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Chapter 6. Racial Characteristics 147
make judgments more relativistic concerning the differences between the
averages of the groups. The large amount of overlapping brought out the
fact that both Negroes and whites belonged to the same human species and
had many more similarities than differences. The averages themselves
tended to come nearer each other when the measurements were refined to
exclude more and more the influences of differences in environment, such
as education, cultural background and experience, socio-economic class 5
and
the social factors in the test situation itself, such as motivation and rapport
with the tester.
The intensive studies of these last influences proved, in addition, that
no psychological tests yet invented come even close to measuring innate
psychic traits, absolutely undistorted by these influences. They rather
rendered it probable that average differences would practically disappear
if all environmental factors could be controlled. Psychologists are coming
to realize that they are not, and probably never will be, measuring innate
traits directly but are, rather, measuring performance in a limited number
of selected tasks, and that performance is determined—in a most complex
fashion—^by many influences besides innate capacity.
Most of this work has concerned intelligence, as measured by the Intelli-
gence Quotient. The inferences to be drawn are, on the whole, negative as
far as hereditary differences are concerned: it has not been possible to prove
beyond doubt the existence of any differences at all in innate intelligence
between American Negroes and whites j
neither has it been possible to
prove, on the other hand, that no differences exist. In regard to environ-
mental factors the inferences are, however, positive: it has been proved
that environmental differences account for large differences in the measured
intelligence performances. Present evidence seems, therefore, to make it
highly improbable that innate differences exist which are as large as is
popularly assumed and as was assumed even by scholars a few decades ago.
What is here said about the general level of intelligence applies also to
more specific mental traits. Nothing is definitely proved in the nature of
qualitative differences j
even the suggestion that Negro children have
superior memory is not proved.®^ Neither is it made credible that there are
fewer Negroes in the highest ranges of intelligence.®® The earlier assumed
difference that the intelligence of Negro youth ceases to develop at an
earlier age does not stand criticism.®® Nothing is proved concerning differ-
ences between Negroes and whites in sensory powers. Other personality
traits have been studied, but such studies have yielded no conclusions with
regard to innate differences which could be considered valid.®^ Finally it
should be mentioned that studies of different groups of American Negroes
with a different amount of white blood have not given more positive
results.®®
These negative conclusions from many decades of the most painstaking
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