Mervin Smucker. Intelligence scores of Amish and non-Amish elementary school children

A standardized intelligence test, the SRA Short Test of Educational Ability, was given to a large sample of Amish and non-Amish school-aged children (grades four through eight) in rural Pennsylvania to determine whether cultural differences existed between these two groups. Due to the nature of the intelligence test, which was comprised of 60% vocabulary questions and 40% arithmetic questions, the Amish children were probably at a disadvantage, since nearly all of them had learned English as a second language. As expected, the Amish intelligence scores were lower and more homogeneous than those of their non-Amish counterparts. However, the Amish intelligence quotient scores were consistent with the national mean for same-aged children. In addition, the scores of the Amish children increased slightly from one grade to the next, with the eighth grade scores being the highest.

Mervin Smucker