News

Garber Announces Advisory Committee for Harvard Law School Dean Search

News

First Harvard Prize Book in Kosovo Established by Harvard Alumni

News

Ryan Murdock ’25 Remembered as Dedicated Advocate and Caring Friend

News

Harvard Faculty Appeal Temporary Suspensions From Widener Library

News

Man Who Managed Clients for High-End Cambridge Brothel Network Pleads Guilty

'Faked' Data Linked With Herrnstein I.Q. Research

By Erik J. Dahl

Recent charges that an English psychologist faked research results on the relationship between genetic inheritance and intelligence have sparked controversy at Harvard concerning the extent to which Richard J. Herrnstein, professor of Psychology, relied on the allegedly faked studies in his own work.

The Sunday Times of London reported last week that the findings of Sir Cyril Burt, who died in 1971, were "sometimes impossibly constant" and quoted several scientists who said Burt's results should not come out exactly the same over several experiments.

Herrnstein said yesterday that Burt's data is not essential to his theories of the correspondance between inheritance and I.Q., but called the charges that Burt deliberately faked his results "outrageous and incompetent."

No Doubt

David R. Layzer '47, professor of Astronomy, said that Herrnstein's work "stressed Burt's study, as the best of the available studies." There is "no doubt that the data were faked" by Burt, Layzer said.

Layzer has written several papers on the I.Q. controversy.

Herrnstein said that not all of Burt's facts may be correct, because Burt "was very casual about reporting his findings." But those findings were correct, Herrnstein said.

"All the other data in the field sub-

Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter.

Tags