Arthur Jensen believed that __.
a. genetics was solely responsible for intelligence
b. environment was solely responsible for intelligence
c. intelligence level was determined by race
d. IQ tests do not take socioeconomic status into account
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: c. intelligence level was determined by race
Explanation:
Arthur Jensen was a controversial American psychologist best known for his work on the heritability of intelligence. In his 1969 paper “How Much Can We Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement?”, published in the Harvard Educational Review, Jensen argued that genetic factors played a significant role in determining intelligence. What made his work particularly contentious was his claim that there were racial differences in average IQ scores and that these differences were largely due to genetic, rather than environmental, factors.
Jensen posited that intelligence, as measured by IQ tests, is about 80% heritable, and he controversially suggested that the average IQ differences between Black and White Americans might be attributed in part to genetic differences. Although he did not claim that genetics was the sole determinant of intelligence, or that race entirely determined intelligence, his association of race with inherited intelligence levels led many to interpret his position as arguing that intelligence is significantly determined by race.
His claims sparked widespread criticism and debate, both in academic circles and in public discourse. Critics argued that he downplayed the effects of socioeconomic status, educational opportunity, cultural bias in IQ testing, and the environment. Many researchers pointed out that IQ tests do not operate in a vacuum and are often influenced by cultural, social, and economic contexts.
Since then, numerous studies have emphasized the complex interplay between genetics and environment, and modern consensus in psychology and neuroscience suggests that intelligence is influenced by both heredity and environmental factors such as education, nutrition, and upbringing. Additionally, the scientific community has largely moved away from linking race and intelligence, recognizing that race is a social construct with little genetic basis and that observed group differences in IQ are better explained by historical and social inequalities than by genetics.
In summary, Arthur Jensen believed that intelligence level was partly determined by race, making answer (c) the correct one.
