The Mental Ability of the American Negro

Abstract

The position which any group occupies in the social structure at any given time depends upon a complex of variable factors which are historical, sociological, psychological and economic in nature. One of these factors is mental ability. Portrayal of the position of the Negro in the American social structure, then, must perforce take into consideration the mental ability of this racial group. The central problem of this paper is to test the validity of the hypothesis of racial difference in mental ability. This hypothesis may be stated as follows: There is a difference in innate mental ability between whites and Negroes in America; this difference is due to an inherent racial factor. To arrive at a tentative answer to the problem stated above, this paper will concern itself with the studies which have attempted to measure the intelligence of Negro groups in the United States. The writer is well aware that the problem might be approached in another way, but he is, at this point, in full agreement with Garth, who points out that the problem must be attacked scientifically, and the scientific attack must be that of the experimental psychologist.'