The Role Of Skin Tone On The Perception Of Intelligence (Research Paper Sample)

THE ROLE OF SKIN TONE ON THE PERCEPTION OF INTELLIGENCE
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Skin color has a differential effect when it comes to perceptions of attractiveness, intelligence, personality ratings and the perceived success of various groups of people. There is an open preference for a lighter skin at the expense of a darker one in different parts of the world and this has changed people’s perception of the real world. While scientific research has indicated that skin color has nothing to do with intelligence, the concept of colorism has been common among the people of color, with recent studies indicating that the same misconception is infiltrating into the white neighborhoods as well. This paper seeks to discuss the concept of colorism and how it has been applied in a discriminatory manner to try and predict people’s intelligence levels.
With all the other factors kept constant, white people have considered light-skinned Hispanics and blacks to be more intelligent compared to people of a darker tone despite the fact that both skin tones could be of the same academic level and intelligence score.
The race-IQ controversy
The controversy between race and intelligence draws greatly from studies carried out in the 20th century where it was argued that people of color scored an average of 15 points less than what their white counterparts scored in intelligence measures (Hafer, 2016).Contemporary revisions point out to the fact that the gap has narrowed down to 10 points, with African-Americans showing a gradual increase in their intelligence scores. Scientists have been quick to dismiss the idea that intelligence is purely a genetic constitution. In their view, they argue that a 5-point reduction in the differential intelligence scores could not be achieved in less than one century if at all it is genetics alone that played a role in determining a person’s level of intelligence.
Contemporary investigations have sought to determine why whites score highly compared to African-Americans in most of the IQ tests.
Orientals
Orientals are mainly found in countries such as China, Singapore, Hong KongJapan and Taiwan and these are reported to have the highest IQ scores in the world. Ethnic Orientals in nations such as the U.S also score about the same average, an attribute that has been linked with their high educational attainments and not their skin tone (Jensen, & Burt, 2012).Orientals have attained high grades in science and mathematics, which explains why they score highly in intelligence tests but this is oftentimes confused with their skin color and has been used as a basis for judging men of color and developing the perception that they are less intelligent.
In the United States alone, Orientals have high academic qualifications and are therefore deemed to earn highly in comparison to Europeans. Besides, these groups are overrepresented in universities and elite colleges. They do exceptional jobs within their profession and have recorded the lowest crime rates so far, which is why they are now identified as a model minority(Jensen, & Burt, 2012).Even so, these groups have been overlooked by affirmative action movements that are meant to empower men of color and Hispanics whenever it comes to employment and admission to elite colleges and universities.
Despite the high intelligence quotient that the Orientals boast of, it is the Europeans that came up with novel ideas that led to the industrial revolution and all the intellectual growth efforts in fields such as mathematics, science and technology (Jensen, & Burt, 2012).From 1500 B.C to 1500 A.D, the Chinese were more advanced compared to the Europeans. During this time, a majority of the Europeans lived in villages where they survived on small-scale agricultural projects but it is difficult to explain the events that lead to the petering out of Chinese skills in science, technology and mathematics to the European communities at a time when their skin tone was thought to be inferior.
Europeans
Europeans have been quick to judge blacks on the basis of their skin color, arguing that they are genetically inferior when it comes to intelligence. Europeans in countries such as North America, New Zealand Australia and Europe have an average IQ of 97, ranking them second after the Orientals(Jensen, & Burt, 2012).The average IQ measure is highest in west and northern Europe, manifested in countries such as Italy and Spain where the figure goes to about 100. In South-east Europe, the figure drops to about 95 but this has been blamed on the poverty levels brought about by extreme communism (Jensen, & Burt, 2012). An adverse environmental condition is believed to affect a person’s level of intelligence negatively and this relates to aspects such as poor nutrition and low levels of education. From the 13th century onwards, a greater percentage of the leading universities in the world were erected in the European region, leading to massive innovations in the world of science and technology, which is why their intelligence levels rose unprecedentedly. Apart from theology and literature, this new wave of elite colleges concentrated on subjects such as medicine, mathematics and astronomy, which gave the European students a good ground in Chemistry. These elite colleges were keen to offer basic education and the emerging scholars were placed in the hands of excellent professorship, leading to an unmatched breakthrough in science and astronomy.
Another factor that perhaps explains why Europeans score highly in intelligent tests owes to the fact that Europe began as an amalgamation of independent states. If educational attainment in science and mathematics was discouraged in one of the nations, therefore, it could flourish in another and this differences in education compared to black neighborhoods has propelled the Europeans to excellence, an aspect that is mistaken for the inferiority of a black skin tone. In Spain for example, the Roman Catholic Church was openly opposed to scientific inquiry, which meant that the country could only make a limited contribution to mathematical and scientific advancements (Valerio, 2016). In a wide range of European nations, however, scientific inquiry was highly encouraged and in these nations, scholars ended up developing high levels of intelligence.
Psychology proposes that crystallized intelligence develops over time and is defined by the ability to apply the knowledge and skills that have been learned over time. In most of the European nations, therefore, the levels of education and innovation were high and with such experiences, people developed a high level of crystallized intelligence that enabled them to score highly in intelligence tests (Valerio, 2016).The idea that blacks and Hispanics are intellectually inferior is sadly misinformed because the discriminatory proponents do not take time to review the growing conditions to which these groups have been subjected over time. There are numerous innovative ideas that have been advanced by the blacks and Hispanics but due to the lack of resources, they are never acknowledged. As such, intelligence has no connection with skin tone and such an implication can only be considered as discriminatory.
American Indians
Indian Americans have recorded an average IQ of 92, whether they reside in South America or North America. They generally come from a region of poor economic and social performance, which means that these intelligence scores are high compared to the projected average. In Canada and the United States, Indians have their place of residence within the reservesand are highly dependent on welfare programs. American Indians have recorded a high crime rate that is associated with alcoholism, drug addiction and unemployment (Hudson, 2013). With these crime rates, communities are perceived as intellectually inferior but in reality, there are numerous external factors that affect their performance. In South America, most of the Indians have been drowned by cocaine dependence and the few that are available to take intelligence tests do not boast of the level of education that is enjoyed by Europeans and Orientals. As Hudson (2013) notes, Indian ancestors built great empires such as Aztecs and Mayas, which informs us that they had a high level of intelligence but their subsequent generations are affected by personality disorders that hinder them from excelling in a society where Europeans are dominant.
North Africans and South Asians
South Asians reside in countries such as Bangladesh, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and India. Despite their close proximity to the Europeans, they have an average IQ of 84. These communities built some of the novel forms of infrastructure in countries such as Egypt and Iraq but over time, their efforts have turned unimpressive (Hudson, 2013).The North Africans are credited with the earliest civilizations but they have a lower IQ compared to the Europeans that mainly lived as hunters and gatherers at the time. This has led to the conclusion that intelligence is both a genetic and environmental construct that should not be sermonized on racial grounds.
Sub-Saharan Africans
Afro-Americans have been the subject of derogatory remarks from the whites with regard to their intelligence levels because they have an average score of 85. The Sub-Saharan Africans on the other hand, have a score of 70 and are thought to be intellectually inferior as a result of their skin color (Flynn, 2016). During the early 19th century when Europeans were rolling out many civilizations, Sub-Saharan Africans were undergoing a transitional period from hunting to meaningful agriculture. Language in the African context is perhaps one of the factors that could account for the differences in intelligence scores. Most of the African languages were simple from the beginning, lacking all the complexities...