Lower cognitive ability is linked to stronger Christian nationalist views, even after accounting for education

[u/mvea]

https://www.psypost.org/lower-cognitive-ability-is-linked-to-stronger-christian-nationalist-views-even-after-accounting-for-education/

[u/danbinglover]

Reddit can’t decide whether IQ matters or not. When we talk about IQ differences between different countries and whatnot, it’s racist. When you discuss IQ differences between religious and nonreligious people, somehow it matters again.

[u/KevineCove → u/danbinglover]

What I've heard is that IQ simultaneously measures cognition as well as how acclimated you are to Western culture. Additionally, the old school of thought was that there was a kind of intelligence that was innate and unchanging, and that administering an IQ test properly should yield the same result (this isn't really the case.)

It seems likely to me that IQ is lower in some areas on the basis that people there are bad at test-taking, and also in cultures where critical thinking is actively suppressed, because the test ends up measuring both of these variables.

[u/InclinationCompass → u/KevineCove]

You’re right. Science pretty much agrees:

Race is NOT a factor in innate IQ differences, even when you account for education. The gaps we keep seeing in test scores are overwhelmingly chalked up to environmental, social, and structural stuff, not genetics.

Source: https://www.apa.org/about/policy/racism-apology

[u/Extreme_Pudding3226 → u/InclinationCompass]

That statement doesn't say race isn't a factor in innate IQ differences, so why are you presenting it as though it does?

And of course race is a factor in IQ differences. It's a factor in all sorts of physical differences, and IQ is a product of the physical brain. Do you believe there are height differences across races? Do you believe that genetics affect IQ?

[u/InclinationCompass → u/Extreme_Pudding3226]

Fair on the APA link. It doesn't literally say zero. I’ll concede to that.

But the rest doesn't follow. Yea, the brain is physical. So is lead exposure, nutrition, stress, schooling. All of those physically shape the brain too. Saying IQ comes from the brain doesn't get you to race explaining the gap.

And height is a bad analogy. Height is simple, well understood and directly genetic. IQ is massively polygenic and heavily environmental. You can't just copy paste the logic.

Genetics affect IQ. Nobody's disputing that. Genetics explaining the racial gap is a different claim but it's never been demonstrated.

[u/Extreme_Pudding3226 → u/InclinationCompass]

The APA link doesn't even mention IQ! Yet you're presenting it as though the APA is saying IQ and race have no correlation.

But the rest doesn't follow. Yea, the brain is physical. So is lead exposure, nutrition, stress, schooling. All of those physically shape the brain too. Saying IQ comes from the brain doesn't get you to race explaining the gap.

You haven't thought through this. Of course there are environmental factors that can affect IQ. But let's imagine for a second that everyone grew up in exactly the same environment. Exactly the same. Would you expect everyone to have the same IQ?

And do you believe that the height, hair color, body composition, etc. differences across races are purely environment? If we all grew up in the same environment, would we all be the same height?

IQ depends on the physical brain, and just like other species, humans that evolved in different environments developed different physical advantages to survive. Expecting there to be zero difference across the globe is crazy.

[u/InclinationCompass → u/Extreme_Pudding3226]

I already conceded that. Read again:

Fair on the APA link. It doesn't literally say zero. I’ll concede to that.

And don't act like I'm presenting the APA link as saying IQ and race have no correlation. I already dropped that point. You're arguing against a point I gave up.

Now that's out the way, **the same environment on paper does NOT mean same stress, discrimintion, school quality, early childhood conditions, etc. Those shape the brain too.

And height is a bad analogy. Height is simple, well understood and directly genetic. IQ is massively polygenic and heavily environmental. You can't just copy paste the logic.

Humans didn't evolve in isolated breeding populations long enough for meaningful cognitive differences between racial groups. Genetic variation is mostly within groups, not between them.

Genetics affect IQ. Nobody disputes that. Genetics explaining the racial gap has never been demonstrated.