The influence of some attitudes on intelligence

Abstract

The aim of the present thesis is to investigate the influence of some attitudes on intelligence. The focus of attention is on conservati ve attitudes and the influence they have on intelligence in white South African society. A review of the research revealed that the construct of general conservatism is usually inversely related to intelligence, and that the conservative personality traits and attitudes are not conducive to the promotion of a high level of intelligence. In the first phase of the present study 210 white English and Afrikaans speaking teacher trainees were compared regarding the influence of six factors of general conservatism derived from the Social Religious Political Scale, the Religiosity Scale and the Conservatism Scale on general intelligence as measured by the D-48 Test. The results of this phase of the study indicate that there were no significant differences between English speakers and Afrikaans speakers on the intelligence variable. Afrikaans speakers were significantly more conservative on the traditionalism, anti-modernism, religious principles and religious practices factors, whereas English speakers were significantly more conservative on the factors of socio-political attitudes and religious attitudes. The results proved inconclusive mainly because conservative attitudes, and not language as hypothesized, were found to mediate general intelligence. In the second phase of this research 100 English and Afrikaans speaking university students were tested in order to ascertain the connection between conservative variables, without reference to language difference, and intelligence. The research sample was divided into conservative and liberal groups which were compared regarding the influence of religious attitudes, socio-political attitudes, traditionalism and anti-modernism, as derived from the SRP-Scale and the Conservatism Scale, on variables of intelligence derived from the South African Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. The results of this phase of the study confirm that no significant differences existed between white South African conservatives and liberals on the variables of full-scale intelligence, verbal intelligence and practical intelligence. However, significant interactions between the independent variables in specific combinations indicate that under certain conditions white South African conservatives have higher levels of intelligence than white South African liberals. It is tentatively suggested that the theories of attitudes and intelligence regarding conservatives living in a generally conservative society may require modification and therefore additional comprehensive research is suggested after which general conclusions may be reached.