[PatrickHenry]

Thanks. There was also a mention of this research in Nature: Scans suggest IQ scores reflect brain structure.

[poobear]

"Yet researchers studying IQ say the social climate is becoming more receptive to such studies, in part because it is now widely agreed that cognitive abilities are shaped by environmental factors as well as genetic ones."

Interesting article. Too bad over the course of the study they were only able to compare only 10's of scans verses hundreds. Probably safe to say the results would have confirmed the initial findings.

I'm no scientist but I ran across a young ethnic foster child when we moved here. I don't know her complete history. She did come from a neglected home however. Her cognitive abilities were that of a 2 or 3 year old. She was 7 years old in a special needs class. She was lovely but it was quite apparent this child received less attention than a zoo animal while an infant and a young developing child. Sad.

Social economics and behavioral upbringing patterns in children have to come into the equation of brain development eventually. This is NOT racist.