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150 An American Dilemma
dents of correlation, they should be presented in terms of the concrete
frequency distributions as well, so that dispersion, exceptions, overlapping,
and number of cases may be easily determined;^®
The importance of environmental factors for physical trwts needs more
stress. Indeed a new direction in problems for research may be had by turn-
ing from existing averages and limits to changes in traits which accompany
certain unplanned or induced changes in environment and biological func-
tions. Boas’ research*’ on the changes in the physical traits of immigrants
opened up problems for further research which are still far from solved
after an interval of over thirty years. For the anthropology of the Negro,
it may be observed that the possible physical correlates of the northward
migration, of the improvements in diet, of the decline in many spedfic
disease rates, of the increased wearing of shoes, and of many other changes,
have never been studied. Controlled biological experiments on the Negro
are not out of the question: Concentrated vitamin Bi has been administered
to white persons and the effects of greater energy and optimism and lesser
susceptibility to fatigue noted.** Is it not a reasonable and verifiable hypo-
thesis that the administration of concentrated doses of vitamins would have
even greater effects on Negroes, whose diets are, on the average, even
more defident than those of whites?
The possibilities of redirecting psychological investigation are perhaps
even greater. Even if the intelligence and personality measurement devices
cannot be used to measure innate differences between Negroes and whites,
they may be invaluable in detecting cultural differences and thereby in
suggesting spots where education could improve Negroes. Recently,
students of the Negro—following the lead of social anthropologists*®
have been putting mental testing devices to this use.** In general, psycho-
logical measuring devices can be used as instruments for detecting social
differences, for predicting individual behavior in cprtain types of situations,
and for suggesting techniques of control and improvement.
The idea of using the intelligence tests as devices for measuring the
psychological effects of unplanned or induced changes is not new to the
psychologists. A large number of studies have been made of the effects of
foster homes on the Intelligence Quotient of children.*® In 1935, Klineberg
reported a study in which he showed that there was a correlation between
the I.Q. of Negro school children who had immigrated to New York
from the South and the length of their residence in New York.*® Canady
has reported that a group of Negro students showed an average I.Q. six
points higher when tested by a Negro psychologist than when tested by
a white psychologist, and that a group of white students showed an average
I.Q. six points lower when tested by a Negro psychologist than when tested
by a white psychologist.*’
While many other examples could be cited of the use of intelligence tests
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