Godfrey Thomson
Encyclopedia
Sir Godfrey Hilton Thomson (1881–1955) was an English
educational psychologist
known as a critical pioneer in intelligence
research.
He worked at Armstrong College
, Newcastle upon Tyne
(a college of the University of Durham, England
) from 1906 to 1925, before moving to the
University of Edinburgh
from 1925 until 1951, where he was the Bell Professor of Education and Director of the Moray House Teacher Training College.
His research began in psychophysics,
but he became best known for his criticism of Spearman’s
general factor in intelligence
. Pursuing this interest lead to a major work on factor analysis of mental ability.
Thomson was also active in work on the relationship between intelligence and fertility, conducting some of the first nationally representative sample research, which demonstrated that this relationship was negative
.
Thomson was president of the British Psychological Society in 1945-1946. He was knighted in 1949. He has a brief entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
educational psychologist
Educational psychologist
An educational psychologist is a psychologist with a Master’s degree in Educational psychology An educational psychologist (many countries use this term to signify those who provide services to students, their teachers, and families while other countries use this term to signify academic training...
known as a critical pioneer in intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
research.
He worked at Armstrong College
Armstrong College
Armstrong College may refer to:* Armstrong Atlantic State University, formerly known as Armstrong College* Armstrong College, a former college of Durham University* Armstrong College, a former college in Berkeley, California...
, Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
(a college of the University of Durham, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) from 1906 to 1925, before moving to the
University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
from 1925 until 1951, where he was the Bell Professor of Education and Director of the Moray House Teacher Training College.
His research began in psychophysics,
but he became best known for his criticism of Spearman’s
Charles Spearman
Charles Edward Spearman, FRS was an English psychologist known for work in statistics, as a pioneer of factor analysis, and for Spearman's rank correlation coefficient...
general factor in intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
. Pursuing this interest lead to a major work on factor analysis of mental ability.
Thomson was also active in work on the relationship between intelligence and fertility, conducting some of the first nationally representative sample research, which demonstrated that this relationship was negative
Dysgenics
Dysgenics is the study of factors producing the accumulation and perpetuation of defective or disadvantageous genes and traits in offspring of a particular population or species. Dysgenic mutations have been studied in animals such as the mouse and the fruit fly...
.
Thomson was president of the British Psychological Society in 1945-1946. He was knighted in 1949. He has a brief entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.