Replication of the Jensen effect on dysgenic fertility: An analysis using a large sample of American youth

• We examine the degree to which the dysgenic fertility trend is a Jensen effect.
• Data were drawn from Project TALENT.
• A strong Jensen effect was evident in the total sample and all sex/race subgroups.
• Results confirm that g is the putative factor driving the dysgenic fertility gradient.

The purpose of this study is to replicate recent findings demonstrating that the dysgenic fertility trend is a Jensen effect. Data were drawn from Project TALENT. Present analyses included data from a total sample of 79,734 participants with complete data regarding number of biological children at the 11 year follow up, and analyses were further split by sex and race to examine possible differential trends among subgroups. Correlated vectors analyses revealed strong Jensen effects such that subtests with higher g-saturation were associated with larger dysgenic fertility gradients. This effect was evident in the total sample, and within all race/gender subgroups except for Asian males. Such findings yield further confirmation that g is in fact the principal factor by which the dysgenic fertility gradient operates.