Appropriate tests of racial wage discrimination require controls for cognitive skill: comment on Cancio, Evans, and Maume

Article Abstract:

Cancio, Evans and Maume (1996) concluded in their paper that discrimination measured as a residual from an earnings attainment regression became more prevalent after 1976. Their argument was heavily dependent on which variables are controlled and which variables are not included in the regression. A major flaw of their study was the omission of a major control variable: cognitive skill. Had the researchers included a control for cognitive skill, the results would have been different. The wage gap between blacks and whites would have been explained by the nondiscrimination component.

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Teaching low-income children to read at grade level

Article Abstract:

It is argued that the cognitive skills gap experienced among low-income children needs to be addressed before school age. By school-age, children of low-income backgrounds are more likely to lack fully-developed language and reasoning skills, acceptable behavioural habits and parental support with their education. It is suggested that language skills should be reinforced during the pre-school years, while parents should be taught how to provide improved learning experiences.

Education, Poor children, Socially handicapped children, Disadvantaged children

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Cognitive skills and racial wage inequality: reply to Farkas and Vicknair

Article Abstract:

Farkas and Vicknair (1996) argued that controlling for cognitive skills will reveal the discrimination component of the racial gap in wages. However, the two researchers overlooked the probability that the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) which they used in their study is class-biased just like other standardized tests. AFQT test scores actually exaggerate racial differences in skills and may partially be a proxy for race.

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