Steve Blinkhorn
Encyclopedia
Stephen F. Blinkhorn (born 1949) is a British
occupational psychologist and psychometrician (based in St Albans
, UK), who continues to contribute to psychology
and psychometric testing.
Blinkhorn is known for publishing a number of landmark papers, many of which have taken the form of book reviews for Nature
magazine, including: "Willow, Titwillow, Titwillow" (a review of Herrnstein
and Murray
's The Bell Curve
); "What skulduggery?" (a review of Stephen Jay Gould
's The Mismeasure of Man
); and "A gender bender" (a critique on Paul Irwing and Richard Lynn
's paper on sex and intelligence
). Other papers have argued about the inappropriate use of the Rasch model
, and the misuse of personality tests.
, Oxford
.
. During this time, he also spent a year as a visiting professor in the neurological laboratory at Stanford University
, California (1981–1982).
On his return from Stanford, Blinkhorn was approached by nferNelson
(NFER's publishing arm) to design new ranges of tests for occupational selection. This led to the formation of the Psychometric Research Unit at Hatfield, which in turn was privatised by Dr. Blinkhorn in 1985.
. He has been a member of the BPS's Test Standards Committee, and served on the Society's Fellowships Committee. He is one of three consulting editors for Selection & Development Review (SDR) (published by the BPS) alongside Victor Dulewicz and Neil Anderson.
Blinkhorn was also a member of the panel formed by the BPS to investigate the polygraph
and contributed a chapter to the book The Polygraph Test (1988), which resulted from the investigation.
As an expert witness, he has acted on behalf of the Commission for Racial Equality
in several industrial tribunals.
He has worked with Harvey Goldstein (on the inappropriate implementation of the Rasch model
in education), and was involved with the development of National Vocational Qualification
s.
Blinkhorn also contributed a chapter in Cyril Burt
: Fraud or Framed? and "Was Burt stitched up?" in Nature magazine.
More recently followed by "There's no-one quite like Grandad" (Blinkhorn's speech at the Lighthill institute of mathematical sciences, Dec 2006) on newly rediscovered evidence which cast 'fresh light on early developments of mathematics applied to psychology' including references to Charles Spearman
's original work on general intelligence, and also to J.C. Maxwell Garnett, Cyril Burt, Godfrey Thomson, and Louis Thurstone.
, starting with a book review of Arthur Jensen
's Bias in Mental Testing. Steve Blinkhorn has written a number of articles, a few of which have been on controversial issues, such as: Gender and IQ ('Gender Bender'), Vitamin Pills and IQ ('A dose of Vitamins and a Pinch of salt'), Mice and IQ ('Mice and Mentality'), 'Exponent of the exponential' (a review of Thomas Blass' The man who shocked the world: the life and legacy of Stanley Milgram
). Other articles such as "Yes, but what's it for?" discusses how "the current state of language" makes it difficult to discuss evolution accurately.
In 2003, Blinkhorn was listed among Nature's "magnificent seven" (writers commended for writing outstanding articles, illustrating "the great job that scientists can do in communicating and commenting on new research" Others included David Wark, Philip N Benfey, S. Blair Hedges, John Harte, Toren Finzel and Len A.Fisk.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
occupational psychologist and psychometrician (based in St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, UK), who continues to contribute to psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and psychometric testing.
Blinkhorn is known for publishing a number of landmark papers, many of which have taken the form of book reviews for Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
magazine, including: "Willow, Titwillow, Titwillow" (a review of Herrnstein
Richard Herrnstein
Richard J. Herrnstein was an American researcher in animal learning in the Skinnerian tradition. He was one of the founders of quantitative analysis of behavior....
and Murray
Charles Murray (author)
Charles Alan Murray is an American libertarian political scientist, author, columnist, and pundit working as a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, DC...
's The Bell Curve
The Bell Curve
The Bell Curve is a best-selling and controversial 1994 book by the Harvard psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and political scientist Charles Murray...
); "What skulduggery?" (a review of Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
's The Mismeasure of Man
The Mismeasure of Man
The Mismeasure of Man , by Stephen Jay Gould, is a history and critique of the statistical methods and cultural motivations underlying biological determinism, the belief that “the social and economic differences between human groups — primarily races, classes, and sexes — arise from inherited,...
); and "A gender bender" (a critique on Paul Irwing and Richard Lynn
Richard Lynn
Richard Lynn is a British Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Ulster who is known for his views on racial and ethnic differences. Lynn argues that there are hereditary differences in intelligence based on race and sex....
's paper on sex and intelligence
Sex and intelligence
Research on sex and psychology investigates cognitive and behavioral differences between men and women. This research employs experimental tests of cognition, which take a variety of forms. Tests focus on possible differences in areas such as IQ, spatial reasoning, and emotion.Most IQ tests are...
