Category Archives: IQ

A Modest Proposal Regarding The Genetic Inferiority Of Mississippian Whites

Posted on March 29, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

Like one of Rush Limbaugh’s pilonidal cysts, the race/IQ kerfuffle has flared up again. Ezra Klein has a good response, even if he is far too kind to intellectual fraud Charles Murray (and, yes, Murray is a fraud: the analysis … Continue reading →

Posted in IQ | 4 Comments

Learning the SATs

Posted on January 27, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

A former, very-high priced SAT tutor notes the following about ‘beating the exam‘ (boldface mine): I’ve spent a decade tutoring the SAT. In that time, I’ve developed a reputation for efficacy. My students routinely improve their scores by more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, IQ | 4 Comments

The Puzzling Thing About Race and Achievement

Posted on May 25, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

In reading this Boston Globe piece about a discrimination lawsuit filed against Harvard by Asian-Americans who claim Asian-Americans with excellent records are less likely to be admitted to Harvard, it occurred to me that there’s a very interesting subtext about … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, IQ, Racism | 2 Comments

To (Possibly) Understand the Genetics of High IQ, We Should Test Poets, Not Mathematicians

Posted on November 3, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

There are at least two studies I’m aware of that are attempting to untangle the genetics of high IQ. They both involve looking at mathematical and sciencey types of people. I don’t think they’ll be that successful*. One reason has … Continue reading →

Posted in IQ | 5 Comments

IQ, Covariance, and Heritability

Posted on October 21, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

I’ve been meaning to get to this very interesting paper (pdf) about the heritability of IQ–it supports something I’ve long suspected about IQ. The abstract (boldface mine): To further knowledge concerning the nature and nurture of intelligence, we scrutinized how … Continue reading →

Posted in IQ | 4 Comments

So When Will Richwine and the Heritage Foundation Focus on Our Alabama Problem?

Posted on May 13, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Dana Goldstein has a very nice takedown of Jason Richwine, formerly of the Heritage Foundation, who misused of IQ to argue that Latino immigrants should face restrictions as they are low IQ, including this: Richwine recognizes Brigham’s bias toward certain … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, IQ, Racism | Comments Off on So When Will Richwine and the Heritage Foundation Focus on Our Alabama Problem?

It’s Not Just Derbyshire: Charles Murray Can’t Answer the Question Either

Posted on April 8, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

While it’s good news that John Derbyshire lost his job at National Review Online for his disgusting racist screed, Freddie deBoer notes that Derbyshire’s arguments about IQ and race aren’t different from many of the ‘genetic conservatives’ (boldface mine): Some … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, IQ, Racism | 6 Comments

I.Q., Stock Picking, and Discipline

Posted on March 7, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

By way of Robert Shiller, we come across this interesting paper linking I.Q. and successful financial investment behavior: Stock market participation is monotonically related to IQ, controlling for wealth, income, age, and other demographic and occupational information. The high correlation … Continue reading →

Posted in IQ | 2 Comments

Congress, in Omnibus Spending Bill, To Inflict Mental Retardation on America’s Children: It’s the Lead, Stupid

Posted on February 23, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

I’ve discussed before how reducing childhood exposure to lead affects everything from IQ and academic performance to crime rates. It is arguably one of the most crucial and successful environmental efforts in the U.S. of the twentieth century. So, if … Continue reading →

Posted in Fucking Morons, IQ, Public Health | 11 Comments

The Question Charles Murray Needs to Answer and Can’t: Why Are Massachusetts’ Whites ‘Superior’ to Alabama’s?

Posted on February 14, 2012 by mikethemadbiologist

Saturday, Charles Murray, author of The Bell Curve, had an op-ed in The Washington Post, plugging his new screed, Coming Apart. In the op-ed, Murray writes (boldface mine): It’s common to assume that upper-middle-class white kids win more slots in … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, IQ | 1 Comment