998, General cognitive ability and occupational performance, International review of industrial and organizational psychology, 13, 159
  17. Schmitt N, 1996, Subgroup differences associated with different measures of some common job relevant constructs, International review of industrial and organizational psychology, 11, 115
  18. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2000, Employment and earnings, 46, 13
  19. *Whitney DJ.(1995).The influence of racial identity and cultural values on responses to bio‐data employment items: An investigation of differential functioning.(Doctoral Dissertation Michigan State University 1995). Dissertation Abstracts International 56/10‐B p.5813(298).
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  21. *Wonderlic EF, 1972, Wonderlic Personnel Test: Negro norms
  22. *Wonderlic EF, 1992, Wonderlic Personnel Test user's manual

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Authors
ROTH, P. L., BEVIER, C. A., BOBKO, P., SWITZER, F. S., & TYLER, P.
Affiliations
  • Clemson University (US)
  • Gettysburg College (US)
Corresponding author
ROTH, PHILIP L.
ORCID
Venue
Personnel Psychology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2001-06
Volume
54
Issue
2
Pages
297-330
ISSN
  • 0031-5826 (ISSN-L)
  • 1744-6570
DOI
10.1111/j.1744-6570.2001.tb00094.x
OpenAlex
W2121364895
Cited by
325
References
130
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 14
FWCI
13.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 2015 d)
Locations
Personnel Psychology (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
Keywords
ethnic differences, cognitive ability, general intelligence, black-white disparities, job applicants, college entrance examination, SAT, job complexity, effect size

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