Sex and IQ

Posted by Jun on March 22, 2006, 01:15 AM | #

Sex differences in variance of intelligence across childhood

http://tinyurl.com/o62kg

Article in press:

Abstract
Why are males over-represented at the upper extremes of intelligence? One possibility for which there is some empirical support is that variance is greater among adult males. There is little published evidence of the development of that variability – is it manifest in early childhood or does it develop later?

We explored sex differences in phenotypic variance in scores on a general ability factor extracted from several tests of verbal and non-verbal ability at ages 2, 3, 4, 7, 9 and 10 (Ns from > 10,000 to > 2000) in a sample of British children.

We found greater variance, by Levene’s test of homogeneity of variance, among boys at every age except age two despite the girls’ mean advantage from ages two to seven. Girls are significantly over-represented, as measured by chi-square tests, at the high tail and boys at the low tail at ages 2, 3 and 4. By age 10 the boys have a higher mean, greater variance and are over-represented in the high tail. Sex differences in variance emerge early – even before pre-school – suggesting that they are not determined by educational influences.

Posted by Angela on March 22, 2006, 04:27 AM | #

What’s the bet the Asian IQ turns out to be similar to Western female IQ. It peaks early. For example, if you watch Australia’s braniest kid, the Asians always win. So there is no major cultural obstacle there, right?

Then turn on an adult quiz show. Same culture, same type of questions, but Asians rarely win. Please don’t misunderstand me, as I like Asians, a lot. I just think, contrary to the academic dogma, that something else is at play here. I know Asians have higher IQs, so why do they win childrens quiz shows so dominantly, yet the adults cannot win an adult quiz show?

Posted by Al Ross on March 22, 2006, 04:47 AM | #

Overseas Chinese children are under immense pressure to continue the tradition of filial piety by producing academic results which match high parental expectations. They often take vocational degrees in high-status subjects, like medicine and law, in which they have little interest and for all their much-vaunted high IQ they often exhibit surprisingly little intellectual curiosity.
      When they are no longer compelled to pass exams, many of them show scant interest in the Western concept of life-long learning.

Posted by AD on March 22, 2006, 07:10 AM | #

Angela raises interesting points.

Overseas Chinese children….-Al Ross

But the (north-east)Asian kids who do so well are born here just as the (north-east)Asian adults who compete(and do poorly) are also born here. We’re into the 2nd and 3rd generation of Asians in Australia…..but still its asian kids=over achieve, while Asian adults under achieve.

In terms of ghettoisation and creating high crime/low house value areas, Asians,despite being ‘high IQ’ and into the 3rd generation, are only slightly less worse off than Arabs.

Posted by Amalek on March 22, 2006, 07:38 AM | #

The lower testosterone in orientals may be implicated in tneir failure to shine in aggressive formats, such as quizzes for adults. Orientals beware of becoming ‘tall poppies’ and may feel ill at ease in solo, rather than team, competitions on TV.

The relative dearth of dunces and geniuses among them, as among women, might also explain, along with this docility, why so many white and black men find oriental women more ‘feminine’.  One’s intimate companion should ideally be neither a dumb squaw, who becomes boring to live with, nor an aggressive, shrewish competitor for attention:the reason why so many Jewish men ‘marry out’.

Steve Sailor’s ‘Is Love Colorblind?’ is good on this masculinity/femininity racial-psychological scale. It correlates with physical notions of the ideal Weib, e.g. daintier, softer-voiced and less forthcoming. That in turn refers back to orientals being perceived by other races as sissy and shy: ‘girly men’ in the Governor of California’s Ostmark-speak.

Sailer has noted how few ‘personalities’ the high-IQ but timid yellow races have thrown up in this age of globalised celebrity. A few years ago most Americans asked to name the most famous living Japanese picked Bruce Lee, who was (i) Chinese, (ii) largely western-educated and (iii) dead.

Consider by contrast how many lower-IQ but more expansive negroes have imposed themselves on the mob’s consciousness in entertainment, sport and demagogy.

