John C. Loehlin
Encyclopedia
John Clinton Loehlin is an American behavior geneticist and psychology
and computer science
professor emeritus. Loehlin has served as president of the Behavior Genetics Association
and of the Society for Multivariate Experimental Psychology.
He received an A.B. in English from Harvard in 1947, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1957. He was on active service in the United States Naval Reserve in 1951-53 during the Korean War
. He taught at the University of Nebraska from 1957 to 1964, taking a position at the University of Texas at Austin
, where he has remained until retirement.
Loehlin's research has chiefly focused on the genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in normal human personality traits and abilities; he has also been concerned with racial differences and with computer modeling. He has been involved in several twin family, and adoption studies, notably the Texas Adoption Project with Joseph M. Horn
and Lee Willerman
.
He has also written on race and intelligence
. He was a Director of the American Eugenics Society
from 1968 to 1974. In 1994 he was one of 52 signatories on "Mainstream Science on Intelligence
," an editorial written by Linda Gottfredson
and published in the Wall Street Journal, which declared the consensus of the signing scholars on issues related to race and intelligence
following the publication of the book The Bell Curve
. Among his PhD students are Eric Turkheimer.
In 1995, he was on an American Psychological Association
task force writing a consensus statement on the state of intelligence research in response to the claims being advanced amid the Bell Curve
controversy, titled "Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns
."
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...
and computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
professor emeritus. Loehlin has served as president of the Behavior Genetics Association
Behavior Genetics Association
The Behavior Genetics Association is a learned society that was established in 1970 and promotes research into the connection between heredity and behavior.- Aims :...
and of the Society for Multivariate Experimental Psychology.
He received an A.B. in English from Harvard in 1947, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1957. He was on active service in the United States Naval Reserve in 1951-53 during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. He taught at the University of Nebraska from 1957 to 1964, taking a position at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, where he has remained until retirement.
Loehlin's research has chiefly focused on the genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in normal human personality traits and abilities; he has also been concerned with racial differences and with computer modeling. He has been involved in several twin family, and adoption studies, notably the Texas Adoption Project with Joseph M. Horn
Joseph M. Horn
Joseph M. Horn is an American psychology professor known for his work on adoption studies.Horn received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and currently teaches at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include intelligence and personality and their development,...
and Lee Willerman
Lee Willerman
Lee Willerman was an American psychologist known for his work on twin studies.He was born and grew up in Chicago. Willerman received BA and MA degrees from Roosevelt University in 1961 and 1964 respectively, and his Ph.D. from Wayne State University in 1967...
.
He has also written on race and intelligence
Race and intelligence
The connection between race and intelligence has been a subject of debate in both popular science and academic research since the inception of intelligence testing in the early 20th century...
. He was a Director of the American Eugenics Society
American Eugenics Society
The American Eugenics Society was a society established in 1922 to promote eugenics in the United States.It was the result of the Second International Conference on Eugenics . The founders included Madison Grant, Harry H. Laughlin, Irving Fisher, Henry Fairfield Osborn, and Henry Crampton...
from 1968 to 1974. In 1994 he was one of 52 signatories on "Mainstream Science on Intelligence
Mainstream Science on Intelligence
Mainstream Science on Intelligence was a public statement issued by a group of academic researchers in fields allied to intelligence testing that claimed to present those findings widely accepted in the expert community...
," an editorial written by 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...
and published in the Wall Street Journal, which declared the consensus of the signing scholars on issues related to race and intelligence
Race and intelligence
The connection between race and intelligence has been a subject of debate in both popular science and academic research since the inception of intelligence testing in the early 20th century...
following the publication of the book The Bell Curve
The Bell Curve
The Bell Curve is a best-selling and controversial 1994 book by the Harvard psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and political scientist Charles Murray...
. Among his PhD students are Eric Turkheimer.
In 1995, he was on an 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...
task force writing a consensus statement on the state of intelligence research in response to the claims being advanced amid the Bell Curve
Bell curve
Bell curve can refer to:* A Gaussian function, a specific kind of function whose graph is a bell-shaped curve* Normal distribution, whose density function is a Gaussian function...
controversy, titled "Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns
Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns
Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns was a 1995 report issued by a Task Force created by the Board of Scientific Affairs of the American Psychological Association.- Background :...
."
Selected publications
- Loehlin, J. C. (1968). Computer models of personality. New York: Random House.
- Loehlin, J. C., Lindzey, G., & Spuhler, J. N. (1975). Race differences in intelligence. San Francisco: Freeman.
- Loehlin, J. C., & Nichols, R. C. (1976). Heredity, environment, and personality: A study of 850 sets of twins. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
- Loehlin, J. C. (1987). Latent variable models: An introduction to factor, path, and structural analysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Loehlin, J. C. (1992). Genes and environment in personality development. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
External links
- John C. Loehlin site via University of Texas at Austin