“Of course you’re good at math, you’re Asian.”
“You’re black, of
course you can play basketball.”
“A Jew? Are you going
to be a doctor or a lawyer?”
Stereotypes
are not novel phenomena, and they’re not going away anytime soon either. They
permeate almost every level of society world-wide, and blur the line between fact
and fiction. So how can we know what’s true and what’s false if all of these
stereotypes are jumbled around in our heads? Answer: Science! There are
hundreds of stereotypes that I could pull from the top of my head, but so as
not to bore you, I will question the legitimacy of one of the most popular: Are
Asians actually more intelligent than other races? If so, why?
A
plethora of studies legitimize that the SATs are a good indicator of
intelligence and future success. Using statistics categorized by race from
1986-2011, researchers found that white and Asian students always scored higher
than any other races. Specifically, Asians have consistently scored higher in
the mathematics section, while white students have consistently scored higher
in the reading section. The fact that Asians don’t score higher in both
categories may suggest that there are different genes dictating proficiency in each
one. Or perhaps, the categories that Asians excel in are simply rooted in their
culture.
To
fully understand the origination and legitimacy of stereotypes, it is important
to consider the basis of these observations: the priorities of the culture
(nurture), and the genes of the race (nature).
Eastern culture differs from Western culture in that the East values collectivism while
the West values individualism. Collectivism values the group over the
individual, while individualism is about being self-reliant and unique. Perhaps
this difference in values contributes to the priorities that each culture sets.
Because Eastern culture is more interested in improving the group, they may not
be concerned with “finding themselves,” and instead stress the importance of
mathematical intelligence rather than creative thinking and reading. The East
may also be less concerned with social life and more concerned with intellect,
discipline, and good working habits, which would also account for Asian
superiority in their given fields.
But
is intelligence just based on cultural priorities? Or is there something biologically
different in Asians that makes them more intelligent? Science says there is.
General intelligence is heritable, and by following the gene FNBP1L, a known
gene that predicts high intelligence, scientists were able to anticipate who
would and would not be generally smart. So do Asians simply have better genes?
Or is there another chapter to the story? Is there a motivation gene? If so,
would it be more prevalent in Eastern cultures? Would a contrast in genes
result in the difference in culture? What are your thoughts?
By Project 80
