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Comment by naasking | Hacker News Reader

> Different races within the US have different intelligence levels, and that intelligence is highly predictive of adult outcomes

I think tying this to race is a mistake. The data shows such correlations, but there are also correlations between race and socioeconomic status, and socioeconomic status and intelligence. The way you phrase this implies a premature conclusion about race when in reality it's likely not about race at all.

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That's an entirely reasonable skeptical point of view to take in the absence of other evidence. However, this question has also been examined. Using typical measures of socioeconomic status (e.g. an index of education + income), one finds that controlling for socioeconomic status does little to explain the black-white IQ gap. There is a sizable gap at every level of socioeconomic status. Data: http://sites.biology.duke.edu/rausher/Hm2.jpg

source: http://sites.biology.duke.edu/rausher/lec23_05.html

It's still ridiculous to tie it to 'race' because, a) there is no real biological classification of race, which means all of this data using such classifications is already inherently biased, and b) mere correlation again does not entail a causation, so there could very well be a third variable that ties it all together. I can think of a bunch right off the top of my head, like stereotype threat and the still all too common racism resulting in many educational disadvantages for black students.

The results don't have to be really about race.

I would expect that enslaving a particular group would have an effect on how their genes get mixed up over time compared to a control group of non-slaves.

It's not a mistake to tie it to race. Race, or some hidden variable correlated to it, is highly predictive even after accounting for income and similar things.

https://randomcriticalanalysis.wordpress.com/2015/05/16/on-c... http://ftp.iza.org/dp8733.pdf http://www.mindingthecampus.org/2010/09/the_underperformance...

Further, the effect size is large - far larger than anything you could hope to accomplish with a teacher.

Supposing that the cause is genetic, I'm not sure how it's different if the genetic influences were caused by slavery or something prior to it. Either way, the net result is that an identifiable group of humans will have an intelligence distribution shifted to the left.

Note that my claim had nothing to do with genetics - the genetic influences are trickier to pin down than the racial differences. Also, there is significant evidence that at least part of the black/asian gap is caused by factors other than racism and genetics - namely the overperformance (relative to black Americans) of black immigrants.

http://www.unz.com/article/closing-the-black-white-iq-gap-de...

> Race, or some hidden variable correlated to it, is highly predictive even after accounting for income and similar things.

Since you're convinced of this position, please provide a biological definition of each "race" you think shows this effect, and we'll see if the data actually agrees with your claims.

Everything I said is perfectly valid if you take a sociological definition of race, so demanding I provide a biological definition of one is silly. The data I cite is based entirely on self-report - to the Census, to the California Dept of Education, and similar government bodies.

You'd know this if you actually read the sources I cited.

So yes, you are right. The study was not based on a biological measurement. We cannot rule out the possibility tyat at every income level stupid people with pale faces are more likely to self-identify as black while smart people with dusky skin are more likely to self-identify as white.

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