Jensen on burks 1

Abstract

We critically examine the portions of Arthur Jensen's books that concern Barbara Burks's 1928 study of adoptive families. Jensen cites the low correlations of children's IQs with measures of home environment as evidence that environment plays only a minor role in the determination of intelligence. We find that Burks's sample was highly selective, that her environmental measures were limited, and that Jensen has misrepresented the content and implications of her study.