LIGHT INTENSITY AND PERCEPTION OF THE VERTICAL

N yborg H. Light intensity and perception of the vertical: Two experiments with the Rod-and-Frame Test. Scand. J. Psychol ., 1972, 13 , 314–326.—Radical changes in light intensity of the visual field did not influence perception of the vertical appreciably as tested by means of a modified Rod-and-Frame Test apparatus in which the illumination of the rod and frame or of the frame alone was changed. Large individual differences in response to the Rod-and-Frame Test were found but little effect of changes in light intensity. A hypothesis that field dependent subjects would be more influenced than field independent by changes in light intensity of the rod and/or the frame was rejected.     

In conversation with J. Philippe Rushton

The interview covers Rushton’s background in England, South Africa, and Canada, his education at the University of London (B.Sc., 1970; Ph.D., 1973), and his early research (1970–1980) on the social learning of generosity in 7- to 11-year olds. In his first book, Altruism, socialization, and society (1980), Rushton solved two “anomalies” for his social learning perspective—altruism in animals and traits in people—causing a “paradigm shift” for him toward sociobiology. He spent January to June 1981 at the University of California, Berkeley, to study the longitudinal stability of personality traits like altruism. There, he was influenced by Jensen’s work on g and race differences in rate of maturation and two-egg twinning. Subsequently, Rushton found that across 60 variables, Europeans fall between East Asians and Africans, closer to East Asians. He extrapolated Wilson’s (fast–slow) r-K life history theory to explain the pattern. Also covered is Rushton’s research on the heritability of altruism, and Genetic Similarity Theory explaining assortative mating and ethnic nepotism. Spouses and best friends are as similar as half-siblings and people randomly chosen from the same ethnic group are as related as first cousins. Altruism follows lines of similarity to replicate genes effectively. Rushton’s research on creativity is described.     

The intelligence–religiosity nexus: A representative study of white adolescent Americans

The present study examined whether IQ relates systematically to denomination and income within the framework of the g nexus, using representative data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY97). Atheists score 1.95 IQ points higher than Agnostics, 3.82 points higher than Liberal persuasions, and 5.89 IQ points higher than Dogmatic persuasions. Denominations differ significantly in IQ and income. Religiosity declines between ages 12 to 17. It is suggested that IQ makes an individual likely to gravitate toward a denomination and level of achievement that best fit his or hers particular level of cognitive complexity. Ontogenetically speaking this means that contemporary denominations are rank ordered by largely hereditary variations in brain efficiency (i.e. IQ). In terms of evolution, modern Atheists are reacting rationally to cognitive and emotional challenges, whereas Liberals and, in particular Dogmatics, still rely on ancient, pre-rational, supernatural and wishful thinking.     

Critical analysis of a study on field dependence in young children.

Kojima's conclusion that our method of scoring performance in the rod-and-frame test did not produce satisfactory results in young children was invalid because our scoring method was used incorrectly, fallacious reasoning was used to reject our scoring method, subjects were classified wrongly, and the procedure used to test vertical perception in the children probably was unreliable.     

TACTILE STIMULATION AND PERCEPTION OF THE VERTICAL

NYBORG, H. Tactile stimulation and perception of the vertical. I. Effects of diffuse vs. specific tactile stimulation. Scand. J. Psychol. , 1971, 12, 1–13. – It was found that tactile stimulation influenced perception of verticality. Perception of verticality was tested by means of Rod-and-Frame Test, standard procedure. During tilted standing, subjects were exposed to diffuse tactile stimulation (DBR) or specific tactile stimulation (SBR) by means of a specially built apparatus. On the average, subjects scored closer to the physical vertical during SBR than during DBR.     

Average intelligence predicts atheism rates across 137 nations

Evidence is reviewed pointing to a negative relationship between intelligence and religious belief in the United States and Europe. It is shown that intelligence measured as psychometric g is negatively related to religious belief. We also examine whether this negative relationship between intelligence and religious belief is present between nations. We find that in a sample of 137 countries the correlation between national IQ and disbelief in God is 0.60.