SOCIAL CLASS DIFFERENTIALS IN VOCABULARY EXPANSION

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Abstract
Socio‐economic status differences in performance on intelligence and other cognitive tests are among the most firmly established generalisations in psychological research, though their causal interpretation remains a focus of lively controversy (Anastasi, 1960). There is a considerable weight of evidence indicating that the verbal inferiority of working class children may account in part for the differences (Bernstein, 1961). The existence of a verbal handicap is unquestioned, but its fate over time remains somewhat doubtful. Thus, Eells, et al. (1951) held that status differences remain constant in magnitude, invoking the ‘levelling effect of a common school environment’ as one of the reasons. As against this, Bernstein (1961) contends that with increasing age, working class children tend to fall further behind. A study by Ravenette and Kahn (1962) supports Bernstein's view, but suffers from the limitation of being confined to a comparison of verbal and performance I.Qs. within a disturbed working class population. The aim of the present study was to undertake a direct comparison of working and middle class children at two age levels.

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