Human Abilities in Cultural Contexts »

This major new reference for study and research in human abilities takes an innovative approach not found in any other book in the field.

Part One offers a revaluation of ability theory by the editors, and strong individual contributions by those representing markedly different approaches to the measurement of intelligence.

Part Two contains reviews of various regional and national empirical studies in Britain, Norway, Turkey, Australia, China, Japan, Southern Africa, and the United States.

Part Three concentrates on contexts where the limits of human assessment by psychological tests are defined: in minority native groups in North America, in migrants in Britain, in lower caste enclaves in India, and among Australian Aborigines. Written by long-term residents of the regions represented, the chapters bring with them a wealth of new material that has been ignored in western formulation of theory and practice. The editors have issued one of the best-formed, most sustained scientific challenges to the conventional wisdom of human assessment to appear for decades.

Booknews

A revaluation of ability theory by the editors, and strong individual contributions by those representing markedly different approaches to the measurement of intelligence. Contains reviews of various regional and national empirical studies in eight countries, concentrating on contexts where the limits of human assessment by psychological tests are defined: in minority native groups in North America, in migrants in Britain, in lower caste enclaves in India, and among Australian Aborigines. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Preface; Acknowledgments;

Part I. Human Abilities in Theoretical Cultures:

1. The abilities of mankind: a revaluation S. H. Irvine and J. W. Berry;
2. A triatchic view of intelligence in cross-cultural perspective Robert J. Sternberg;
3. The biological basis of intelligence H. J. Eysenck;
4. Speed of information processing and population differences Arthur R. Jensen;
5. The factor model as a theoretical basis for individual differences Joseph R. Royce;
6. The meaning of item bias in ability tests Ype H. Poortinga and Henk van der Flier;

Part II. Cultural Responses to Ability Measurement:
7. The British 'cultural influence' on ability testing Paul Kline;
8. Cultural influences on patterns of abilities in North America Philip Anthony Vernon, Douglas N. Jackson and Samuel Messick;
9. Human abilities in the Eastern Mediterranean Cigdem Kagitcibasi and Isik Savasir;
10. The Norwegian tests and measuremtns in cultural context Knut A. Hagtvet and Johan O. Undheim;
11. Human assessment in Australia Daphne M. Keats and John A. Keats;
12. Test performance of blacks in Southern Africa I. M. Kendall, Mary Ann Vester and J. W. Von Mollendorf;
13. Individual differences among the peoples of china J. W. C. Chan and Philip E. Vernon;
14. japanese abilities and achievements Saburo Iwawaki and Philip E. Vernon;

Part III. Cultural Limits Upon Human Assessment:
15. Native North Americans: Indian and inuit abilities Damian McShane and J. W. Berry;
16. Aboriginal cognition and psychological nescience L. Z. Klich;
17. Testing Bushmen in the Central Kalahari Helmut Reuning;
18. Caste and cognitive processesJ. P. Das and Amulya Kanti Satpathy Khurana;
19. Educational adaptation and achievement of ethnic minority adolescents in Britain Gajendra K. Verma;
20. The diminishing test performance gap between English speakers and Afrikaans speakers in South Africa J. M. Verster and R. J. Prinsloo; Author index; Subject index.