Deliberative Attitudes,IQ, and Social Class

When large numbers of children are polled concerning their attitudes toward school and academic study, those from poor homes are, on the average, less likely to hold favorable attitudes than those from better homes. This fact is hardly surprising. But the relationship between favorable attitudes and socio-economic status is far less marked than is the relationship between IQ and socio-economic status. Hence, when children are selected for high-ability classes and eventually for college on the basis of IQ or related measures, a child who likes ideas is far more likely to be rejected by the school system if he comes from the lower socio-economic classes. The foregoing conclusion is based on a survey of thousands of children in elementary and high schools in this country and in England.