SOC101Y1 Lecture Notes - Samuel George Morton
Document Summary
Studied human skulls that came from many different places. Believed that the bigger the brain, the smarter the person. Believed that brain size was linked to race. Packed small pellets into brains until they were full and then poured into measuring cylinder and measured volume of pellets. Thought this would help him draw conclusions about the size of brains. Those ranked in high social hierarchy had large brains. Largest to smallest: white, asian, native americans etc. Archeologists cannot determine race by skull size. Morton"s research was only based on 72 skulls (statistically impossible) 71% that he identified black skulls belonged to african-women (comparing apples and oranges) When you look at scientific data, do not trust it. It is up to you to determine whether it has holes or not. Example: jews iq scores improved over the years but their genetic make up did not change. Possible explanation: as their social standings improved, their children had better education.
