Testing for Racial Differences in the Mental Ability of Young Children

Roland G. Fryer and Steven Levitt

American Economic Review, 2013, vol. 103, issue 2, 981-1005

Abstract: Using a new nationally representative dataset, we find minor differences in test outcomes between black and white infants that disappear with a limited set of controls. However, relative to whites, all other races lose substantial ground by age two. Combining our estimates with results in prior literature, we show that a simple model with assortative mating fits our data well, implying that differences in children's environments between racial groups can fully explain gaps in intelligence. If parental ability influences a child's test scores both genetically and through environment, then our findings are less informative and can be reconciled with a wide range of racial differences in inherited intelligence.

JEL-codes: I20 J13 J15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.2.981
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (36)

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Working Paper: Testing for Racial Differences in the Mental Ability of Young Children (2006)
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