Achievement Gap in Test Scores



Abstract

A general difference between test score is found between African Americans and Caucasians, as Caucasians tend to score higher and show higher intelligence than African Americans. This is affected by many factors. In this paper, we will try to determine the factors that affect the test scores, by designing a test to find a conclusion. A sample of 100 would be taken to test the results. The test would include general questions of General Knowledge and test related to IQ.

Achievement Gap in Test Scores

Introduction

Intelligence is a set of skills and abilities that are starting to develop since the human being begins their learning process and allow the individual to respond to different situations that life presents you. Personal ability of the psychological processes adapt to new situations or demands caused by the environment in which the individual develops. It is the ability to adapt quickly using available resources, whether the external environment or internal resources to the individual. Intelligence is the ability we have to adapt to new situations; this is modified by interaction with environments in which we Intelligence and beauty are the two qualities most admired and less and less personal merit, since we are born with them.

There is a cliché that students of European origin are more intelligent than those of African descent, which reduces the performance of the latter. All these studies show the same thing: the cognitive performance of individuals depends not only on their personal abilities, but they can also be conditioned by social a stereotype, that is their racial background. Prejudices of this kind are inherent in our societies but they have nothing to fate. A study published Friday in Science magazine shows, in fact, that the negative influence of these stereotypes may be waived by strengthening self-esteem of people who are its victims. And they may be released by drawing up a written list of the main intellectual qualities they feel they possess. This may seem surprising but it works very well (Loehlin, Vandenberg, Osborne, 1973).

The first to show the ravages of what they called the "stereotype threat." To highlight this mechanical failure, they formed two groups of students including many blacks and whites. They then subjected both groups to a common test of cognitive assessment, but by presenting it differently to the two groups. At first, they explained that this was a test to measure intelligence and therefore involve the prejudice of the supposed superior intelligence of whites. The second, a test designed only to study the mechanisms of brain function.

In the first group, the two researchers found that blacks had performed less well than whites. On the contrary, in the second group where there was no question of stereotype, the results were similar for blacks than whites. They held the proof that, during an examination or evaluation exercise, being the target of a negative stereotype triggers a stress that paralyzes those who are the ...