To determine the relationship between parental childrearing practices, sex-role preference, and intellectual functioning in young boys, 21 lower class and 21 middle class white fathers were observed at home interacting with their 4-year-old sons. The Binet, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and Brown's "It" Scale were subsequently administered to the children. In the total sample, the boys' IQ was positively correlated with paternal nurturance, and negatively correlated with paternal restrictiveness. Both correlations were significant. Together, nurturance and restrictiveness accounted for over one-third of the variance in IQ. Sharp class differences were found including a significant negative association in the lower class subsample between IQ and a male sex preference. (Author)