A Comparison of Information Processing Abilities of Middle and Lower Class Negro Kindergarten Boys

Abstract

Fifty middle class and 50 lower class Negro kindergarten boys were administered a battery of eight instruments designed to assess specific information processing abilities. An analysis of 19 variables produced five reasonably meaningful components, with a general language ability component the most significant. When class groups were compared, this component discriminated most significantly between the groups. Implications for educational definition, diagnosis, and program planning are discussed.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF CERTAIN ‘PRE‐READING’ SKILLS TO GENERAL ABILITY & SOCIAL CLASS IN NURSERY CHILDREN

“…Yet other research with more precise occupation classifications has confirmed our finding that perceptual skills are less sensitive to social class differences than language skills (Westinghouse Learning Corporation, 1969;Ryckman, 1967;Mittler and Ward, 1970;Yule et al, 1969). We are faced with contradictory evidence (Vernon, 1969, in particular) which contends that perceptual skills are greatly affected by the social environment.…”

“…Yet Westinghouse Learning Corporation (1969) found Headstart children more able in the visual, visual-motor skills than the auditory-vocal skills in which they were severely handicapped. As discussed, Ryckman (1967) found most social class differences in his 'general language' factor. Differences between social groups on his 'structural organization' and 'visual imagery' factors reached significance only at the p < • 10 level.…”

“…A factor analysis of language and visual perceptual tests with five-year-olds by Ryckman (1967) yielded five significant factors, though the first factor, 'general language ability', accounted for most variance. Tests in this factor showed greatest discrimination between social class groups.…”

Psycholinguistic abilities of children from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds

“…Extensive research has established that children from low socio-economic and depressed minority group backgrounds are handicapped in the general area of language ability. Current investigators attribute this handicap to factors operating in the experiential background of these children, and, in particular, to qualitative and quantitative limitations in parental language models (John & Goldstein, 1964;Deutsch, 1965;Ryckman, 1967). Within this broader area of language functioning, attempts to delineate specific language deficits have been limited, and have failed to identify adequately the psycholinguistic deficits of these children.…”

Cognitive and Language Factors

“…Ryckman (1967) found that a "general language ability" factor accounted for 38 percent of the variance in test scores assessing intellectual functioning of 100 kindergarten children.…”