Another failure to replicate Lynn's estimate of the average IQ of sub-Saharan Africans

In his comment on our literature review of data on the performance of sub-Saharan Africans on Raven's Progressive Matrices, Lynn (this issue) criticized our selection of samples of primary and secondary school students. On the basis of the samples he deemed representative, Lynn concluded that the average IQ of sub-Saharan Africans stands at 67 when compared to UK norms after a correction of the Flynn Effect. We criticize his methods for being unsystematic. Here we select only those samples that were based on stratified or clustered random sampling and were deemed representative by the original authors. We again fail to replicate Lynn's low estimate of the average IQ of Africans. We argue that these scores are hard to interpret in terms of latent cognitive variables such as g because of the psychometric incomparability we established and because the Flynn Effect has yet to take hold in sub-Saharan Africa.     

Parental interactions with Latino infants: variation by country of origin and English proficiency

This study examined variation in mother-infant interactions, father engagement, and infant cognition as a function of country of origin, socioeconomic status, and English language proficiency in a national sample of Latino infants (age 9 months) born in the United States and living with both biological parents (N=1,099). Differences between Mexican-American infants, who had lower mother-infant interaction scores and less father physical play than did the other Latino infants, were associated with differences in acculturation (both parents' English proficiency). Indicators of acculturation and paternal reports of happiness with partner were associated with paternal engagement. Indicators of acculturation were also related to mother-infant interactions. Infant cognitive scores were associated with maternal interaction but not father engagement, and maternal but not paternal mental health.     

Comparison of Hualapai school children to national norms on measures of receptive vocabulary and verbal ability

Performance differences on receptive vocabulary and general verbal reasoning ability of Hualapai Indians as compared to national norms were investigated. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised and the Verbal portion of the Cognitive Abilities Test, Form 4 were administered to 206 Hualapai Indian children ranging in age from 5 years, 3 months to 15 years, 7 months. Their performance was compared at each grade level to the national norms for these measures. Results indicated that Hualapai children score significantly lower on both measures of verbal ability when compared to national samples. Results provide a long-needed archival record of the English language proficiency of the Hualapai, and support the notion of homogeneity of English language facility across American Indian tribes. Contributing factors to Hualapai and other Native American populations' weaker performance on measures of verbal ability are discussed.     

Explaining international sporting success: An international comparison of elite sport systems and policies in six countries

The aim of this article is to explore the relationship between elite sport policy systems (inputs and throughputs) and success in international competitions (outputs). A conceptual model of the sports policy factors, which lead to international sporting success, was implemented in an empirical environment in a pilot study with six nations. The study has sought to operationalise nine pillars, or key drivers in elite sport systems, into measurable concepts, which can be aggregated into an overall score for each pillar. In addition to a national sport policy questionnaire, athletes, coaches and performance directors were also involved in the collection of qualitative and quantitative data. Although the results are inconclusive, the findings suggest that some pillars could be regarded as possible drivers of an effective system because they were prioritised in the most successful sample nations: financial resources (pillar 1), athletic and post-career support (pillar 5), training facilities (pillar 6) and coach development (partly pillar 7).     

Teacher ratings of Hispanic,black, and Anglo students' classroom behavior

Teachers rated the behavior of Hispanic (N = 56), black (N = 56), and Anglo (N = 56) elementary students with the Teacher Checklist of School Behavior. The behavior of Hispanic students was rated less favorably than that of either of the other two groups. The Hispanic students were perceived to avoid peer and teacher interaction to a greater extent than Anglo and black students and to exhibit more physical reaction (absenteeism, physical complaints, clinic requests, etc.)