HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM/POLICY

The Abecedarian study was designed to learn the extent to which an early childhood intervention program might prevent progressive developmental retardation among children born into poverty. Forty years ago, cross-sectional examinations of the cognitive development of children from poor families indicated that their cognitive test scores tended to be within the average range in infancy, but that disproportionate declines occurred after that period (Ramey, 1971). A particularly striking cross-sectional graph charted this kind of progressive decline in intellectual test performance among children born to mothers who themselves had low IQs (Heber, Dever, & Conry, 1968). Because at that time no biologically based etiology for most cases of mild retardation had been identified, many scientists believed that early “social deprivation or environmental deprivation” was implicated in the development of this condition. It followed that intervening to improve the intellectual stimulus value of the environment might prevent or ameliorate the disorder.

Largely based on animal research, evidence mounted that early experience supported development in ways that were critical for later functioning (e.g., Hunt, 1961). More to the point, this line of reasoning was supported by human-subject research conducted by Skeels and his colleagues (1938) in which one group of infants reared within institutions showed dramatic gains in developmental abilities when they were given the kinds of affectionate attention and handling not experienced by others from the same orphanage.

Make no mistake about it, intelligence matters. And numerous public policies affirm its importance. The legislation and regulations that relate to intelligence reflect assumptions about the nature and influence of intelligence on individual behavior in society as well as the value of intelligence to our society's wellbeing. The practical implications of these policies have been far-reaching and have affected virtually all areas of life, including citizenship rights, property rights, education and vocational training, marriage and reproduction, military service to our country, employment, and health care.

What are the origins of these policies? How did intelligence come to be so pervasive a concern in legislation and public policy? These questions and their answers are the subject of this article.

WHAT IS PUBLIC POLICY?

Public policy is a complex, multifaceted, and always-changing process in the United States. Individuals and groups vie for advantage and special consideration as well as for their views on the well-being of society as it is more generally construed. In the main it is a messy process.

Dr. Julius Richmond, former Surgeon General of the United States and a pediatrician concerned with policy formulation and enforcement, frequently defines public policy as an equation with three principal elements. This equation is as follows:

Public Policy = Knowledge Base + Social Strategies + Political Will

The knowledge base guiding public policy includes many different forms of knowing, from formalistic and scientific empirical forms to personal experience, perceived common sense, and logical inference.