Final answer:
IQ scores are influenced by socioeconomic status, with studies showing prefrontal brain functioning and language development disparities between children of varying income levels. Interventions like enriched daycare can improve cognitive outcomes, indicating that environment plays a significant role in determining IQ and educational achievement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The relationship between IQ scores and socioeconomic status is multifaceted and significant. Studies such as those by Kishiyama et al. (2009) show that children living in poverty can exhibit reduced prefrontal brain functioning, affecting their IQ and performance on cognitive tests. Furthermore, research by Hart and Risley (2003) highlights the developmental differences in language abilities between children from varying income levels, where children from higher-income families are exposed to significantly more words and interactions, contributing to higher achievement test scores. This suggests that enriched environments and increased parental interaction can help bridge the gap in cognitive development and IQ scores.
Comparatively, interventions like enriched daycare settings for children of low-IQ mothers or low-income households, as researched by Schechter & Byeb (2007), can have positive effects on children's cognitive development and language skills, indicating that environmental factors do play a role in IQ and achievement. The controversy surrounding the genetic versus environmental origins of intelligence, sparked by figures like Arthur Jensen, has been addressed with evidence supporting the influence of both. Nevertheless, the sociocultural context and access to resources remain pivotal in the ongoing discussion of intelligence disparities and educational outcomes.