Why were poor test scores attributed to immigrants in the early twentieth century?

The attribution of poor test scores to immigrants in the early twentieth century primarily stemmed from the belief in innate mental inferiority. This perspective was rooted in the eugenics movement, which promoted the idea that intelligence was largely hereditary and that certain racial and ethnic groups were inherently more intelligent than others. As immigrants, particularly those from non-Western countries, arrived in large numbers during this period, their lower performance on standardized intelligence tests was often interpreted as evidence of their supposed mental deficiencies, rather than being attributed to factors such as language barriers, cultural differences, or socioeconomic conditions.

This belief in innate mental inferiority led to widespread discrimination and stigmatization of immigrant populations. It disregarded the systemic and contextual factors affecting these individuals' performance, reinforcing negative stereotypes that persisted for decades. In contrast, concepts like stereotype threat and divergent thinking relate to how social pressures or creative thought processes impact performance and do not encapsulate the prevailing attitudes of that era. Savant syndrome, while it involves extraordinary abilities in specific areas, does not relate to the general discussion of immigrant test scores during the early twentieth century.