Fri, 28 Oct 1994 07:50:54 -0700 for <socgrad@ucsd.edu>
From: blovitts@nsf.gov
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 94 09:37:59 EST
To: socgrad@UCSD.EDU
Subject: Myth of the Bell Curve -- Comment
Socgradders,

I just forwarded a somewhat lengthy piece that was on Education Policy 
Analysis Forum on the myth of the bell curve.  I apologize to those on 
the net whose systems this may clog up as well as to those who cannot 
open the text file (I couldn't attach comments to it before sending).

The piece is adapted and condensed from: Ted Goertzel and Joseph 
Fashing, "The Myth of the Normal Curve:  A Theoretical Critique and 
Examination of its Role in Teaching and Research," Humanity and 
Society. 5:14-31 (1981), reprinted in Readings in Humanistic Sociology 
(General Hall, 1986).

Very briefly, the article explores the history of the development and 
(mis)use of the bell curve, and makes a pursuasive statistical 
argument that social phenomena are not normally distributed and 
therefore do not conform to, and cannot be analyzed, using a bell 
curve.  A few paragraphs about Murray and his use of the bell curve 
are included in the piece that was posted on EPAF by the author.

The Murray controversy aside, the article would be worthwhile for use 
in any undergraduate (and graduate) sociology class.

Hope you were able to open the text file, if not, it is well worth a 
stroll to the library.

Barbara