INTELLIGENCE IN CHINA
RICHARD LYNN
University of Ulster, Northern Ireland
Studies of the intelligence of' Oriental peoples in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore
and the United States have typically reported slightly higher mean IQs than those of
British and American Caucasoids. Recently results have become available for a
standardization of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices in the People's Republic of
China. The results show that Chinese 6-15 year-olds obtain a mean IQ of 102.1 in relation
to an American Caucasoid standard of I00.
A number of studies have shown that the Oriental or Mongoloid peoples
have higher mean IQs than whites or Caucasoids of European origin in the
United States and Britain. Much of the literature on this question is reviewed
in Lynn (1987). The IQ advantage of Mongoloid populations has generally
been found to lie between 2 to 8 IQ points. A number of studies of
intelligence in Japan indicate that the mean IQ is approximately 105. Studies
of the intelligence of children in Taiwan and Singapore have obtained mean
IQs of approximately 103. A recent study of children in Hong Kong obtained
a mean IQ of 110 (Lynn, Pagliari & Chan, 1988). The extensive literature
on the intelligence of ethnic Orientals in the United States was reviewed by
Vernon (1982) who concluded that the mean non-verbal IQ was about 110
and the verbal IQ about 97, which can be averaged to give a figure of 103.5.
Although data are now available on the intelligence levels of Mongoloids
in a variety of locations, the jewel in the crown is missing. This is the
intelligence of the population in the People's Republic of China. The interest
in obtaining data on intelligence in China is twofold. Firstly, this is the
homeland of by far the greatest number of Mongoloids. Secondly, the high
intelligence levels of Mongoloids in several locations could have been
determined by selective emigration from China. This is suggested by Flynn
(1989) for the Chinese in the United States, and the same argument could be
applied to the Chinese populations of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Data on the intelligence level of the population of mainland China are crucial
for the resolution of this problem. The required data have recently become
available and are the subject of this report.
METHOD
A Chinese standardization of the Progressive Matrices was carried out by
Hou Can Zhang of Beijing Normal University in the mid-nineteen eighties.
The standardization sample consisted of 5,108 individuals drawn as a
stratified sample from the 6 principal administrative areas of China and from
small, medium sized and large towns within these areas. The results are given
in the form of norm tables in Raven and Court (1989). These norm tables
consist of raw scores for a number of age groups and the percentile
equivalents of raw scores, set out in the same format as those given for the
United States in Raven (1986) and for Britain in Raven (1981).
RESULTS
The American norm tables give the most precise percentile equivalents for
raw scores and for this reason are the most satisfactory standard with which
to compare results from China and elsewhere. For the Chinese data it is
possible to derive American percentile equivalents for 20 age groups over the
age range 6-15 years. These have been collapsed into 5 age groups, the
percentiles transformed into IQs and the Chinese results given in relation to
American IQ means of 100 and SDs of 15 in Table 1. Mean IQs of British
children are also given in the Table, making the same calculations from the
British standardisation sample.
TABLE 1: MEAN SCORES AND IQs OF AMERICAN, BRITISH
AND CHINESE CHILDREN ON RAVEN'S STANDARD
PROGRESSIVE MATRICES.
It will be seen that the Chinese children obtain consistently higher means
than the American and a marginally higher overall mean than the British.
The mean IQ of American children is depressed by the presence of
substantial numbers of blacks in the population. The mean IQ of white
Americans is 102.2 (Jensen and Reynolds, 1982). Hence in relation to an
American Caucasoid mean IQ of 100, British children obtain a mean of 101.2
and Chinese children of 102.1. The statistical significance of the higher mean
obtained by the Chinese children in relation to the American can be tested by
calculating the standard errors. The difference between the means is greater
than twice the standard errors and can therefore be considered statistically
significant. The Chinese-British difference is not statistically significant.
DISCUSSION
The results show that the intelligence level of children and adolescents in
mainland China is slightly higher than that of Caucasoids in the United States
and in Britain, although the Chinese-British difference is not statistically
significant. In evaluating the result, account needs to be taken of the very low
living standards in China.
Few dispute that intelligence is to some degree determined by envi-
ronmental conditions and standards of living. Thus children adopted by
middle-class families enjoying good living conditions obtain higher IQs than
their siblings reared in working-class families (Dumaret, 1985; Capron &
Duyme, 1989). Furthermore, the increase in living standards in the
economically developed western nations over the course of the last half
century has been accompanied by a rise in intelligence of approximately 15
IQ points (Flynn, 1987; Lynn & Hampson, 1986). A major factor in this
rise has probably been that the increase in living standards has been
accompanied by better nutrition and this, in turn, has led to improvements in
the neurological development of the brain (Lynn, 1990).
In the mid-nineteen eighties the per capita income in China was 227 US
dollars as compared with 16,636 US dollars in the United States and 8,064
US dollars in Britain (United Nations, 1987). To equate the United States and
Britain with China for the standard of living it would be necessary to go back
at least to the beginning of the century when British and American mean IQs
were substantially lower than they are today. Hence, if and when living
standards in China improve, the intelligence of the population can be
expected to increase further.

The differences are too small to mean much. Too many other variables to consider in the main scheme of things.

The larger the head, the smarter. My head weighs 14 pounds, so I am smart. How many Chinese people have a 14 pound head? Hmm?

lol, aren't you half Chinese, you donkey $hit?

chinese human-alien hybrid

If you managed to weigh your head, I am surprised you are able to post the results here. Some feat!

why is nobody banning these autistics?

IQ Facts

True. Also, intelligence is useless if it is not directed in the right direction or utilised. It must be channelled.

Plus even if everything is right a high IQ in itself means nothing. People with a high IQ can still fail at learning, making progress, thinking critically and etc.

Me: 5' 11", 120 pounds ( including a 15 pound head ).

Can't get much better than that!

lol

you are wrong, unless by high IQ you mean 115.

Nice source, you fu-king dumbass.


more like High IQ, low intelligence.

My IQ is 150 and I'm still stupid. IQ and intelligence are two completely different things. Never ever confuse these two!

You can't really have an IQ of 150 and still be stupid, unless the IQ test is only but an IQ subtest and you suffer from autism.

This is an interesting Forum especially for the ones who like this thread.

How did you weigh your head without detaching it?

lol@martin_nuke

Kathleen Cruz

No, I'm not. Whenever I see stupidity I can't laugh so forgive me for not returning that laugh.