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From: welsch@houxu.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: C. Burt's Ttwin studies and related topics
Message-ID: <264@houxu.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 24-Dec-83 09:13:44 EST
Article-I.D.: houxu.264
Posted: Sat Dec 24 09:13:44 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Dec-83 01:01:38 EST
Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 38

Kenneth Almquist has cited some work done by Sir Cyril Burt as
evidence for "intelligence is affected by heredity."
Unfortunately, a great deal of Burt's work is tainted by the
fact that there is strong evidence that many of his results were
faked or adjusted. 

Another general problem that psychologists are certainly aware
of is that correlation is not cause and effect. For example,

	The fact that there is a higher correlation between identical
	twins raised separately than between nonidentical twins raised 
	together indicates that there is a definite hereditary component 
	to intelligence.

is one interpretation. Identical twins are of the same sex,
while non-identical twins are not necessarily of the same sex.
The types of education, expectations, ... available to males was
different than females at the time of Burt's studies, this could
certainly explain the phenomena Burt "supposedly" observed. 

As an interesting tangent Science 83/84 has recently published
an editorial/article to the effect that first borns and only
children are not brighter than other children. When other
factors are accounted for, such as environment, their supposed
advantage disappears.

As a final point, the whole area of intelligence testing and the
issue of environment vs. heredity is highly emotional and the
stuff of "Psychology Today" and "The National Enquirer."
Eventually, I hope that we can get better methodology/tools and
determine better just what roles environment and heredity play
in human development.  Until then I take everything with a grain
of salt.


				Never heard of a boy named Sue,
				{allegra|ihnp4}!houxu!welsch
				Larry Welsch