Lewis Terman
American educational psychologist, academic, and eugenicist (1877–1956)
Summary
Lewis Madison Terman was an American psychologist, academic, and proponent of eugenics. He was noted as a pioneer in educational psychology in the early 20th century at the Stanford School of Education. Terman is best known for his revision of the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales and for initiating the longitudinal study of children with high IQs called the Genetic Studies of Genius. As a prominent eugenicist, he was a member of the Human Betterment Foundation, the American Eugenics Society, and the Eugenics Research Association, believing in genetic racial associations with intelligence. Terman also served as president of the American Psychological Association. A Review of General Psychology survey published in 2002 ranked Terman as the 72nd most cited psychologist of the 20th century, in a tie with G. Stanley Hall.
Originally created by AaronSw
3/8/2005, 8:06:47 PM
Modified
5/16/2026, 5:45:13 PM
Recent revisions
Moving [[:Category:American segregationists]] to [[:Category:American segregationist activists]] per [[Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2026 May 2#Category:American segregationists]]
/* Psychology of talent */ "The study is still supported..." - as of when?
Merging [[:Category:Human Betterment Foundation members]] to [[:Category:American eugenicists]] per [[Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2025 December 9#Category:Pioneer Fund members]]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Categories_for_discussion/Log/2025_December_1#Category:American_Eugenics_Society_members
Bluelinking 1 book for [[WP:V|Verifiability]]) #IABot (v2.0.9.5) ([[User:GreenC bot|GreenC bot]]
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Article says he believed in genetic racial association with intelligence; data showed racial association, he downplayed the environmental explanation.
Undid revision [[Special:Diff/1284133574|1284133574]] by [[Special:Contributions/Dimitrie569|Dimitrie569]] ([[User talk:Dimitrie569|talk]])
Undid revision [[Special:Diff/1284133404|1284133404]] by [[Special:Contributions/2600:1700:A410:C4E0:9D3B:15B0:B88B:FA7F|2600:1700:A410:C4E0:9D3B:15B0:B88B:FA7F]] ([[User talk:2600:1700:A410:C4E0:9D3B:15B0:B88B:FA7F|talk]]) need a source
Terman did not just go "where science pointed him," he actively downplayed the environment.
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