Question

Which of the following provides the strongest evidence of the environment's role in intelligence?

1) Adopted children's intelligence scores are more like their adoptive parents' scores than their biological parents'.
2) Children's intelligence scores are more strongly related to their mothers' scores than to their fathers'.
3) Children moved from a deprived environment into an intellectually enriched one show gains in intellectual development.
4) The intelligence scores of identical twins raised separately are no more alike than those of siblings.

Answer 1

Option 3, where children moved from a deprived environment into an intellectually enriched one show gains in intelligence, provides strong evidence for the environment's influence on intelligence.

Step-by-step explanation:

The strongest evidence of the environment's role in intelligence is option 3) Children moved from a deprived environment into an intellectually enriched one show gains in intellectual development. This statement indicates a direct connection between changes in the environment and changes in a person's intellectual abilities, thus recognizing the significant impact of environmental stimuli on cognitive development. Studies showed that, while genetics provide a framework for potential intelligence, environmental factors both provide stability and can trigger the manifestation of cognitive abilities. Furthermore, the Range of Reaction theory proposes that although genetic potential is fixed, whether one reaches full intellectual potential largely depends on environmental factors, especially during childhood.