IQ and Race

Nobel Laureate James Watson set off a fury when he questioned whether Africans have the same intelligence as Caucasians.

So did journalist William Saletan, who defended Watson in a recent three-part series on race and IQ for Slate magazine, and highlighted research championed by white supremacists.

Saletan has apologized. But discomforting questions remain in the air.

We've invited three authorities in the field to help us understand what the science does — and does not — tell us, and hear why they believe all brains are created equal.

This hour, On Point: a scientific look at race and IQ.
-James Hattori

Guests:

Richard Nisbett, Professor of Psychology and co-director of the Culture and Cognition Program at the University of Michigan. He wrote an op-ed article for the New York Times titled "All Brains Are the Same Color."

James Flynn, Professor Emeritus of Political Studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand. He is best known for discovering the Flynn Effect — the rise in IQ test scores over time around the world. He is author of the new book "What is Intelligence?: Beyond the Flynn Effect."

Eric Turkheimer, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia. He completed a major study in 2003 looking at class and IQ.