Francis Galton
English polymath who measured individual differences and coined the term eugenics
English polymath and cousin of Charles Darwin who measured human differences, defined an index of correlation and coined the term eugenics in 1883. His eugenics and racial inquiries are widely criticised.
Why this person matters
Galton's statistics and mental testing shaped the study of individual differences and intelligence, and his anthropometric laboratory was the forerunner of Karl Pearson's Biometric Laboratory. His eugenic programme belongs to the same history and shows how measurement was used to argue for selective breeding.
Main contributions
Measuring human differences
In Hereditary Genius (1869) he took high reputation as a test of ability and traced the relatives of judges, statesmen, scientists and others, arguing that genius is mainly a matter of ancestry. His anthropometric laboratory at the 1884 International Health Exhibition measured traits such as height, strength, sight and hearing in nearly 10,000 people in its first year.
Correlation and regression
In 1888 he examined two measurements on the same person and defined an index of correlation. He first called the pattern reversion and later regression. Auguste Bravais had worked out related mathematics in 1846, so Galton independently rediscovered the concept.
A twin study
In 1875 he sent questionnaires to twins or their relatives and received replies about 80 sets, of which he used 35 detailed cases. He concluded that nature has a larger effect than nurture.
Context and limits
Galton introduced eugenics as a word for the science of improving human stock. MacTutor calls him the father of eugenics and describes his racial inquiries as something almost unacceptable today, and a UCL museums blog says his racist biases were cemented by his time in Africa. His twin study used a self-selected sample and did not state its criteria for grouping twins. Karl Pearson later developed his biometric approach.
In your introductory course
Thinking, language and intelligence.Appears in intelligence, methods and history chapters through correlation, individual differences and the twin method. Students should also learn that his eugenic aims shaped the early testing movement.
Related course reading: Psychology 2e, section 7.5. This is course context rather than a biographical source.
Years of active work
- 1869
He published Hereditary Genius.
- 1875
He published "The History of Twins, As a Criterion of the Relative Powers of Nature and Nurture" in Fraser's Magazine.
- 1883
He proposed the word eugenics in Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development.
- 1884
He ran an anthropometric laboratory at the International Health Exhibition in London.
- 1888
He defined an index of correlation.
Sources
- MacTutor, Francis GaltonUniversity. Institutional biography inspected.
- Project Gutenberg, Galton, Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its DevelopmentOriginal work. Text passages inspected.
- Galton.org, Hereditary GeniusOriginal work. Abstract inspected.
- Embryo Project Encyclopedia (Arizona State University), The History of Twins (1875)University. Reference article inspected.
- UCL Museums blog, The unbelievable truth about Sir Francis GaltonUniversity. Reference article inspected.
- Wikipedia, Francis GaltonReference work. Reference article inspected.