R. Travis Osborne
Encyclopedia
Robert Travis Osborne is a professor emeritus of psychology
at University of Georgia
.
He began at University of Georgia in 1946 and was appointed Director of the University's Counseling and Testing Center in 1947. He was interested in psychometrics
and counseling. When licensing laws for psychologists in Georgia were enacted, his license was number 15.
Osborne is a grantee of the Pioneer Fund
to study intelligence and personality
as well as physical characteristics in several hundred white and black twins
in Georgia
, Kentucky
, and Indiana
. Osborne’s large twin study showed that the weight of genes and culture are equally as important among Blacks as among Whites. During the civil rights movement, he testified in court against school integration.
In 1994 he was one of 52 signatories of Mainstream Science on Intelligence
, a public statement written by Linda Gottfredson
and published in the Wall Street Journal as a response to what the authors viewed as the inaccurate and misleading reports made by the media regarding academic consensus on the results of intelligence research in the wake of the appearance of The Bell Curve
earlier the same year.
Osborne became a Director of the Pioneer Fund in 2000 and continues in that role.
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...
at University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
.
He began at University of Georgia in 1946 and was appointed Director of the University's Counseling and Testing Center in 1947. He was interested in psychometrics
Psychometrics
Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personality traits, and educational measurement...
and counseling. When licensing laws for psychologists in Georgia were enacted, his license was number 15.
Osborne is a grantee of the Pioneer Fund
Pioneer Fund
The Pioneer Fund is an American non-profit foundation established in 1937 "to advance the scientific study of heredity and human differences." Currently headed by psychology professor J. Philippe Rushton, the fund states that it focuses on projects it perceives will not be easily funded due to...
to study intelligence and personality
Personality psychology
Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that studies personality and individual differences. Its areas of focus include:* Constructing a coherent picture of the individual and his or her major psychological processes...
as well as physical characteristics in several hundred white and black twins
TWINS
Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers are a pair of NASA instruments aboard two United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites in Molniya orbits. TWINS was designed to provide stereo images of the Earth's ring current. The first instrument, TWINS-1, was launched aboard USA-184...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. Osborne’s large twin study showed that the weight of genes and culture are equally as important among Blacks as among Whites. During the civil rights movement, he testified in court against school integration.
In 1994 he was one of 52 signatories of 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...
, a public statement 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 as a response to what the authors viewed as the inaccurate and misleading reports made by the media regarding academic consensus on the results of intelligence research in the wake of the appearance of 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...
earlier the same year.
Osborne became a Director of the Pioneer Fund in 2000 and continues in that role.
Selected works
- Osborne, R. Travis, A. James Gregor, and Frank Miele. "Heritability of Numerical Facility." Perceptual and Motor Skills 24 (1967): 659-666.
- Osborne, R. Travis, A. James Gregor, and Frank Miele. "Heritability of Factor V: Verbal Comprehension." Perceptual and Motor Skills 26 (1968): 191-202.
- Osborne, R. Travis, and Frank Miele. "Racial Differences in Environmental Influences on Numerical Ability as Determined by Heritability Estimates." Perceptual and Motor Skills 28 (1969): 535-538.
- Miele, Frank, and R. Travis Osborne. "Racial Differences in Heritability Ratios for Verbal Ability." Homo 24 (1973): 35-39.
- Swan, Donald A., and Frank Miele (with the assistance of Dr. R. Travis Osborne). "A Factor Analysis of Oetteking's Ancient Egyptian Cranial Data." Homo 24 (1973): 188-204.
- R Travis Osborne & Frank C.J. McGurk, The Testing of Negro Intelligence, vol. 2, Athens, GA: Foundation for Human Understanding, 1982
- Osborne, R. Travis, Clyde E. Noble, and Nathaniel WeylNathaniel WeylNathaniel Weyl was an American economist and author who wrote on a variety of social issues. A member of the Communist Party of the United States from 1933 until 1939, after leaving the party he became a conservative and avowed anti-communist...
, editors. Human Variation. Orlando: Academic Press, 1978. - Osborne, R. Travis. Twins: Black and White. Athens, Georgia: Foundation for Human Understanding, 1980.
External links
- History of the University of Georgia Psychology Department
- Frank Miele bibliography via Institute for the Study of Academic RacismInstitute for the Study of Academic RacismThe Institute for the Study of Academic Racism is an organization that monitors "changing intellectual trends in academic racism, biological determinism, and eugenics." ISAR states that in this capacity it "acts as a resource service for students, academics, journalists, legislators and civil...
- Highlights of Pioneer Fund Research and Grantees