| Abstract: | The relationship between a refined measure of the home environment and four mental ability test scores: verbal, number, spatial, and reasoning was examined. The final sample for the study included 185 11-year-old boys and their parents. The Science Research Associates (SRA) Primary Mental Abilities test was administered to the boys. A newly constructed home interview schedule was developed and used to obtain responses from parents regarding the learning environment of the home. The environment was found to account for a large percentage of the variance in verbal and number ability and a moderate percentage of the variance in reasoning ability test scores. For spatial ability, the relationship with the environment was less definite. It was also found that the environment accounted for more of the variance in the mental ability scores than did a set of social status indicators and family structure variables. |
