Chinese and Japanese immigrants to the United States and Canada have survived years of discrimination and oppression and today demonstrate academic and professional achievements that are often better than those of whites. However, the Asians continue to obtain higher scores on nonverbal/spatial tests than on verbal tests and tend to be concentrated in professions that require fewer verbal skills. Some studies suggest that genetic differences between Asians and whites, especially differences in basic temperament, may account for Asians' superior performance compared to whites and for the fact that Asians perform better on nonverbal tests. Language difficulties seem to have had a minor effect on Asians' verbal abilities. The main explanation for Asians' abilities and achievements appears to lie in their patterns of family upbringing and values, which can provide sufficient motivation to overcome the handicaps created by discrimination. (Author/MJL)