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Lewis Terman social/emotionalhistorical perspectives needs Jennifer L. Jolly, Ph.D. TitleLewis of Terman: the Column Genetic Goes Study Here of Genius— LookingElementary Like School This Students “If I am remembered very long after my death, it Seven ‘Bright’ and Seven ‘Stupid’ Boys,” set the will probably be in connection with my studies of stage for Terman’s eventual study of gifted children. gifted children [and] the construction of mental Within a decade of his appointment at Stanford, tests” (Terman, 1930a, p. 330). Terman began to collect data for the most extensive and enduring longitudinal study on identified gifted Although the field of gifted education generally children (Chapman, 1988; Minton, 1988). recognizes the foundational work of Lewis Terman, Although the longitudinal study of gifted chil- rarely does one stop to examine the details of his dren was a defining feature of Terman’s career, so longitudinal study and their connection to present- too, was his work with intelligence tests. However, a day gifted education. This column reexamines the strict line of demarcation cannot be drawn between beginnings of Terman’s longitudinal study with a the two areas because Terman’s definition of gifted- focus on elementary-school-aged children. ness was so closely tied to that of intelligence. In I In 1910, Lewis Terman arrived at Stanford 1913, building on Stern’s transformation of Binet’s University to begin a tenure that would last the mental age to Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Terman remainder of his academic career. He originally sensed that further validation of the Binet-Simon moved to California for health and financial reasons, scale would have “great importance for the educa- taking a position as a high school principal, and only tional treatment of . talented children” (Terman, found himself at Stanford after a stint at Los Angeles 1913, p. 104). He called for further research “for the Normal School and a confluence of factors that had purpose of ascertaining more definitely what perfor- worked to his advantage. Stanford was an institu- mances may rightly be expected of . 125 percent tion where he aspired to work but never believed he intelligence at the various age levels” (Terman, 1915, would find a position. At the age of 33, he worried p. 537). In addition, Terman proposed that the use that securing a good university position was quickly of intelligence tests could go far beyond that of mere slipping from his grasp (Terman, 1930a). Shortly categorization, and important insights could be after his arrival at Stanford, he began to establish made concerning race, the behavior of intelligence himself as leader in intelligence testing with his over time, genius, and mental stability (Lagemann, membership on the Committee on the Psychological 2000). Examination of Recruits during World War I, along Since 1911, Terman had received reports of with his work on the revision of Binet’s intelligence gifted children and conducted his own case stud- test (Seagoe, 1975). His documented interest in ies. This work was conducted on a small scale and individual differences and intelligence, originating disrupted by Terman’s contribution to World War with his dissertation entitled “Genius and Stupidity: I’s Army Alpha and Beta tests. However, in 1921, A Study of Some of the Intellectual Processes of Terman was presented with an opportunity to gifted child today 27 Lewis Terman: Genetic Study of Genius engage in a large-scale study of gifted superstitious in its origin, that 1. two intelligence tests (Stanford- children, thanks to a grant from the intellectual precocity is patho- Binet and National [Intelligence Commonwealth Fund. At the time, logical; (c) the vigorous growth Test] B) [both authored by the Commonwealth Fund earmarked of democratic sentiment in . Terman and Terman and Yerkes, $100,000 for educational endeavors. America . which has necessarily respectively]; One fifth, or $20,000, of the funds tended to encourage an attitude 2. a two-hour educational test (The was awarded to Terman to advance unfavorable to a just apprecia- Stanford Achievement Test) [also the study of gifted children. The main tion of native individual differ- authored by Terman]; study questions included ences in human endowment; 3. a fifty-minute test of general and (d) the tardy birth of the information in science, history, whether gifted children are as literature, and the arts; biological sciences, particularly well endowed physically as oth- 4. a fifty-minute test of knowledge genetics, psychology and educa- ers, what their hereditary ante- of and interest in plays, games, tion. (Terman, 1925, p. vii) cedents are, what the influence and amusements; of environment upon them has 5. a four-page interest blank to be amounted to, how their superior The basic purpose of his research filled out by the children; ability is evidenced in school, in was to determine to what degree the 6. a two-months reading record to play, and in spontaneous activi- gifted child varied from the