Herman George Canady was an African-American social psychologist. He is noted as the first psychologist to examine the role of the race of the examiner as a bias factor in IQ testing.

Early life

Canady was born in 1901 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

 to Rev. Howard T and Mrs. Anna Canady. As a young man he attended Douglass Elementary School, and Favor High School in Guthrie Oklahoma. Upon graduating from Favor, Canady enrolled in Northwestern University Theological School. "There he developed an interest in behavioral sciences and majored in sociology

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...

".

Education

• 1927 B.A.
  Bachelor of Arts
  A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
  
   Sociology and a minor in Psychology
  Psychology
  Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
  
   from Northwestern University
  Northwestern University
  Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
  
  
• 1928 M.A. Clinical Psychology
  Clinical psychology
  Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
  
   from Northwestern University
• 1941 Ph.D. in Psychology from Northwestern University

Career

In September of 1928, Canady’s career began when Francis C. Sumner left the position as chair of the psychology department at the West Virginia Collegiate Institute (now West Virginia State College). From 1936 to 1939 Canady conducted and published a plethora of socio-psychological studies. As a psychologist, one of Canady’s most monumental contributions was examining the role of the examiner or proctor in the taking of IQ test. Canady's article in the Journal of Negro Education titled "The Effect of 'rapport' on the I.Q.: A new approach to the problem of racial psychology" reported his findings in this area (that rapport between the examiner and the test-taker can have significant impact on the results of the test) and offered suggestions to improve the situation.

In 1939 a General Education Board fellowship allowed Canady to take a leave of absence from West Virginia to go back to Northwestern to Complete his Ph.D in Psychology. After earning his doctorate in 1941 Canady returned to West Virginia as chairman continuing his work as a psychologist.

Outside of his accomplishments at West Virginia, Canady also taught as a visiting lecturer to schools and colleges with the American Friends Committee in 1946. In 1947 Canady acted as a consultant to the Pacific Coast Council on Intercultural Education and Intercultural Projects in the San Diego School system. Canady also worked as a clinical psychologist for the Mental Health Unit, Veteran Administration, in Huntington, West Virginia from 1947-1968.

List of publications

• Dissertation
  • Adapting Education to the Abilities, Needs and Interests of Negro College Students
• Journal of Negro Education
  Journal of Negro Education
  The Journal of Negro Education is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Howard University established in 1932...
  
  
  • "Individual Differences and Their Educational Significance in the Guidance of the Gift and Talented Child"
  • "A Study of Sex Difference in Intelligence- Test Scores Among 1,306 Negro College Freshmen"
  • "The Effect of 'Rapport' on the I.Q.: A New Approach to the Problem of Racial Psychology"
  • "The Social Psychology of Youth"
  • "Individual Differences Among Freshmen at West Virginia State College"
  • "Psychology in Negro Institutions"
  • "A Scale for the Measurement of the Social Environment of Negro Youth"
• The American Journal of Sociology
  American Journal of Sociology
  The American Journal of Sociology was established in 1895 by Albion Small and is the oldest academic journal of sociology in the United States. The journal is attached to the University of Chicago's sociology department and it is published bimonthly by The University of Chicago Press. Its...
  
  
  • "The Intelligence of Negro College Students and Parental Occupation "

Memberships and associations

• Sigma Xi fraternity
• Alpha Kappa Delta
  Alpha Kappa Delta
  Alpha Kappa Delta is an international sociology honor society.Founded in 1920 by Emory S. Bogardus, of the University of Southern California sociology department, the name is derived from the Greek anthrôpos meaning mankind, katamanthanô, meaning to examine closely or acquire knowledge, and...
  
  
• Kappa Alpha Psi
  Kappa Alpha Psi
  Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
  
  
• Fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science
• Fellow of the American Psychological Association
  American Psychological Association
  The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
  
  
• American Friends Services Committee (1946)
• Chairman of the Department of Psychology of the American Teachers Association (1938-1945)
• Chairman of the Department of Psychology at West Virginia Academy of Science (1952-1953 and 1955-1956)
• American Association of University Professors
  American Association of University Professors
  The American Association of University Professors is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership is about 47,000, with over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations...
  
  
• West Virginia State Psychological Association (President from 1954-1955)
• West Virginia State Teachers Associations

Awards and honors

• 1923 Charles F. Grey scholarship
• 1939 General Education Board
  General Education Board
  The General Education Board was a philanthropy created by John D. Rockefeller and Frederick T. Gates in 1902. Rockefeller gave it $180 million, which was used primarily to support higher education and medical schools in the United States, and to help rural white and black schools in the South, as...
  
  fellowship
• 1949 Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity Man of the Year
• 1950 Designated Diplomat for American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology
• 1951 Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity Middle-Eastern Provincial Achievement Award
• Northwestern University’s Alumni Merit Award
• Honorary doctor’s degree from West Virginia State College