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Encyclopedia of the History of Psychological Theories pp 1056–1058Cite as

Terman, Lewis M.

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Terman’s career spanned the development of academic psychology, beginning in the late nineteenth century and continuing under his leadership for many years. His leadership was crucial, though not without controversy, in the standardization of intelligence and achievement testing. Terman’s longitudinal study of a cohort of individuals is well known for providing intimate understanding of the life course of the intellectually gifted.

Basic Biography

Lewis Terman was born the 12th of 14 children on January 15, 1877, in rural Johnson County, Indiana, to James and Martha Cutsinger Terman. His heritage was German, French, Scotch-Irish, and Welsh. There was no family history of college education and no one in previous generations had achieved prominence. Nonetheless, his family’s farm was relatively prosperous. Though Lewis and his siblings engaged in physical labor, their home contained a large library. Terman was an avid reader from an early age.

Terman’s family life included tragedy, not...

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References

  • Terman, L. M. (1916). The measurement of intelligence. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.

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  • Terman, L. M. (1925). Genetic studies of genius. I. Mental and physical traits of a thousand gifted children. Stanford University: Stanford University Press.

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  • Terman, L. M., & Miles, C. C. (1936). Sex and personality: Studies in masculinity and femininity. New York: McGraw Hill.

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  • Terman, L. M., & Oden, M. H. (1947). Genetic studies of genius. IV. The gifted child grows up: twenty-five years of follow-up of a superior group. Stanford University: Stanford University Press.

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Biographies of Lewis M. Terman

  • Minton, H. L. (1988). Lewis M. Terman: pioneer in psychological testing. New York: New York University Press.

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  • Seago, M. V. (1975). Terman and the gifted. Los Altos: William Kaufmann Inc.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counselor Education, College of Education and Human Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA

    Prof. Catherine Brinckerhoff Jenni Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Prof. Catherine Brinckerhoff Jenni Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Catherine Brinckerhoff Jenni Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA

    Robert W. Rieber

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Jenni, C.B. (2012). Terman, Lewis M.. In: Rieber, R.W. (eds) Encyclopedia of the History of Psychological Theories. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0463-8_375

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0463-8_375

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-0425-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-0463-8

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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