No support for the genetic hypothesis of the Black-white achievement gap using polygenic scores and tests for divergent selection

Abstract

A protracted debate about the cause of IQ score gaps between Black and white populations has persisted within genetics, anthropology, and psychology. Public genomic data have changed these fields in many ways; as a side effect they have encouraged a new generation of race science. Recently, authors have claimed polygenic scores provide evidence a significant portion of differences in cognitive ability between Black and white populations are caused by genetic differences, frequently claiming these differences are due to natural selection. In light of recent calls for cautious interpretation of polygenic-score analyses, I apply methods to detect genetic differentiation and polygenic selection that address biases in polygenic scores, testing the claim that genetic differences explain cognitive gaps and that divergent selection occurred between populations with African and European ancestry. I provide evidence inconsistent with divergent selection and genetic differences driving the Black-white gap in cognitive ability, demonstrating that past results were inflated.