INTELLIGENCE IN CHINA W9%B9~\G;+
RICHARD LYNN rtY4B~_
University of Ulster, Northern Ireland fS?fNtD6<
Studies of the intelligence of' Oriental peoples in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore r,-9]?i
and the United States have typically reported slightly higher mean IQs than those of j3yz"-53e
British and American Caucasoids. Recently results have become available for a ^#)M,.G^
standardization of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices in the People's Republic of ygSvYMC
China. The results show that Chinese 6-15 year-olds obtain a mean IQ of 102.1 in relation c`x[C
to an American Caucasoid standard of I00. hD!9[Gb
A number of studies have shown that the Oriental or Mongoloid peoples 8j<+ '
R
have higher mean IQs than whites or Caucasoids of European origin in the 4,P!D3SH
United States and Britain. Much of the literature on this question is reviewed k:k!4
in Lynn (1987). The IQ advantage of Mongoloid populations has generally QQIU5
been found to lie between 2 to 8 IQ points. A number of studies of bk{.9nz 2
intelligence in Japan indicate that the mean IQ is approximately 105. Studies h(H b+7g
of the intelligence of children in Taiwan and Singapore have obtained mean 8bP4
IQs of approximately 103. A recent study of children in Hong Kong obtained PP_fTacX
a mean IQ of 110 (Lynn, Pagliari & Chan, 1988). The extensive literature
Jk3V]u
on the intelligence of ethnic Orientals in the United States was reviewed by 9a;8^?Ld%S
Vernon (1982) who concluded that the mean non-verbal IQ was about 110 M+Jcgb]
and the verbal IQ about 97, which can be averaged to give a figure of 103.5. j~VHU89
Although data are now available on the intelligence levels of Mongoloids =as\Tp#d
in a variety of locations, the jewel in the crown is missing. This is the *, RxOz2=
intelligence of the population in the People's Republic of China. The interest SdOE^_@:
in obtaining data on intelligence in China is twofold. Firstly, this is the )o>1=Y`[z
homeland of by far the greatest number of Mongoloids. Secondly, the high Imm|5-qJ
intelligence levels of Mongoloids in several locations could have been [V _?`M
determined by selective emigration from China. This is suggested by Flynn g{%2*{;i
(1989) for the Chinese in the United States, and the same argument could be rm nfyn
applied to the Chinese populations of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. ?~#{3b
Data on the intelligence level of the population of mainland China are crucial r]'Q5l4j6"
for the resolution of this problem. The required data have recently become Zk#?.z}
available and are the subject of this report. X"p p l7o
METHOD 1?5UVv_F
A Chinese standardization of the Progressive Matrices was carried out by "}'Sk(
Hou Can Zhang of Beijing Normal University in the mid-nineteen eighties. qs'ggF1
The standardization sample consisted of 5,108 individuals drawn as a W99Hq1W;r
stratified sample from the 6 principal administrative areas of China and from ^tY$pPA
small, medium sized and large towns within these areas. The results are given ]53'\TH
in the form of norm tables in Raven and Court (1989). These norm tables k>;a5'S
consist of raw scores for a number of age groups and the percentile 5*31nMP\
equivalents of raw scores, set out in the same format as those given for the RFzMah?Q=j
United States in Raven (1986) and for Britain in Raven (1981). %zA$+eT
RESULTS UZ}>@0
The American norm tables give the most precise percentile equivalents for &6}] v:
raw scores and for this reason are the most satisfactory standard with which h<ULp&g
to compare results from China and elsewhere. For the Chinese data it is Yiy|^j
possible to derive American percentile equivalents for 20 age groups over the Qpaan
age range 6-15 years. These have been collapsed into 5 age groups, the \NI0rL
percentiles transformed into IQs and the Chinese results given in relation to LJII7<k
American IQ means of 100 and SDs of 15 in Table 1. Mean IQs of British vspub^;5\
children are also given in the Table, making the same calculations from the gdVajOAu
British standardisation sample. :U$U:e
TABLE 1: MEAN SCORES AND IQs OF AMERICAN, BRITISH
}j /r
AND CHINESE CHILDREN ON RAVEN'S STANDARD ;V"(! 'd
PROGRESSIVE MATRICES. 9}DF*np`G
It will be seen that the Chinese children obtain consistently higher means 2lm{: tS
than the American and a marginally higher overall mean than the British. $bv l.c
The mean IQ of American children is depressed by the presence of 0nOp'Ky\k
substantial numbers of blacks in the population. The mean IQ of white y/}ENUGR
Americans is 102.2 (Jensen and Reynolds, 1982). Hence in relation to an <
{yQNXf[
American Caucasoid mean IQ of 100, British children obtain a mean of 101.2 [J6b5
and Chinese children of 102.1. The statistical significance of the higher mean -yn;Jo2-
obtained by the Chinese children in relation to the American can be tested by O)i]K`jk
calculating the standard errors. The difference between the means is greater L.M|o
than twice the standard errors and can therefore be considered statistically | *J-9
significant. The Chinese-British difference is not statistically significant. Jb4A!g5C
DISCUSSION ZRr S""V
The results show that the intelligence level of children and adolescents in ?g~g GQV
mainland China is slightly higher than that of Caucasoids in the United States jQ[M4)>_k`
and in Britain, although the Chinese-British difference is not statistically maopr$r
significant. In evaluating the result, account needs to be taken of the very low ^&-H"jF
living standards in China. OlI {VszR
Few dispute that intelligence is to some degree determined by envi- ^S'tMT_
ronmental conditions and standards of living. Thus children adopted by A7X-),D
middle-class families enjoying good living conditions obtain higher IQs than _$Hx:^p:
their siblings reared in working-class families (Dumaret, 1985; Capron & 7TN94@kCF
Duyme, 1989). Furthermore, the increase in living standards in the A}cGag+sp
economically developed western nations over the course of the last half SX I3y
century has been accompanied by a rise in intelligence of approximately 15 N2_9V~!
IQ points (Flynn, 1987; Lynn & Hampson, 1986). A major factor in this en6oFPG
rise has probably been that the increase in living standards has been L_4ZxsIv
accompanied by better nutrition and this, in turn, has led to improvements in baVSQtda
the neurological development of the brain (Lynn, 1990). 5{uK;Vxse
In the mid-nineteen eighties the per capita income in China was 227 US oI6o$C
dollars as compared with 16,636 US dollars in the United States and 8,064 U&<Nhh
US dollars in Britain (United Nations, 1987). To equate the United States and ={a_
?l%
Britain with China for the standard of living it would be necessary to go back QC\][I>
at least to the beginning of the century when British and American mean IQs "TgE@bC
were substantially lower than they are today. Hence, if and when living ,J0BG0jB^u
standards in China improve, the intelligence of the population can be E?+MM0
expected to increase further. F&I ;E i