Environment as a Threshold Variable: An Examination

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Abstract
It is often assumed that, for intellectual performance, the environment acts as a threshold variable. This assumption was investigated by examining the nature of the relationship between the learning environment of the home and verbal, number, spatial, and reasoning ability test scores. The sample included 185 11-year-old boys divided into middle and lower class groups. The SRA Primary Mental Abilities Test was used to gain a measure of the mental abilities, while a new instrument was constructed to measure the learning environment. It was found that the environment accounted for as much of the variance in the ability scores, when the relationship was expressed in a linear form, as when the relationship was expressed in a curvilinear form. The results indicated the difficulties confronting developers of compensatory educational programs.

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