Individual Differences: Francis Galton (1822-1911) Francis Galtons work on mental inheritance and the individual differences in human

capacities effectively brought the spirit of evolution to bear on the new psychology. Before Galton, the phenomenon of individual differences hade rarely been considered as appropriate subject for study. One of the new early scientist to recognize individual differences in abilities and attitudes was the Spanish physician Juan Huarte (1530-1592). Three hundred years before Galtons effort in this area, Huarte published a book titled The Examination of Talented Individuals, in which he proposed a wide rage of individual differences in human capacities (cited in Diamond, 1974). Huarte suggested that children be studied early in life so that their education could be planed, individually, in accordance with their abilities. After proper assessment, for example, a student with a high musical aptitude could be provided with opportunities for study in music and allied fields. Huartes book achieved some popularity, but his ideas were not formally pursued until the time of Galton. Although Weber, Fechner, and Helmholtz did report individual differences in their experimental results, they did not investigate these findings systematically, and Wundt and Titchener did not even consider individual differences to be a legitimate part of psychology.

Galtons Life Francis Galton possessed an extraordinary intelligence (an estimated IQ of 200) and a wealth of novel ideas. A few of the topics he investigated are fingerprints (which the police adopted for identification puposes), fashions, the geographical distribution of beauty, weightlifting, and the effectiveness of prayer. He invented an early version of the teletype printer, a device for picking locks, and a periscope to enable him to see over the heads of the crowd while watching a parade. The youngest of nine children, Galton was born in 1822 near Birmingham, England. His father was a prosperousbanker whose wealthy and socially prominent family included people in major spheres of influence: the government, the church and the military. Francis was a precocious child who learned quickly. A biographer wrote: ... at 12 months Galton could recognize all the capital letters, at 18 months he was comfortable with both the English and Greek alphabets, and cried if they were removed from sight; at 2 he read his first book ... At the age of 5 he was already well acquainted with the works of Homer. (Brookes, 2004, p. 18). At the age of 16, at his fathers insistence, Galton began medical training at Birmingham General Hospital as an apprentice to the physicians. He dispensed pills, studied medical books, set broken

bones, amputated fingers, pulled teeth, vaccinated children, and amused himself by reading the literary classics. Overall, however, it was not a pleasant experience for him, and only the continued pressure from his father kept him there. One incident during this medical apprenticeship illustrates galton curiosity. Wanting to learn the effects of the various medications in the pharmacy, Galton began taking small doses of each and nothing his reactions, beginning in systematic fashion with those under the letter A. This scientific venture ended at the letter C when he took a dose of croton oil, a powerful laxative. After a year at the hospital, Galton continued his medical education at Kings College, London. The next year he changed his plans and enrolled at Trinity College of Cambridge University. There, under the gaze of a bust of Sir Isaac Newton, he pursued his interest in mathematics. Although his work was interrupted by a severe mental breakdown, he did manage to earn his degree. He returned to the hated study of medicine, until his fathers death finally released him from that profession. A phrenologist had told Galton that his head was not the proper shape for a life of scholary activity but was just right for an active outdoor life. To test his idea, travel and exporation next claimed Galtons attention. He journeyed throughout Africa, making difficult and dangerous journeys to area few white men had gone or visited. He found it all very exciting and invigorating, except perhaps for one incident recounted by his biographer: Alone and far from home it seems that Galton may have overcome his shyness and procured the services of a prostitute. His courage may have been rewarded with a bad dose of venereal desease that would plague him intermittently for years to come. Wherever the truth lies, Galtons attitude toward women cooled noticeably after 1846, the year in question. (Brookes, 2004, p. 60) When he returned to England he published accounts of his trips, which earn him a medal from the Royal Geographic Society. In the 1850s he stopped travelling because of marriage and poor health, he said but maintained his interest in exploration and wrote a popular guidebook called The Art of Travel. The book was so successful that it was published in eight editions in eight years and reprinted as recently as 2001. Galton also organized expeditions for explores and lectured on camp life to soldiers training for overseas duty. Mental restlessness led him next to meteorology and the design of instruments to plot weather data. His work in this field led to the development of the type of weather map still in use today. Galton summarized his findings in a book considered to be a significant attempt to chart large-scale weather patterns.

When his cousin Charles Darwin published On The Origin of Species, Galton was fascinated by the new theory. He wrote that it made a marked epoch in my own mental development, as it did in human thought generally (quated in Gillham, p. 155). The biological aspect of evolution captivated him first, and he undertook an investigation of the effects of blood transfusions between rabbits to determine wether acquired characteristics could be inherited. Although the genetic side of evolutionary theory did not hold his interest for long, the social implications guided Galtons subsequent work and determined his influence on modern psychology.

Mental Inheritance Galtons first important book for psychology was Hereditary Genius (1896). When Darwin read it, he wrote to Galton that I do not think I ever in my life read anything more interesting and original. I congratulate you on producing what I am convinced will be a memorable work (quoted in Fancher, 2009, p. 89). In Hereditary Genius Galton sought to demonstrate that individual greatness or genius occurred within families far too often to be explained solely by