). Other papers have argued about the inappropriate use of the Rasch model
Rasch model
Rasch models are used for analysing data from assessments to measure variables such as abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. For example, they may be used to estimate a student's reading ability from answers to questions on a reading assessment, or the extremity of a person's attitude to...
, and the misuse of personality tests.
Life and career
After attending grammar school, Blinkhorn attended St Edmund HallSt Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Academia
From 1973 to 1987, he developed and ran one of the first postgraduate studies in Occupational Psychology (in Britain) at what was then Hatfield Polytechnic, now the University of HertfordshireUniversity of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire is a new university based largely in Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name. It has more than 27,500 students, over 2500 staff, with a turnover of over £181m...
. During this time, he also spent a year as a visiting professor in the neurological laboratory at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, California (1981–1982).
On his return from Stanford, Blinkhorn was approached by nferNelson
NferNelson
nferNelson is the former name of GL Assessment, a leading independent provider of tests and other assessment services for education in the United Kingdom...
(NFER's publishing arm) to design new ranges of tests for occupational selection. This led to the formation of the Psychometric Research Unit at Hatfield, which in turn was privatised by Dr. Blinkhorn in 1985.
Psychology and psychometrics
Blinkhorn has been responsible for some of the most widely used ability and aptitude tests for recruitment and selection. He is also known as a critic of bad testing practice, in particular the abuse of personality tests (see papers). At the age of 37, he became one of the then youngest fellows of the British Psychological SocietyBritish Psychological Society
The British Psychological Society is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. The BPS is also a Registered Charity and, along with advantages, this also imposes certain constraints on what the society can and cannot do...
. He has been a member of the BPS's Test Standards Committee, and served on the Society's Fellowships Committee. He is one of three consulting editors for Selection & Development Review (SDR) (published by the BPS) alongside Victor Dulewicz and Neil Anderson.
Blinkhorn was also a member of the panel formed by the BPS to investigate the polygraph
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
and contributed a chapter to the book The Polygraph Test (1988), which resulted from the investigation.
As an expert witness, he has acted on behalf of the Commission for Racial Equality
Commission for Racial Equality
The Commission for Racial Equality was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom which aimed to tackle racial discrimination and promote racial equality. Its work has been merged into the new Equality and Human Rights Commission.-History:...
in several industrial tribunals.
He has worked with Harvey Goldstein (on the inappropriate implementation of the Rasch model
Rasch model
Rasch models are used for analysing data from assessments to measure variables such as abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. For example, they may be used to estimate a student's reading ability from answers to questions on a reading assessment, or the extremity of a person's attitude to...
in education), and was involved with the development of National Vocational Qualification
National Vocational Qualification
National Vocational Qualifications are work based awards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that are achieved through assessment and training. In Scotland they are known as Scottish Vocational Qualification ....
s.
Blinkhorn also contributed a chapter in Cyril Burt
Cyril Burt
Sir Cyril Lodowic Burt was an English educational psychologist who made contributions to educational psychology and statistics....
: Fraud or Framed? and "Was Burt stitched up?" in Nature magazine.
More recently followed by "There's no-one quite like Grandad" (Blinkhorn's speech at the Lighthill institute of mathematical sciences, Dec 2006) on newly rediscovered evidence which cast 'fresh light on early developments of mathematics applied to psychology' including references to Charles Spearman
Charles Spearman
Charles Edward Spearman, FRS was an English psychologist known for work in statistics, as a pioneer of factor analysis, and for Spearman's rank correlation coefficient...
's original work on general intelligence, and also to J.C. Maxwell Garnett, Cyril Burt, Godfrey Thomson, and Louis Thurstone.
Nature articles
Since 1980, Blinkhorn has been writing for NatureNature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
, starting with a book review of Arthur Jensen
Arthur Jensen
Arthur Robert Jensen is a Professor Emeritus of educational psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Jensen is known for his work in psychometrics and differential psychology, which is concerned with how and why individuals differ behaviorally from one another.He is a major proponent...
's Bias in Mental Testing. Steve Blinkhorn has written a number of articles, a few of which have been on controversial issues, such as: Gender and IQ ('Gender Bender'), Vitamin Pills and IQ ('A dose of Vitamins and a Pinch of salt'), Mice and IQ ('Mice and Mentality'), 'Exponent of the exponential' (a review of Thomas Blass' The man who shocked the world: the life and legacy of Stanley Milgram
Stanley Milgram
Stanley Milgram was an American social psychologist most notable for his controversial study known as the Milgram Experiment. The study was conducted in the 1960s during Milgram's professorship at Yale...
). Other articles such as "Yes, but what's it for?" discusses how "the current state of language" makes it difficult to discuss evolution accurately.
In 2003, Blinkhorn was listed among Nature's "magnificent seven" (writers commended for writing outstanding articles, illustrating "the great job that scientists can do in communicating and commenting on new research" Others included David Wark, Philip N Benfey, S. Blair Hedges, John Harte, Toren Finzel and Len A.Fisk.