Black-white differences in memory test performance among children and adolescents

Abstract

Racial differences on mental test scores are some of the most well-documented findings in the study of individual differences, yet only in the past 10 years have neuropsychologists undertaken serious examination of ethnic and related demographic concomitants of neuropsychological test performance. The present study examined performance differences for blacks and whites on 14 separate measures of short-term memory. Using a nationally stratified (gender, race, age, SES, region, and community size) population proportionate sampling plan, 168 black and 983 white children and adolescents (ages 5 years to 19 years) were tested. Age corrected deviation scaled scores (mean of 10 and SD of 3) were calculated at 1 year intervals using the method of rolling weighted averages. In sharp contrast to typical findings with intellectual and most other aptitude measures, only one significant difference occurred across race on any of the 14 measures of memory.