Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Skin Color and Intelligence in African Americans: A Reply to Hill

  • Published:
Population and Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hill's theory that the positive association between light skin color and intelligence among African Americans can be explained as a result of discrimination by whites against darker skinned blacks is implausible. There is no direct evidence for this theory. If it were true, dark skinned blacks should earn less than light skinned blacks as a result of greater discrimination against them. The NORC data show that this is not the case. Hill's analysis is an example of the Sociologists' Fallacy that consists of treating correlates as causes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Bouchard, T.J. (1993). The Genetic Architecture of Human Intelligence. In P.A. Vernon (Ed.), Biological Approaches to the Study of Human Intelligence (pp. 33-94). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glass, B. (1955). On the unlikelihood of significant admixture of genes from the North American Indians in the present composition of the Negroes in the United States. American Journal of Human Genetics, 7 368-385.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, A.R. (1977). Cumulative deficit in IQ of blacks in the rural south. Developmental Psychology, 13, 184-191.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, A.R. (1998). The g Factor. Westport, CT: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynn, R. (1997). The geography of intelligence. In H. Nyborg & J. Gray (Eds.), The Scientific Study of Human Nature (pp. 259-281). New York: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Montagu, M.F.A. (1945). Intelligence of northern Negroes and southern whites in the First World War. American Journal of Psychology, 58, 161-188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parra, E. J., Marcini, A. & Akey, J. (1998). Estimating African American admixture proportions by use of population specific alleles. American Journal of Human Genetics, 63 1839-1851.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reed, T. E. (1969). Caucasian genes in American Negroes. Science, 165, 762-768.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, D.C. (1994). The Limits of Family Influence: Genes, Experience and Behavior. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, D.C. (1997). A place at the policy table? Behavior genetics and estimates of family environmental effects on IQ. Intelligence, 24 133-158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Workman, P. L. (1968). Gene flow and the search for natural selection in man. Human Biology, 40, 260-279

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland

    Richard Lynn

Authors
  1. Richard Lynn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard Lynn.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lynn, R. Skin Color and Intelligence in African Americans: A Reply to Hill. Population and Environment 24, 215–218 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020756306580

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020756306580

Search

Navigation