In 19 (sub)samples from seven countries (United States, Austria, Germany, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Vietnam, Brazil), we analyzed the impact of parental education compared with wealth on the cognitive ability of children (aged 4-22 years, total N = 15,297). The background of their families ranged from poor indigenous remote villagers to academic…

What is the relation between the cognitive competence of a national population that nation's economic prosperity? Lynn and Vanhanen [Lynn, R. & Vanhanen, T. (2002). "IQ and the wealth of nations." Westport, CT: Praeger.] presented data pointing to an exceptionally strong relationship between IQ scores and Gross Domestic Product per…

In the 1950s and 1960s, donors of international aid attempted to impose a Western, technological form of schooling on the developing nations. In the 1970s, however, rediscovery of a pluralistic concept of intelligence has led donors toward a reappraisal and emphasis on more culture-specific educational interventions. (SJL)