Jensen, Arthur Robert

Arthur Jensen was born August 24, 1923 in San Diego, CA and passed away at 89 years old on October 22, 2012. Jensen received a B.A. in psychology from the University of California, Berkley in 1945 and went on to obtain his M.A. in psychology in 1952 from San Diego State College. Jensen earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Columbia University in 1956 under the supervision of Percival Symonds who was known for the scientific study of personality. Jensen was a major proponent of the hereditarian position especially as it relates to intelligence and was the author of more than 200 articles, book chapters, and books. Jensen was an assistant professor and professor at the University of California, Berkley beginning in 1958 and became a professor emeritus in 1992. Jensen's work was considered controversial in the field of human intelligence theory and psychology. His 1969 article that appeared in the Harvard Educational Review presented evidence that racial difference in intelligence test scores may have a genetic origin (Jensen, 1969). Through his research, Jensen concluded that general intelligence is largely genetically determined. His recommendation that children of different races might benefit from different types of education drew strict criticism from members of the academic community (Ciancolo & Sternberg, 2004). Despite the controversial nature of his claims, Jensen won the Kistler Prize for original contributions to the understanding of the connection between the human genome and human society in 2003 and published a large body of empirical research on the influence of genetic factors on IQ. Cianciolo, A. T., & Sternberg, R. J. (2004). Intelligence: A brief history. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. Jensen, A. R. (1969). How much can we boost I.Q. and scholastic achievement? Harvard Educational Review, 33, 1-123.

From the guide to the Arthur R. Jensen Papers, 1949-2011, (Center for the History of Psychology)