Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!ukc!eagle!icdoc!ivax!mmh
From: mmh@ivax.doc.ic.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach)
Newsgroups: sci.misc
Subject: Re: Bias on IQ tests
Message-ID: <265@gould.doc.ic.ac.uk>
Date: 21 Apr 88 19:00:06 GMT
References: <3943@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <73600018@uiucdcsp> <48986@sun.uucp> <259@gould.doc.ic.ac.uk> <49691@sun.uucp>
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Reply-To: mmh@doc.ic.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach)
Organization: Dept. of Computing, Imperial College, London, UK.
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In article <49690@sun.uucp> livesey@sun.uucp (Jon Livesey) writes:
>In article <258@gould.doc.ic.ac.uk>, mmh@ivax.doc.ic.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach) writes:
>Does anyone have a reference showing that Japanese, either as a race
>or as a culture "have a very bad problem with creativity?

The obvious reference is the setting up of the Fifth Generation research
project which deliberately broke standard Japanese styles of management
in order to encourage creativity.

I can't, sitting at this terminal, think of any other reference though I'm
pretty sure I remember reading it has been discussed quite widely in the
Japanese press. I don't mean to be anti-Japanese in this as the lack of
a certain sort of creativity (by which I mean perhaps a willingness to
step outside conventions) is balanced by the qualities for which the 
Japanese are renowned and which have led to their economic success.

In article <49691@sun.uucp> livesey@sun.uucp (Jon Livesey) writes:
>	I can see nothing in the least sinister in having national tests
>which are graded equally across the country.   The xSAT and xCAT tests in
>the US work well enough to show that.   I think you have totally misunderstood
>the function of books of previous tests.   The idea is not to subvert the
>tests, but to allow everyone an equal opportunity to rehearse.

In Britain these are seen as a step towards the reimposition of a rigid
selection system. The tests start at the age of 7. Is it right to label a
kid of age 7 a failure simply because he or she came from a family where
no-one much cared for education so s/he wasn't coached into the little
tricks of passing tests, and didn't know what s/he was doing on the day of the
test?

The danger is that schools will just teach to the tests, damaging the more
creative aspects of education, and encouraging a dangerous uniformity
(any social Darwinian ought to know the advantages of diversity! (I don't mean 
by this to imply that Jon necessarily is a social Darwinian)).

Of course, at some time tests of actual competence are required and it's
tough if you fail because you haven't put the work in, whether it's your
fault or not. But at the age of 7-11 I doubt these tests measure anything
much more than the ability to pass tests.

Interestingly, opposition to Maggie's education policy is coming not only from
the left in British politics, but from some of the intellectual right who
can see the danger of state imposition of uniformity.

   Matthew Huntbach