Does HOME add to the prediction of child intelligence over and above SES?

The most frequently used measure of the educational stimulation provided by the child's home environment is socioeconomic status (SES). Because SES is a global measure, researchers have developed measures that provide more detailed information. One of these is the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), (Caldwell & Bradley, 1984). Our research examined whether HOME adds to the predictability of child intelligence beyond that provided by SES. Subjects were 121 3-year-olds, Black and White, who were administered the fourth edition of the Stanford-Binet and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised. HOME and Hollingshead SES scores were obtained at age 2. HOME added to the predictability of intelligence over and above that provided by SES for the total group of children and for White children but not for Black children. The predictive utility of HOME also depended on the type of intelligence test being used.