The Bell Curve Thesis

The Bell Curve Thesis How your position in the workplace is ultimately determined by your level of intelligence.

The Bell Curve • “The Broader effect on society has been dramatic, the creation of a new cognitive elite” • The power of education, and those who have access to it, is changing the type of people we see in power in the workplace. • Things are different than they were in the late 20th century.

IQ in the workplace • One of the biggest changes is that the people in charge were not college educated. Often these employers were not even high school graduates. • IQ now sets people apart as the article states, “IQ is the crucial determining factor.”

Money • In the 1930s and 1940s the salaries of some of the specialized professions, like engineering, were the same as manufacturing jobs. From the 50s to the 60s the “professional” job salaries have nearly doubled, manufacturing jobs rose about 20%

Physical separation • “The higher the level of cognitive ability, and the greater the degree of homogeneity among people involved in a particular line of work, the greater is the degree of separation of the cognitive elite from everyone else.” • In a hospital cafeteria there is an obvious separation between doctors and janitors. They don’t sit together and they really only speak in passing. The nurses all sit in another area while the students sit in another.

Genetic Partitioning • The separation, according to the article, can also be attributed to mental capacities that are inherited genetically. • The article does warn that this principal is not for individuals but is based on a population of people

Cross Cultural Analysis • Most of the group was satisfied and impressed with the article • It was clear and easy to read • It kept our interest the whole time • We identified elements of material culture because it shows how our culture works and how we view intelligence in our society.

Cross Cultural Analysis • We identified values and norms like how Americans value high IQ. • The Sociological Perspective that was most evident was the functionalist perspective. • It viewed society as a whole.

Cross Cultural Analysis • We felt the article expressed goal oriented behavior because those with better education seek higher positions in the work place. • It also validated existing theories because we already know, the more educated you are, the better your chances are at having a successful career.

SUMMARY • In the past it was about wealthy well known families having better opportunities to go to ivy league schools for prestige. Now admission to these institutions are based on IQ. • The same trend has shifted to the workplace.

Group Two Members • Michael Mack • Kelly Hogeland • Dana Baltus • Andres Nieto • Stephen Caputo • Melvin Wallace • Tiffany Wright • Tamia Sharper

The Bell Curve Thesis