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Full resolution (TIFF) - On this page / på denna sida - II. Race - 6. Racial Characteristics - 3. Psychic Traits - 4. Frontiers of Constructive Research
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Chapter 6. Racial Characteristics 149
today. The attitude of the psychologists reflects the state of the scientific
findings in their field.
But while they seem to be negative, these conclusions of psychological
research have probably been more revolutionary and practically important,
with respect to the Negro problem, than the conclusions from any other
sphere of science. It is true that science’s last word has not been said even
on the Negro’s innate intelligence and still less on his other psychic traits.
But the undermining of the basis of certitude for popular beliefs has been
accomplished. Also the research literature on the subject indicates that
even if future research should be able to establish and measure certain
innate psychic differences between American Negroes and whites, on the
average, it is highly imfrobable that such differences would be so largey
that—farticularly when the overlaf’ping is considered—they could justify
a diferential treatment in matters of ’public policyy
such as in educationy
suffrage and entrance to various sections of the labor market. This is a
practical conclusion of immense importance.
For the theoretical study of the Negro problem in all its other branches
—from breadwinning and crime to institutions and cultural accomplish-
ments—^the negative results in regard to heredity and the positive findings
in regard to milieu are also of paramount importance. It means that when
we approach those problems on the hypothesis that differences in behavior
are to be explained largely in terms of social and cultural factors, we are
on scientifically safe ground. If we should, however, approach them on the
hypothesis that they are to be explained primarily in terms of heredity, we
do not have any scientific basis for our assumption,
4. Frontiers of Constructive Research
The main need in physical anthropology is an application of some of the
general precepts of statistics. No accurate description can be made of the
physical traits of a group of people unless one measures a representative
sample of that group. It may be stated bluntly that no anthropologist has
yet measured a representative sample of Americans, or any specific sub-
group of Americans.® In making measurements, differences in age, sex,
economic status, and ethnic background need to be taken into consideration.
These demands on representativeness and specification will imply demands
for larger samples than individual investigators can be expected to handle
on their own resources and, consequently, planned cooperative work is
necessary.^® In the selection of traits to be measured, a more unbiased and
comprehensive approach should be adhered to, so that interest is awarded
equally to traits where groups can be expected to be similar on the average
and to traits where the expectation is the contrary. Instead of reporting
results only in terms of abstract averages, standard deviations, and coeffi-
• See footnotes 3, 4, and 5 of this chapter.
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