The study of African ability

Abstract

SYNOPSIS The paper reviews the state of African society and shows that it provides a natural laboratory for students of the social sciences. Of overriding importance is the study of the constitutional ability‐endowment of ‐African peoples, for this will prove a limiting factor to the kind of society that can be maintained on the African continent. The recent UNESCO declaration which recognizes the existence of ethnic groups that differ genetically, outruns the psychological evidence by claiming that these differences are limited to the physical and physiological domain. There is evidence that environmental factors greatly influence intellectual development, both quantitatively and qualitatively. But it has not been proved that all differences vanish when environment is held constant. The many factors known to influence the development of intelligence are reviewed, and it is concluded that neither in Africa nor in America can environmental influences be equated without comparing unrepresentative samples. A South African control experiment is described which illustrates these difficulties. Equality in some tests (Porteus Maze, Passalong, Reasoning) could be attributed to unrepresentative sampling. Inequality in others (tests of spatial relations like Kohs Blocks, Cube Construction) could be due to specific cultural circumstances which remained uncontrolled. A design for another experiment is outlined which would study the range of gains and changes that could be brought about by manipulating African living conditions. It has been shown, for American communities, that extreme environmental conditions may influence the I.Q. by ± 20 points. A check on African populations would be useful; but this line of study would leave the question of qualitative differences unanswered.

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