Posted by Al Ross on March 22, 2006, 08:13 AM | #

AD

  I am surprised to hear that NE Asian adults underachieve in Australia. This would mean that the average ethnic Chinese family household income is somewhat less than the overall Australian average. If this is the case, it is a situation unparalleled in other White-run countries, where the Chinese do tend to have higher incomes than the host group.

Posted by John Ray on March 22, 2006, 08:22 AM | #

NE Asian adults do NOT underachieve in Australia.  Practically every one of them seems to be well-off

Posted by John Ray on March 22, 2006, 08:26 AM | #

“Governor of California’s Ostmark-speak”

Amalek enjoys using rare words.

Arnie is from Austria, which is Oesterreich in German.

Hitler however referred to Austria as the “Ostmark der deutschen Reich” (The Eastern march of the German State)

Posted by ben tillman on March 22, 2006, 11:50 AM | #

A few years ago most Americans asked to name the most famous living Japanese picked Bruce Lee, who was (i) Chinese, (ii) largely western-educated and (iii) dead.

A priceless comment.

Posted by Chet on March 22, 2006, 04:42 PM | #

A few years ago most Americans asked to name the most famous living Japanese picked Bruce Lee, who was (i) Chinese, (ii) largely western-educated and (iii) dead.

And 1/4 German I think.

Posted by Angela on March 22, 2006, 05:15 PM | #

NE Asian adults do NOT underachieve in Australia.  Practically every one of them seems to be well-off

But that’s not altogether an accurate measure. With regard to the median, women are better off than men. Music is another example. Asian kids and adolescents dominate the elite halls of Western classical music. They have for generations. Yet no truely great Asian musicians have emerged.

Certainly the same goes for academic achievment post-doctorally and beyond. No, I’m arguing there is a developmental issue at play that hasn’t (yet) been captured by IQ tests taken by university and schools students. To paraphrase Francis Galton, men of genius long continue to develop.

Posted by Desmond Jones on March 22, 2006, 10:24 PM | #

LaGriffe addresses Angela’s question in hisSMART FRACTION THEORY II: WHY ASIANS LAG?

In his book Race, Evolution And Behavior J. P. Rushton writes, “Under these adverse conditions natural selection [also] increased general intelligence and a trade-off in favor of visuospatial abilities over verbal because of the crucial role of strong visuospatial abilities for making sophisticated tools and weapons, and for the planning and execution of group hunting strategies.”

But the spectacular visuospatial ability of NE Asians, while accounting for their high IQ scores, does not necessarily make them good capitalists. Hunting strategies have little to do with wealth production. And a new tool, irrespective of point of origin, is now soon available worldwide. The structure of NE Asian intelligence did not come about in response to pressures to be attorneys or editors or production managers or copywriters or salesmen or programmers or systems analysts or insurance adjusters or purchasing agents or account executives. The harsh prehistoric Siberian climate did not select for capitalist alleles.

Posted by Angela on March 23, 2006, 03:10 AM | #

Thanks DJ

I find that view unconvincing. I’ll explain why. East Asian school children, those that were born in Australia, do well in English and other language studies. Indeed, they frequently top English in State school leaving certificates.

Similarly, I will again adduce Australia’s Brainest Kid. This competition has plenty of language skill problems. Perhaps to help girls. As expected, girls do better than boys. Yet the Asian girls do not significantly lag the European girls; they are at the least equal of the European boys. In fact, some of the very worst at language are European boys. Indeed, the Asian boys perform excellently across all areas to the extent that they have won the Grand Final every series to date.

I’m suggesting East Asians like European women (and indeed South Asian men and women) hit the intellectual sweet spot early on.  Such life-history timing would be appropriate to people that evolve where social issues are dominant. However, I’m arguing that where ecological conditions have been more important (from the viewpoint of selection) then delayed intellectual will be advantaged.

In addition, I’d like to add that the view that East Asians are backwards in coming forwards doesn’t gel with my experience. Not at all. Nor does it explain why the kids are happy to shine. We have to explain why the kids shine but the adults, over 40, do not.