Intelligence, Genes, and Success: Scientists Respond to The Bell Curve (Statistics for Social Science and Public Policy)

This is author-approved bcc. If it is too long, delete the last sentence in each of the biographies. THE BELL CURVE by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray, a best selling book published in 1994, set off a hailstorm of controversy about the relationships among IQ, genetics, and various social outcomes, including welfare dependency, crime, and earnings. Much of the public reaction to the book was polemical and did not focus on the details of the science and in particular on the validity of the statistical arguments that underlie the books's conclusions. A detailed understanding of the arguments in THE BELL CURVE requires knowledge about (i) statistical models for genetic heritability, (ii) factor analysis, especially as it has been applied to the analysis of IQ tests, (iii) logistic regression and multiple regression analyses, and (iv) causal modelling and alternative statistical frameworks for making inference from longitudinal data. In this volume a group of statisticians and social scientists have assembled a scientific response to THE BELL CURVE. The sixteen chapters begin by presenting an overview of the scientific and statistical issues and summarize the material in Herrnstein and Murray's book. Then separate chapters by various experts deal with more focused issues, including reanalyses of data relied upon by the authors of THE BELL CURVE. The final chapters consider some of the implications of the work described in the book for American public policy and scientific research. BERNIE DEVLIN is Program Director of the Computational Genetics Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He serves on

The Bell Curve
Kathryn Roeder (eds.)
When it was first published in 1994, Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray's best-selling book The Bell Curve set off a firestorm of controversy about the relationship among genetics, IQ, and various social outcomes. Much of the reaction was polemical and based on whether readers agreed with the conclusions about welfare dependency, crime, and differences in earnings. But how valid are the statistical arguments that underlie the book's conclusions? In Intelligence, Genes and Success, a group of respected social scientists and statisticians present a scientific response to The Bell Curve.
The book begins by summarizing Herrnstein and Murray's arguments on the heritability of intelligence and the relationship between IQ results and social success. Then separate chapters by various experts deal with more focused issues, including re-analyses of data relied upon by Herrnstein and Murray. Finally, the editors discuss the implications for American public policy and scientific research that arise out of a more logical interpretation of the data on social success, intelligence, and genetics.

Bernie Devlin is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Statistics at Carnegie-Mellon University. He serves on the DNA Advisory Board to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director regarding standards for forensic DNA testing laboratories, and the National Forensic Review Panel for the National Institute of Justice regarding the performance of proficiency tests.
Stephen E. Fienberg is Maurice Falk Professor of Statistics and Social Science at Carnegie-Mellon University and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Scienceand the American Statistical Association.
Daniel P. Resnick is Professor of History at Carnegie-Mellon University. His research deals with the relationship of historical thinking and experience to public policy development.
Kathryn Roeder is Associate Professor of Statistics, Carnegie-Mellon University. She has a strong research interest in applied problems including statistical genetics, DNA forensic inference and criminology.

Front Matter....Pages i-xi Front Matter....Pages 1-2 Reexamining The Bell Curve ....Pages 3-18 A Synopsis of The Bell Curve ....Pages 19-40 Front Matter....Pages 41-43 Of Genes and IQ....Pages 45-70 The Malleability of Intelligence Is Not Constrained by Heritability....Pages 71-87 Racial and Ethnic Inequalities in Health: Environmental, Psychosocial, and Physiological Pathways....Pages 89-122 Front Matter....Pages 123-124 Theoretical and Technical Issues in Identifying a Factor of General Intelligence....Pages 125-156 The Concept and Utility of Intelligence....Pages 157-176 Front Matter....Pages 177-178 Cognitive Ability, Wages, and Meritocracy....Pages 179-192 The Hidden Gender Restriction: The Need for Proper Controls When Testing for Racial Discrimination....Pages 193-214 Does Staying in School Make You Smarter? The Effect of Education on IQ in The Bell Curve ....Pages 215-234 Cognitive Ability, Environmental Factors, and Crime: Predicting Frequent Criminal Activity....Pages 235-255 Social Statistics and Genuine Inquiry: Reflections on The Bell Curve ....Pages 257-280 Front Matter....Pages 281-282 A “Head Start” in What Pursuit? IQ Versus Social Competence as the Objective of Early Intervention....Pages 283-314 Is There a Cognitive Elite in America?....Pages 315-325 Science, Public Policy, and The Bell Curve ....Pages 327-339 Back Matter....Pages 341-376 "The Bell Curve drew a lot of attention. But was it sound science? When it was first published in 1994, Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray's bestselling book The Bell Curve set off a firestorm of controversy about the relationships among genetics, IQ, and various social outcomes. Much of the reaction was polemical and based on whether readers agreed with the authors' conclusions about welfare dependency, crime, and differences in earnings. But how valid were the statistical, genetical, and psycho-social arguments underlying the book's conclusions? In Intelligence, Genes, and Success, a group of respected social scientists and statisticians presents a scientific response to The Bell Curve."--Jacket A Scientific Response To The Best-selling The Bell Curve Which Set Off A Hailstorm Of Controversy Upon Its Publication In 1994. Much Of The Public Reaction To The Book Was Polemic And Failed To Analyse The Details Of The Science And Validity Of The Statistical Arguments Underlying The Books Conclusion. Here, At Last, Social Scientists And Statisticians Reply To The Bell Curve And Its Conclusions About Iq, Genetics And Social Outcomes. Occasionally, very occasionally, big books appear in the social sciences that make scholars and the lay public take notice.