INTELLIGENCE IN CHINA /3b*dsYsl
RICHARD LYNN SI7rTJ]/
University of Ulster, Northern Ireland 3c<aI=$^
Studies of the intelligence of' Oriental peoples in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore vm [lMx
and the United States have typically reported slightly higher mean IQs than those of sZ `Tv[
British and American Caucasoids. Recently results have become available for a L:i&OCU2k
standardization of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices in the People's Republic of Xaq;d'
China. The results show that Chinese 6-15 year-olds obtain a mean IQ of 102.1 in relation 8D*7{Q
to an American Caucasoid standard of I00. GP}; ~
A number of studies have shown that the Oriental or Mongoloid peoples 0m@+ &X>w
have higher mean IQs than whites or Caucasoids of European origin in the q
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United States and Britain. Much of the literature on this question is reviewed VvhfD2*T
in Lynn (1987). The IQ advantage of Mongoloid populations has generally )qWwh)\;!
been found to lie between 2 to 8 IQ points. A number of studies of ,-UF5U
intelligence in Japan indicate that the mean IQ is approximately 105. Studies HbTVuf o
of the intelligence of children in Taiwan and Singapore have obtained mean u?^V4 +V
IQs of approximately 103. A recent study of children in Hong Kong obtained Bkcwl
a mean IQ of 110 (Lynn, Pagliari & Chan, 1988). The extensive literature MxE
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on the intelligence of ethnic Orientals in the United States was reviewed by Rh="<'d
Vernon (1982) who concluded that the mean non-verbal IQ was about 110 aKI"<%PNn
and the verbal IQ about 97, which can be averaged to give a figure of 103.5. 6!<I'M'[e
Although data are now available on the intelligence levels of Mongoloids l<=;IMWd
in a variety of locations, the jewel in the crown is missing. This is the P>/:dt'GJ}
intelligence of the population in the People's Republic of China. The interest [&lK.?V)
in obtaining data on intelligence in China is twofold. Firstly, this is the I7ao2aS
homeland of by far the greatest number of Mongoloids. Secondly, the high }d[(kC_
intelligence levels of Mongoloids in several locations could have been SuE~Wb5&
determined by selective emigration from China. This is suggested by Flynn :qzg?\(
(1989) for the Chinese in the United States, and the same argument could be "hIYf7r##
applied to the Chinese populations of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. YI0
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Data on the intelligence level of the population of mainland China are crucial `+H=3`}X
for the resolution of this problem. The required data have recently become RY-iFydPc
available and are the subject of this report. bLc5$U$!I
METHOD ",#.?vT`
A Chinese standardization of the Progressive Matrices was carried out by WgNA%.|,
Hou Can Zhang of Beijing Normal University in the mid-nineteen eighties. Al$z.i?R
The standardization sample consisted of 5,108 individuals drawn as a FYAEM!dyy
stratified sample from the 6 principal administrative areas of China and from X 4;U4pU#
small, medium sized and large towns within these areas. The results are given 6= ?0&Bx&
in the form of norm tables in Raven and Court (1989). These norm tables s QDgNJbU
consist of raw scores for a number of age groups and the percentile W}(A8g#6
equivalents of raw scores, set out in the same format as those given for the 2#wnJdr6E
United States in Raven (1986) and for Britain in Raven (1981). #6 M]tr
RESULTS i
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The American norm tables give the most precise percentile equivalents for w\buQ6pR)
raw scores and for this reason are the most satisfactory standard with which 8v$q+Wic
to compare results from China and elsewhere. For the Chinese data it is _"8n&=+
possible to derive American percentile equivalents for 20 age groups over the MO`Y&<g~A
age range 6-15 years. These have been collapsed into 5 age groups, the T7[@ lMa?
percentiles transformed into IQs and the Chinese results given in relation to E|O&bUMh
American IQ means of 100 and SDs of 15 in Table 1. Mean IQs of British J
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children are also given in the Table, making the same calculations from the hx$]fvDevD
British standardisation sample. omG2p
TABLE 1: MEAN SCORES AND IQs OF AMERICAN, BRITISH ~D52b1f
AND CHINESE CHILDREN ON RAVEN'S STANDARD u0C:q`;z
PROGRESSIVE MATRICES. eg[EFI.h
It will be seen that the Chinese children obtain consistently higher means qt8Y3:=8l
than the American and a marginally higher overall mean than the British. CK_dEh2c
The mean IQ of American children is depressed by the presence of >AJ/!{jD*
substantial numbers of blacks in the population. The mean IQ of white MAa9JA8kw)
Americans is 102.2 (Jensen and Reynolds, 1982). Hence in relation to an -gn0@hS0
American Caucasoid mean IQ of 100, British children obtain a mean of 101.2 3",gjXmBu
and Chinese children of 102.1. The statistical significance of the higher mean vhe Y
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obtained by the Chinese children in relation to the American can be tested by }\a#e^-xQ+
calculating the standard errors. The difference between the means is greater 9b.
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than twice the standard errors and can therefore be considered statistically +=tdgw/
significant. The Chinese-British difference is not statistically significant. =EJ&=t
DISCUSSION ghQ B
The results show that the intelligence level of children and adolescents in g )hEzL0k
mainland China is slightly higher than that of Caucasoids in the United States 2yN!yIPR
and in Britain, although the Chinese-British difference is not statistically !3b& S
4
significant. In evaluating the result, account needs to be taken of the very low fc#9e9R
living standards in China. 66=[6U9 *
Few dispute that intelligence is to some degree determined by envi- oW^b,{~V
ronmental conditions and standards of living. Thus children adopted by x9lA';})
middle-class families enjoying good living conditions obtain higher IQs than {*xE+ |
their siblings reared in working-class families (Dumaret, 1985; Capron & 1/dL-"*0
Duyme, 1989). Furthermore, the increase in living standards in the JE.$]){
economically developed western nations over the course of the last half QV|6"4\
century has been accompanied by a rise in intelligence of approximately 15 LU3pCM{
IQ points (Flynn, 1987; Lynn & Hampson, 1986). A major factor in this dX[I
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rise has probably been that the increase in living standards has been 6 @f>
accompanied by better nutrition and this, in turn, has led to improvements in V)$!WPL@
the neurological development of the brain (Lynn, 1990). TKZtoQP%
In the mid-nineteen eighties the per capita income in China was 227 US ETDWG_H |
dollars as compared with 16,636 US dollars in the United States and 8,064 a&s34Pd
US dollars in Britain (United Nations, 1987). To equate the United States and 7[ ovEE54
Britain with China for the standard of living it would be necessary to go back 0=ws )@[I
at least to the beginning of the century when British and American mean IQs ~
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were substantially lower than they are today. Hence, if and when living Z-@nXt
standards in China improve, the intelligence of the population can be =s\$i0A2
expected to increase further. u8f\)m