Robert M. Yerkes
| Robert Yerkes | |
|---|---|
Robert Yerkes at his desk at Harvard University c. 1900
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| Born |
May 26, 1876 Breadysville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania |
| Died | February 3, 1956 (aged 79) New Haven, Connecticut |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | intelligence testing |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | psychology |
Robert Mearns Yerkes (/ˈjɜːrkiːz/; May 26, 1876 – February 3, 1956) was an American psychologist, ethologist, eugenicist and primatologist best known for his work in intelligence testing and in the field of comparative psychology.
Yerkes was a pioneer in the study both of human and primate intelligence and of the social behavior of gorillas and chimpanzees. Along with John D. Dodson, Yerkes developed the Yerkes-Dodson law relating arousal to performance.
As time went on, however, Yerkes began to propagate his support for eugenics in the 1910s and 1920s. His works are largely considered biased toward outmoded racialist theories by modern anthropologists and academics.
He also served on the board of trustees of Science Service, now known as Society for Science & the Public, from 1921-1925.
Robert Yerkes was born in Breadysville, Pennsylvania (near Ivyland, Pennsylvania). Growing up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania, Robert Yerkes wanted to leave the hard life of the rural farmer and become a physician. With the financial help of an uncle, Yerkes attended Ursinus College from 1892 to 1897. Upon graduating he received an offer from Harvard University to do graduate work in Biology. Faced with a choice of Harvard or medical training in Philadelphia, he chose to go to Harvard.
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