<p>...that doesn't mean they are smart</p>
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that doesn't make sense
ants would be the smartest animals ever according to that logic
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<p>The statistic only applies to humans, ants don't even have brains not to mention a cranium..</p>
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I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords. :rolleyes:</p>
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Also, only the top of the top (in China, but I'd assume it's like this for most of the East Asian countries) are able to secure a green card and emigrate to America.
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It's not true for Chinese immigrants as far as I know. Most got here because a relative sponsored them. There is no selection of the kind you described. One senator - forgot his name - who was on the immigration panel told us over 90% of immigrants are relatives of the sponsors. Professionals and work visa compose only a small part of the total.</p>
<p>There is no proven strong correlation between brain size and intelligence. There were studies done that have shown no relationship or a very weak one where larger brain equaled more intelligence. Men pack about 10% more brain than women but they are surely not 10% smarter. This kind of difference would have had dramatic consequences on SAT performance and college admissions of women, which is not there. Relative to body size, women actually pack a bit more brain than men. So brain size can simply be reflecting the size of your body.</p>
<p>A study done by Rushton & Ankney back in 1996 claimed that MRI-measured brain volume revealed a correlated of +.44 between brain size (relative to body size) and intelligence score.</p>
<p>Asians are smart because we just are.
It's so simple.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfJ9YKBseW4%5B/url%5D">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfJ9YKBseW4</a></p>
<p>ray192, +.44 is a very weak correlation, but yes I do agree that a small positive correlation exists. thus, a small brained person MAY need to work just a little bit harder to increase neural connections to be equivalent to a larger brain. i think asians have an average brain size that is 1 cm cubed larger than whites' so this issue of brain size may be negligible, although there is a larger gap in size compared to those of african origin.</p>
<p>I don't think its a matter of natural smarts but rather a culture with a strong emphasis on graduating from college. When it comes to vietnamese parents, the three most sought after degrees urged upon children are: 1) law 2) medical 3) engineering</p>
<p>That is not to say all asian parents. There are families at the bottom rung of poverty and the cycle has continued to repeat itself.</p>
<p>True: also, Asian cultures have traditionally placed a high emphasis on education, and see it, correctly in my opinion, as the best (and sometimes only) path to success.</p>
<p>ray192, +.44 is a very weak correlation, but yes I do agree that a small positive correlation exists. thus, a small brained person MAY need to work just a little bit harder to increase neural connections to be equivalent to a larger brain. i think asians have an average brain size that is 1 cm cubed larger than whites' so this issue of brain size may be negligible, although there is a larger gap in size compared to those of african origin.</p>
<p>+.44 is hardly weak. It's not strong, but it's certainly indicative of a general pattern.</p>
<p>to make statistical conclusions of a "pattern" as you say usually a correlation of .6 or higher is needed, but yes there is a positive relationship between the two variables. and believe me, .44 is considered weak, look at a .4 or .5 scatterplot online and you'll see.</p>
<p>+.44 is not weak when it comes to such a subject. While it doesn't have the correlation of say, age and death, the existence of such a pattern is highly significant.</p>
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I think Asians often want it both ways...they want to be looked upon as cultured so they force their children to learn to play the piano or violin. However, when their children does express extreme passion or love for the instrument and plans to major in that instrument, they get upset because a music degree is not "practical."
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<p>That seems to be a fundamental flaw in the Asian immigrant mindset: never allow your child to fully explore his/her interest. It's like there's this "Dedication/Practicality" bell curve, and Asian parents always want their kids to stop at the point of highest return profit. </p>
<p>It's like "Play the cello for 3 hours every day from age 4, but don't actually go into performing or composing because it's not practical. By then, you should be into steeped in law or medicine, but don't go off trying to become Attorney-General of the U.S. or find the cure for cancer, because it's not practical."</p>
<p>Asian parents should just take a hike sometimes.</p>
<p>And since "race" (as opposed to "culture") is a fictitious concept, we might as well be saying that growing dark/black hair on one's head is conducive to higher intelligence.</p>
<p>This entire thread is fascinating and disturbing. Any time the size of the cranium comes up in a race discussion, there are issues for sure. </p>
<p>The "model minority" stereotype/fear (which is the impulse behind this thread in the first place, originated during the civil rights movement as a politically conservative ploy to drive a wedge between minority groups and dismantle civil rights reform for African Americans) has got to be addressed. While there is factual basis that certain portions of the (mostly east and south) asian american population currently perform better statistically than the national average along certain indicia--and this is something to be proud of--it is far from a universal truth that "Asians" "do better" --the population is constantly in flux, and any achievement stereotype can be disproved in countless circumstances. </p>
<p>The "overachieving Asian" image is a false pedestal: it is based on fear among non-Asians, and it is internalized by high and low-achieving Asian Americans to their detriment. . . it is false as applied to a large swath of East and South Asians, and also false as applied to many Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islanders and Southeast Asian Americans, such as Laotians, Cambodians, Hmong and Vietnamese Americans, many of whose immigration to the U.S. was necessitated by war and disaster as opposed to motivated by professional advancement. It is a stereotype that very much harms Asian Americans when they support educational policies that will address their actual and diverse needs, especially those who are English Language Learners or socioeconomically disadvantaged.</p>
<p>I think it's wise to avoid generalizations, stick to facts, learn my history, and try to identify the real and different needs of different racial and ethnic groups so they can all do well in school.</p>
<p>The only reason the perception that Asian students in the United States are more intelligent exists because their parents had to toil on their native soils endlessly to provide their progeny the opportunities that they now have. Intelligence is not really a genetic factor as much as an attribute that is shaped by environment and family/peer pressure. Asian parents in the Western world teach their children the value and benefits of a good education from childhood and this it becomes an ingrained part of an Asian kid's mindset. However, this same drive to succeed doesn't exist back home in India and China due to great class divides, which leaves a majority of the population in slums without any chance for scholarly learning. The Asians who do suceed are a rare type though and their success carries on for generations seemingly as some sort of human mechanism of natural selection.</p>
<p>If any of you are further interested in the topic of innate differences/similarities between races and why some ethnic groups seem to have the upper hand in nature, then I suggest you check out Jared Diamond's bestseller GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL. It's very deep and complex but I think it provides some interesting explanations to consider regarding this very topic.</p>
<p>[quote=Para</p>
<p>Here is an article from ABC News. It is titled just that. </p>
<p>The basic conclusion (from what I remember, I read it a while ago) is that a family/home environment that stresses a love for education, as well as the importance of a sound education, leads to children who lead fulfilling lives and are academically successful.</p>