Helmuth Nyborg
Encyclopedia
Helmuth Sørensen Nyborg is a former professor of developmental psychology
at Aarhus University, Denmark
. He is one of the most cited Danish psychologists. His main research topic is the connection between hormones and intelligence. Among other things, he has worked on increasing the intelligence
of girls with Turner's syndrome by giving them estrogen
. His research has been widely criticized, and in 2007, after having been accused of scientific misconduct
, he received a warning from Aarhus University for producing research of unacceptably low quality. In 2007 he retired. Nyborg's case is frequently cited as an example of how political correctness
impedes science.
Nyborg is a controversial figure among the Danish public for his research on topics such as the inheritance of intelligence
and the relationship between sex and intelligence
. His article in Personality and Individual Differences
(PAID), in which he reports a 5-point average IQ difference in favour of men,
has led to strong reactions in the Danish public and academia, for example in an editorial by the Danish newspaper Politiken
. A recent article proposing that migration from third world countries to Denmark would cause a dysgenic effect on the country's average IQ over time, has led to Nyborg being indicted to the Danish Council for Scientific Misconduct a second time, accused of committing scientific fraud by using statistic models of population growth known to be erroneous and for not properly attributing the source of the model.
Nyborg has also made controversial statements regarding religious beliefs and ethnicity in relation to intelligence. He has argued that white people tend to be more intelligent than blacks and that atheists tend to be more intelligent than religious people.
in the early 1960s. He won a bronze medal for Denmark
in the K-1 4 x 500 m event at the 1960 Summer Olympics
in Rome
.
in an expert scientific journal, Aarhus University assembled a committee to investigate accusations of scientific malfeasance and fraud, consisting of educational scientist Jan-Eric Gustafsson (Gothenburg), statistician Jens Ledet Jensen (Aarhus), and biostatistician Niels Keiding (Copenhagen). The report concludes that the work exhibits some lack of diligence from Nyborg's side, and that there were errors in Nyborg's work, but that the single, indisputable technical mistake does not allow any conclusions. The committee found no evidence of fraud. The report explicitly does not enter into a discussion of the correctness of Nyborg's research or the methodology of using the general intelligence factor
. Svend Hylleberg, the dean of the social science faculty of Aarhus University, reacted to the report by suspending Nyborg in 2006.
Hylleberg's decision led to strong reactions from international researchers, writing to the dean to protest against what they perceive as a witch-hunt. Among the defenders of Nyborg's work are intelligence researchers J. Philippe Rushton
and Linda Gottfredson
who themselves have been at the centre of media attention. However, experts from other fields have also rallied to Nyborg's side. According to Fred M. Feinberg (University of Michigan
), who works in econometrics and has followed Nyborg's work, the level of statistical rigour in Nyborg's research is well ahead of most in the field. He adds that he would be surprised if an investigation into the life's work of equally productive researchers would fail to find mistakes similar to or more serious than the inaccuracies in Nyborg's work, and that Nyborg's mistakes are unintentional, with few substantive consequences for his conclusions. A number of other researchers made broadly similar points, among them many prominent methodologists.
The reported male–female IQ difference in Nyborg's work is about 8 points. According to Rushton, his own research points to an IQ difference of 3.63, and the committees' analysis of Nyborg's data would imply a difference 4.55.
On 21 September 2006, the university gave Nyborg a "severe reprimand", revoked his suspension, and declared the case closed. After Nyborg's retirement in 2007 his severe reprimand was changed to a "warning" because of the unacceptable standard of the scientific research.
Developmental psychology
Developmental psychology, also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes, emotional changes, and perception changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to...
at Aarhus University, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. He is one of the most cited Danish psychologists. His main research topic is the connection between hormones and intelligence. Among other things, he has worked on increasing the intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
of girls with Turner's syndrome by giving them estrogen
Estrogen
Estrogens , oestrogens , or œstrogens, are a group of compounds named for their importance in the estrous cycle of humans and other animals. They are the primary female sex hormones. Natural estrogens are steroid hormones, while some synthetic ones are non-steroidal...
. His research has been widely criticized, and in 2007, after having been accused of scientific misconduct
Scientific misconduct
Scientific misconduct is the violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behavior in professional scientific research. A Lancet review on Handling of Scientific Misconduct in Scandinavian countries provides the following sample definitions: *Danish definition: "Intention or...