average be kept by the children; ties, what kinds of tests will most child of normal intelligence. In the 7. a sixteen-page Home Information readily reveal their superior- grant application submitted to the Blank, to be filled out by parents, ity, whether it is permanent or Commonwealth Fund, Terman artic- including ratings on twenty-five ephemeral, what difficulties such ulated the purpose in much more suc- traits; children encounter in adapting cinct terms: (a) increase the number of 8. an eight-page School Information themselves to their surround- subjects to 1,000, (b) administer two Blank to be filled out by the ings, and so on. (Unknown cor- intelligence tests to each subject, (b) teachers, including ratings on the respondent, 1921, p. 695) collect achievement data on four to same twenty-five traits as were rated by the parents; and Fortified with the grant from the five school subjects, (c) administer spe- 9. when possible, ratings of the Commonwealth Fund, and methods cialized ability tests to a small number home on the Whittier Scale for and instruments from the science of of subjects, (d) revise methods of col- psychology, Terman began his Genetic lecting trait ratings and demographi- home grading. (Terman, 1925, Studies of Genius: Mental and Physical cal data, and (e) follow-up on subjects p. 8) Traits of a Thousand Gifted Children over a 10-year period. In 1922, the (1925), which was to become the Commonwealth Fund awarded The additional grant money most comprehensive compilation of Terman an extra $14,000 to collect from the Commonwealth Fund and Stanford University allowed for seven empirically gathered data on gifted additional medical, anthropomet- further data points to be collected, children of its time (more than 600 ric, and psychological data. Stanford including medical examinations, pages). According to Terman, a con- University matched these funds with anthropometric measurements, char- fluence of factors had hindered “the $14,000 in both money and services acter and personality tests, interest inauguration of research in this field” (Terman, 1924a, 1924b, 1925). (Terman, 1925, p. vii). He identified tests, organization of a reading guide Combined with the initial award from these factors as for gifted children, study of specialized the Commonwealth Foundation, abilities, and the biographical study . the nature of superstitions, Terman had nearly $50,000 to begin of eminent individuals similar to the regarding the essential nature his study. In today’s money, this would works of Galton, Cattell, and Yoder of the Great Man . moved equate to $619,938 (U.S. Department (Terman, 1925, 1930b). In total, by forces which are not to be of Labor, n.d.). Field assistants and Terman identified 16 data collection explained by (a) the natural volunteers initially collected nine data points from which massive amounts of laws of human behavior; (b) the points from each subject, including data were accumulated. The categories widespread belief, hardly less the following: ranged from Racial and Social Origin, 28 winter 2008 • vol 31, no 1 Lewis Terman: Genetic Study of Genius to Test of Character and Personality Traits. Table 1 The number of subjects reached Classification of the Gifted Groups 1,444 in 1924, with several con- Boys Girls Total trol groups of 600 to 800 children. Main Experimental Group (I) 370 314 684 Terman’s assistants scoured the state Outside Binet Group (II) 197 159 356 of California for gifted children. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Outside High School Group (III) 257 121 378 Berkeley, and Alameda were the main Special Ability Group (IV) 10 16 26 cities of interest, with the heaviest Note. From Terman (1925), p. 39. concentration of children in the Bay Area near the Stanford University Student Data tion of adult achievement and social campus. Students were initially class to show that it also was correlated selected by teacher nomination and Family Background to early childhood (Terman, 1924a). age-grade status (youngest children in “Our data show that individuals of the class). Candidates were given the The majority of students came the various social classes present these National Intelligence Test, and those from Western Europe of Caucasian same differences in early childhood, a who scored in the top 10% were then or Jewish ancestry, as noted: 30.7% fact which strongly suggests that the administered an abbreviated version English, 15.7% German, 11.3% causal factor lies in original endow- of Stanford-Binet. A nonlanguage ver- Scotch, 9.0% Irish, and 5.7% French, ment rather than in environmental sion also was used to account for chil- and 10.5% Jewish. Terman noted the influences” (Terman, 1925, p. 66). dren with foreign-born parents. The excess of children from Scotch and Terman also would argue that, siblings of already nominated students Jewish heritages. Ethnic origin was despite the occupation levels held by also were tested to identify additional determined from a child’s grandpar- the fathers, few families were wealthy.
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