The IQ Controversy, the Media and Public Policy [Paperback]

Mark Snyderman (Author), Stanley Rothman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1988 | ISBN-10: 0887388396 | ISBN-13: 978-0887388392

Questions about the nature of intelligence and intelligence testing have sparked increasing controversy during the past two decades.  The widely held view that intelligence is measureable, and both genetic endowment and environment are key determinants of intelligence, first came under sharp attack during the decade of the 1960s.  It was asserted that we do not know what intelligence is, that we do not know how to measure intelligence, and that IQ tests are biased against both minorities and the poor.  To determine current opinions among the relevant scientific communities on these issues, the authors used survey research to sample a broad group of experts in educational and developmental psychology as well as those whose specific expertise is intelligence testing.  They found that, despite the common understanding to the contrary, most experts continue to believe that intelligence can be measured and that genetic endowment plays an important role in IQ.  The central question addressed in this book is why expert opinion and public views toward intelligence and its measurement are so widely divergent.   The authors conclude that the public’s view of the IQ controversy has been shaped by inaccurate media coverage; and, more importantly, by changes in the nature of American liberalism as well as the key role of civil rights issues in American life.  The increasing influence of new strategic elites in the United States, and the changing role of the mass media, have profoundly affected the character of scientific information communicated to the general public and how it is communicated.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stanley Rothman is Mary Huggins Gamble Professor Emeritus of Government at Smith College, where he directs the Center for the Study of Social and Political Change. This year two books will be published under his direction, American. Elites and Hollywood's America,

Product Details

• Paperback: 323 pages
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers (January 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887388396
• ISBN-13: 978-0887388392
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,167,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Careful survey of academic views and how the media paints a different picture, November 26, 2008

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This review is from: The IQ Controversy, the Media and Public Policy (Paperback)

This is a fascinating study. The authors surveyed over 600 academics involved in IQ research to obtain their views about what the tests measure, too what extent is intelligence hereditary and so on. They then review the media coverage of IQ testing research.

Snyderman & Rothman found the media takes a very one sided view of the research. Researchers like Jensen, who argue that a significant amount of the differences within a population are due to hereditary factors, tend to be portrayed as fringe figures. Actually, the majority of researchers agree that differences are not purely environmental and hereditary factors play a significant role.

The book provides some interesting reasons for why the media has effectively mislead the public over the issue. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in IQ research, and/or how the media can slant opinion in the direction it prefers.