, he received a warning from Aarhus University for producing research of unacceptably low quality. In 2007 he retired. Nyborg's case is frequently cited as an example of how political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
impedes science.
Nyborg is a controversial figure among the Danish public for his research on topics such as the inheritance of intelligence
Inheritance of intelligence
The study of the heritability of IQ investigates the relative importance of genetics and environment for variation in intelligence quotient in a population...
and the relationship between sex and intelligence
Sex and intelligence
Research on sex and psychology investigates cognitive and behavioral differences between men and women. This research employs experimental tests of cognition, which take a variety of forms. Tests focus on possible differences in areas such as IQ, spatial reasoning, and emotion.Most IQ tests are...
. His article in Personality and Individual Differences
Personality and Individual Differences
Personality and Individual Differences is a scientific journal published bi-monthly by Elsevier and founded in 1980. PAID is the official journal of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences ....
(PAID), in which he reports a 5-point average IQ difference in favour of men,
has led to strong reactions in the Danish public and academia, for example in an editorial by the Danish newspaper Politiken
Politiken
Politiken is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus.The newspaper comes third among Danish newspapers in terms of both number of readers and circulated copies ....
. A recent article proposing that migration from third world countries to Denmark would cause a dysgenic effect on the country's average IQ over time, has led to Nyborg being indicted to the Danish Council for Scientific Misconduct a second time, accused of committing scientific fraud by using statistic models of population growth known to be erroneous and for not properly attributing the source of the model.
Nyborg has also made controversial statements regarding religious beliefs and ethnicity in relation to intelligence. He has argued that white people tend to be more intelligent than blacks and that atheists tend to be more intelligent than religious people.
Kayaking career
Nyborg competed as a sprint canoerCanoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
in the early 1960s. He won a bronze medal for Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in the K-1 4 x 500 m event at the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
2005 controversial paper
Even though his paper Sex-related differences in general intelligence g, brain size, and social status had passed peer reviewPeer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
in an expert scientific journal, Aarhus University assembled a committee to investigate accusations of scientific malfeasance and fraud, consisting of educational scientist Jan-Eric Gustafsson (Gothenburg), statistician Jens Ledet Jensen (Aarhus), and biostatistician Niels Keiding (Copenhagen). The report concludes that the work exhibits some lack of diligence from Nyborg's side, and that there were errors in Nyborg's work, but that the single, indisputable technical mistake does not allow any conclusions. The committee found no evidence of fraud. The report explicitly does not enter into a discussion of the correctness of Nyborg's research or the methodology of using the general intelligence factor
General intelligence factor
The g factor, where g stands for general intelligence, is a statistic used in psychometrics to model the mental ability underlying results of various tests of cognitive ability...
. Svend Hylleberg, the dean of the social science faculty of Aarhus University, reacted to the report by suspending Nyborg in 2006.
Hylleberg's decision led to strong reactions from international researchers, writing to the dean to protest against what they perceive as a witch-hunt. Among the defenders of Nyborg's work are intelligence researchers J. Philippe Rushton
J. Philippe Rushton
Jean Philippe Rushton is a Canadian psychology professor at the University of Western Ontario who is most widely known for his work on racial group differences, such as research on race and intelligence, race and crime, and the application of r/K selection theory to humans in his book Race,...
and Linda Gottfredson
Linda Gottfredson
Linda Susanne Gottfredson is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Delaware and co-director of the Delaware-Johns Hopkins Project for the Study of Intelligence and Society. Gottfredson's work has been influential in shaping U.S...
who themselves have been at the centre of media attention. However, experts from other fields have also rallied to Nyborg's side. According to Fred M. Feinberg (University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
), who works in econometrics and has followed Nyborg's work, the level of statistical rigour in Nyborg's research is well ahead of most in the field. He adds that he would be surprised if an investigation into the life's work of equally productive researchers would fail to find mistakes similar to or more serious than the inaccuracies in Nyborg's work, and that Nyborg's mistakes are unintentional, with few substantive consequences for his conclusions. A number of other researchers made broadly similar points, among them many prominent methodologists.
The reported male–female IQ difference in Nyborg's work is about 8 points. According to Rushton, his own research points to an IQ difference of 3.63, and the committees' analysis of Nyborg's data would imply a difference 4.55.
On 21 September 2006, the university gave Nyborg a "severe reprimand", revoked his suspension, and declared the case closed. After Nyborg's retirement in 2007 his severe reprimand was changed to a "warning" because of the unacceptable standard of the scientific research.