Evening star., 1932-03-13

which for decades has led psy.
biologists to study the attributes
Il that accompany blond hair anc
blue eyes, and on the Other
hand, dark hair and dark eyes, ha.
again been made the subject of ex.
haustive research, and this time it.
author DR.. Otto Klineberg of the de.
versity, feels confident that the So
called Nordic myth has been exploded
as effectively as it ever can be.
After passing several months in Eu.
rope, conducting his investigation under
National Research Council Fellowship
DR.. Klineberg came to the conclusion
that the differences between the intel.
igence Of Nordics, Alpines and Medi-
terraneans are so slight as to be of nc
consequence.
DR.. Klienberg also analyzed certain
oiferences his tests revealed between
three nationalities Of Europe-G Germans
french and Italians. Here he found
some superiority" of the German over
the other two national groups, but again
he concluded that there was so much
variability between different samples OF
the same national group that the evil
dence for national differences must be
regarded as inconclusive
DR.. Klineberg did find a phenomenon
that was fairly consistent This was a
definite and statistically reliable su-
perlorlty OF the city over the country
groups. This superiority, he holds. is
due probably to a difference in envi-
ronment, but there may possibly be
selective factors at work in addition -
Analyzing his findings, Dr. Klineberg
concludes that the results offer no
SupStantlatlon OF a definite racial
hierarchy, but they do not thereby
rule out 'heredity' as an explanation
of the observed differences between the
10 groups. 1t is suggested, however,
that there are a number of cultural and
env1ronmental factors which may ac-
count for the results"
Fixes Environment Variation.
The work of Dr. Klineberg is believed
TO be more conclusive than that of his
predecessors in the field, in that so far
as possible he eliminated the chances
OF variation through environment and
culture. DR.. Klineberg made his COM
parsons among the parent groups in
Europe, and took from these unsolicited
ana representative samples of the gen.
eral population of the three countries
In his analysis of race differences as
distinct from national differences, DR..
Klineberg explained that he accepted
the common conception of such attri-
g1st, A. L. Kroeber, as follows:
The European races are the Nordic
Alpine and Mediterranean. They
occupy horizontal belts on the map. Be-
binning with the Nordic and ending
with the Mediterranean, they may be
described as successfully darker skinned
darker haired and shorter in stature.
The Alpine race, which lies between the
Two others, is, however, more than a
nvr fr~,y, g. l.
whereas the Nordic and Mediterranean
are both narrow, or 'long-headed' The
Nordic type is essentially distributed
around the Baltic and North Seas. The
Mediterranean race occupies the shores
of the Mediterranean Sea, in Asia and
Africa as well as in Europe"
To attain the greatest possible purity
OF racial sampling, Dr. Klineberg chose
his subjects according to three cri-
terra: First, he worked in only those
geographical areas where the physical
characteristics of the race being studied
were to be found in greatest profusion;
second, only subjects were studied who
had been born in that particular dis
trict and when possible whose parents
had been born there, ana, finally, only
those who possessed the physical char
acteristics accepted as typical of that
particular race.
Studies Types Separately.
DR.. Klineberg studied German Nordics
In Hanover, French Nordics in Flanders,
German Alpines in Bacen, French Al
pines in Auvergne, Italian Alpines in
Piedmont, French Mediterraneans in
the Eastern Pyrenees and Italian Med
1terraneanS in Sicily. He was careful
to point out that there was no attempt
to conclude that German Nordics were
similar in any way to french Nordics,
or that German Nordics were akin to
German Alpines. DR.. Klineberg ana
lyzed each one as separate unit
The tests given by DR. K1ineberg were
psychological tests which presented the
boys with certain problem group His
premise was that the results made by
the boys on these tests indicated their
ability to solve these problems
There is consideration evidence" he
explained, Ito show that certain groups
solve these problems more quickly and
more successfully than ocaer groups
1t is not quite clear why there should