Blackness, deafness, IQ, and g

Abstract

Jensen (1985) and Braden (1984, 1989) employed IQ data from deaf children to support their interpretation of “Spearman's hypothesis.” They reported, correctly, that positive correlations have been obtained between mean black-white differences on IQ subtests and the subtests' g loadings. They also claimed that the analogous correlation between mean hearing-deaf differences and subtet g loading is negative. They assumed that the deaf have suffered environmental (linguistic) deprivation, and argued that the different correlations indicate that black-white differences (unlike hearing-deaf differences) are not likely the result of environmental deprivation. We demonstrate that the deaf data they employed have been defectively and inconsistently reported, and can provide no support to the claim that black-white differences are not environmetal in origin. We also indicate that deaf children should not be treated as a single population with regard to “deprivation.”