Ethnic Differences in Psycholinguistic Abilities

Abstract

This article summarizes the results of several research studies on the psycholinguistic abilities, as measured by the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, of three ethnic groups, Blacks, Indians, and Mexican Americans. Black children appear to have superior ability (as compared to their other abilities and to other ethnic groups) in short term auditory sequential memory, while Indian and Mexican American children appear to have superior ability in short term visual sequential memory. The author hypothesizes that ethnic group differences may be accounted for by different child rearing practices among the ethnic groups.