INTELLIGENCE IN CHINA }ISR +./+
RICHARD LYNN (dP9`Na]
University of Ulster, Northern Ireland jQ['f\R
Studies of the intelligence of' Oriental peoples in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore zz #IY'dwT
and the United States have typically reported slightly higher mean IQs than those of DI[
British and American Caucasoids. Recently results have become available for a `KUL4) g~
standardization of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices in the People's Republic of #>2cfZ`6'J
China. The results show that Chinese 6-15 year-olds obtain a mean IQ of 102.1 in relation HpS1(%d"
to an American Caucasoid standard of I00. rges`&0
A number of studies have shown that the Oriental or Mongoloid peoples l $0w 9Z^
have higher mean IQs than whites or Caucasoids of European origin in the BirnCfj/2
United States and Britain. Much of the literature on this question is reviewed /4$ c-k
in Lynn (1987). The IQ advantage of Mongoloid populations has generally s8SCEpz
been found to lie between 2 to 8 IQ points. A number of studies of ;iz3
Bf1o
intelligence in Japan indicate that the mean IQ is approximately 105. Studies Y4N)yMSl"
of the intelligence of children in Taiwan and Singapore have obtained mean WS"v"J%
IQs of approximately 103. A recent study of children in Hong Kong obtained ]F #0to
a mean IQ of 110 (Lynn, Pagliari & Chan, 1988). The extensive literature #M<u^$Jz
on the intelligence of ethnic Orientals in the United States was reviewed by ?ZYj5[op,H
Vernon (1982) who concluded that the mean non-verbal IQ was about 110 ?f*>=;7=
and the verbal IQ about 97, which can be averaged to give a figure of 103.5. AmK g;9LS
Although data are now available on the intelligence levels of Mongoloids `HILsU=|
in a variety of locations, the jewel in the crown is missing. This is the #J~xKyJi'
intelligence of the population in the People's Republic of China. The interest {BZ0x2
in obtaining data on intelligence in China is twofold. Firstly, this is the GQ}R xu]
homeland of by far the greatest number of Mongoloids. Secondly, the high U04)XfO;]
intelligence levels of Mongoloids in several locations could have been vy5I#q(k
determined by selective emigration from China. This is suggested by Flynn XsX];I{E,
(1989) for the Chinese in the United States, and the same argument could be -BH T'zq1S
applied to the Chinese populations of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. l"%WXi"X
Data on the intelligence level of the population of mainland China are crucial S2?)Sb`
for the resolution of this problem. The required data have recently become uFL!
*#A
available and are the subject of this report. B-V
METHOD eBqF@'DQ
A Chinese standardization of the Progressive Matrices was carried out by Y#FSU#a$<
Hou Can Zhang of Beijing Normal University in the mid-nineteen eighties. e?WI=Og
The standardization sample consisted of 5,108 individuals drawn as a } [OEtd{
stratified sample from the 6 principal administrative areas of China and from wrVR[v>E<
small, medium sized and large towns within these areas. The results are given |
;R-q
8
in the form of norm tables in Raven and Court (1989). These norm tables !L)yI#i4C
consist of raw scores for a number of age groups and the percentile *_"lXcG.
equivalents of raw scores, set out in the same format as those given for the m Gx{Vpt
United States in Raven (1986) and for Britain in Raven (1981). EUS^Gtc
RESULTS i}@5<&J
The American norm tables give the most precise percentile equivalents for mxICQ>s
b
raw scores and for this reason are the most satisfactory standard with which ceAefKdb
to compare results from China and elsewhere. For the Chinese data it is FYH^axpp
possible to derive American percentile equivalents for 20 age groups over the A:*$r Hbzl
age range 6-15 years. These have been collapsed into 5 age groups, the hA+;eXy/
percentiles transformed into IQs and the Chinese results given in relation to [Vj|fy4
American IQ means of 100 and SDs of 15 in Table 1. Mean IQs of British .jl^"{@
6
children are also given in the Table, making the same calculations from the tDtqTB}
British standardisation sample. LG'1^W{a
TABLE 1: MEAN SCORES AND IQs OF AMERICAN, BRITISH zKGr(9I
AND CHINESE CHILDREN ON RAVEN'S STANDARD ^+Njz{rpG
PROGRESSIVE MATRICES. /UtSZ(
It will be seen that the Chinese children obtain consistently higher means -v=tM6
than the American and a marginally higher overall mean than the British. J7k=5Fqej;
The mean IQ of American children is depressed by the presence of N@8tf@BT
substantial numbers of blacks in the population. The mean IQ of white 5#::42oE
Americans is 102.2 (Jensen and Reynolds, 1982). Hence in relation to an Tx(=4ALY
American Caucasoid mean IQ of 100, British children obtain a mean of 101.2
(Kj>Ao
and Chinese children of 102.1. The statistical significance of the higher mean X
[;n149o
obtained by the Chinese children in relation to the American can be tested by c+jnQM'
calculating the standard errors. The difference between the means is greater 4Y d$RP
than twice the standard errors and can therefore be considered statistically :fQN_*B4@4
significant. The Chinese-British difference is not statistically significant. XlJ+:st
DISCUSSION }3R:7N`,|
The results show that the intelligence level of children and adolescents in >Sm#-4B-
mainland China is slightly higher than that of Caucasoids in the United States l#a*w
and in Britain, although the Chinese-British difference is not statistically $it>*%
significant. In evaluating the result, account needs to be taken of the very low *-gmWATC6
living standards in China. ,&jjpeZP
Few dispute that intelligence is to some degree determined by envi-
yn04[PN2
ronmental conditions and standards of living. Thus children adopted by Y^gIvX
middle-class families enjoying good living conditions obtain higher IQs than '8b=4mrbH
their siblings reared in working-class families (Dumaret, 1985; Capron & ;V^ I>-fnm
Duyme, 1989). Furthermore, the increase in living standards in the q,]57s
economically developed western nations over the course of the last half ^?T,>ZI
century has been accompanied by a rise in intelligence of approximately 15 9HAK
IQ points (Flynn, 1987; Lynn & Hampson, 1986). A major factor in this \>+BvF
rise has probably been that the increase in living standards has been Nrc-@ ]
accompanied by better nutrition and this, in turn, has led to improvements in 2>im'x 5
the neurological development of the brain (Lynn, 1990).
PRK*7-(
In the mid-nineteen eighties the per capita income in China was 227 US ihIRB9
dollars as compared with 16,636 US dollars in the United States and 8,064 x)T07,3:
US dollars in Britain (United Nations, 1987). To equate the United States and Tx/KL%X
Britain with China for the standard of living it would be necessary to go back xt8@l
[Z
at least to the beginning of the century when British and American mean IQs kS_37-;
were substantially lower than they are today. Hence, if and when living 6e;8\1^
standards in China improve, the intelligence of the population can be kp*BAQ
expected to increase further. X
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