INTELLIGENCE IN CHINA F:rT.n
RICHARD LYNN !XS ;&s7[*
University of Ulster, Northern Ireland ?i7}d@636
Studies of the intelligence of' Oriental peoples in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore N[AX]gOJ
and the United States have typically reported slightly higher mean IQs than those of SdBo sB3v>
British and American Caucasoids. Recently results have become available for a 2AI~Jm#
standardization of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices in the People's Republic of ibskce{H
China. The results show that Chinese 6-15 year-olds obtain a mean IQ of 102.1 in relation ,v+~vXO&\
to an American Caucasoid standard of I00. ;?0k>
A number of studies have shown that the Oriental or Mongoloid peoples p_2-(n@
have higher mean IQs than whites or Caucasoids of European origin in the E
h>qUa
United States and Britain. Much of the literature on this question is reviewed V,)bw
in Lynn (1987). The IQ advantage of Mongoloid populations has generally (y!<^Q
been found to lie between 2 to 8 IQ points. A number of studies of D>Dch0{H,:
intelligence in Japan indicate that the mean IQ is approximately 105. Studies seEG~/U<
of the intelligence of children in Taiwan and Singapore have obtained mean :Sd
iG=t
IQs of approximately 103. A recent study of children in Hong Kong obtained 8!{F6DG
a mean IQ of 110 (Lynn, Pagliari & Chan, 1988). The extensive literature }
^67HtNQ
on the intelligence of ethnic Orientals in the United States was reviewed by x0_$,Tz@
Vernon (1982) who concluded that the mean non-verbal IQ was about 110 MHkTN
and the verbal IQ about 97, which can be averaged to give a figure of 103.5. $@cg+Xrg1
Although data are now available on the intelligence levels of Mongoloids 0 lsX~d'W
in a variety of locations, the jewel in the crown is missing. This is the F&x9.
intelligence of the population in the People's Republic of China. The interest z>X<Di&x)
in obtaining data on intelligence in China is twofold. Firstly, this is the \"@BZ.y
homeland of by far the greatest number of Mongoloids. Secondly, the high -5t.1/
intelligence levels of Mongoloids in several locations could have been ns,qj}#
determined by selective emigration from China. This is suggested by Flynn |/-H:\5
(1989) for the Chinese in the United States, and the same argument could be !Wz%Hy:ZK
applied to the Chinese populations of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. PF?tEw_WB
Data on the intelligence level of the population of mainland China are crucial li?RymlF
for the resolution of this problem. The required data have recently become d@-bt s&3
available and are the subject of this report. }_L,Xg:I
METHOD d' Z
A Chinese standardization of the Progressive Matrices was carried out by h*9s^`9)
Hou Can Zhang of Beijing Normal University in the mid-nineteen eighties. Ks
@
The standardization sample consisted of 5,108 individuals drawn as a fPW(hb;
stratified sample from the 6 principal administrative areas of China and from z<c@<M=Q*
small, medium sized and large towns within these areas. The results are given w{;esU
in the form of norm tables in Raven and Court (1989). These norm tables _+hf.[""
consist of raw scores for a number of age groups and the percentile !4B($]t
equivalents of raw scores, set out in the same format as those given for the y0D="2)
United States in Raven (1986) and for Britain in Raven (1981). t LZ4<wc
RESULTS B'L
l\<mq@
The American norm tables give the most precise percentile equivalents for qXJBLIG
raw scores and for this reason are the most satisfactory standard with which 2-*zevPiG=
to compare results from China and elsewhere. For the Chinese data it is }?jL;CCe
possible to derive American percentile equivalents for 20 age groups over the )a%kAUNj
age range 6-15 years. These have been collapsed into 5 age groups, the ~4fjFo&