Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology

By Robert V. Guthrie

Book Overview

Even The Rat Was White views history from all perspectives in the quest for historical accuracy. Histories and other background materials are presented in detail concerning early African-American... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0205149936
• ISBN13: 9780205149933
• Release Date: August 1997
• Publisher: Pearson P T R
• Length: 282 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Great book and an easy read

I had to read this book for my African American psychology class. It was very interesting. It provides a historical view of not only African American psychology, but psychology in general. A lot of details, such as the contributions made by African Americans in Psychology are quite frequently left out of typical History and Systems textbooks and lectures. This book is refreshing in that it not only provides detailed and concise information, but pictures and biographies of historical African Americans who have made considerable contributions to the field of psychology. Some of the things talked about in the book are sterilization of people who were placed on welfare and those that are considered mentally incompetent, illegal testing and experimentation of prisoners, how psychological tests were originally designed and existed for the sole purpose to show that whites are superior than other races (sadly, which still occurs among some psychologists today), racism associated with the APA, how G. Stanley Hall was a public racist but anonymously promoted the education of blacks in psychology, and perhaps most importantly how psychological tests were used in promoting genetic superiority of blacks (tests and private companies were funded to help genetically engineer white people who were superior, and funds were allocated to pay blacks not to have children). This book is outstanding, it isn't full of psychological jargon, so anyone can read it. Would recommend it to everyone.

Even The Rat Was White

Synopsis of Even the Rat Was White Whitney Casada In "Even the Rat Was White" author Robert V. Guthrie does an explicit job describing the history of many African Americans. The book analyzes racial prejudices and the resulting psychological hardships that African Americans have endured. This book puts in perspective to readers the prejudices that African Americans faced in the past. This knowledge brings an even greater respect for influential African Americans who have made tremendous achievements, even in the face of these prejudices. The opening of the book is designed to describe the history and scientific view of African Americans. Skin color was measured in order to define characteristics of an individual. While most standards failed, test such as the tintometer, color top, and color blocks were used to measure difference is skin color. Hair texture measurements were another variable in scientific discussion. Classifications comparing Caucasian and African American hair were measured on scales from straight to wavy. The main point is to describe the differences between races and allows the reader to get a better idea of how racial differences began through analyzing testing data. Racial classifications continue in the discussion of skull capacities. The general idea was that whites were more intelligent than blacks due to having a small skull capacity and a smaller brain. African Americans were viewed as slower in comparison to whites. Guthrie does an excellent job of engaging the reader to the viewpoint that racism ran deeper than just prejudices against skin color alone. Several tests emerged which attempted to validate the idea that African Americans were of lesser quality than Caucasians. Guthrie then explains that scientists wanted to know on a scale just how significant the differences were between races. Mental tests including the Binet- Simon and IQ test were developed and intelligence was defined to better understand behavior and learning. The reader has to keep in mind that intelligence is measured on scales set by white children/ adults. The testing went so far as to grouping individuals based solely on skin pigmentation to analyze intelligence and the effect of white blood. African Americans were given test in the army as an experiment to measure intelligence. The idea of scientific racism also included the influence of heredity. It was believed that certain genes should not be mixed, and that some individuals should not reproduce. A cash bonus was given to African Americans whose IQ fell below 100 if they would voluntarily submit to be sterilized. Also those in prison were subject to being sterilized because of the hereditarian point of view. Guthrie does an excellent job in Part II to describe the lives of slaves. Education was rarely achieved by most African Americans during the times of slavery. Slaves were nothing but objects to be used at their master desire. But, in the 1940's African American col

Eye Opening Research

Dr. Guthrie's book is a detailed account of African American contribution to psychology in the past century. I could not put it down. It reveals another side of history- a side that we are not taught about in public school, but a side that exists none the less.

Critique

Robert V. Guthrie's classic novel, Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology, is an excellent historical document that views psychology from multiple perspectives. Guthrie cites many archival documents that are not found in typical, mainstream resources, which exposes students and educators alike to not only elusive but also informative material. It is an excellent source for informing and intriguing readers and inquiring minds about the impact that African-American psychologists have had on the field of psychology. The first part, or section, of Guthrie's literary work focuses on the "scientific" measure of race and racial differences. From physical appearance (e.g., Shaxby and Bonnell's photometer) to mental aptitude (e.g., the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler-Bellevue scales), there existed a myriad of measurement devices and instruments for measuring racial differences. Of course, the majority of these measurements indicated the racial inferiority of American minorities (viz., African-American inferiority). The spurious results were the product of three major factors: (a) experimenter expectancy, which was due, for example, to the previous research of eugenicists such as Francis Galton and Charles Davenport, (b) culturally-biased instruments or measures, and (c) suspicious statistical analyses (e.g., Charles Babbage noted the unethical practices of "trimming" and "cooking" data sets.). As stated previously, the result of the measure of racial differences led to an assumption of minority inferiority. Even though much research has been conducted to invalidate and repudiate these claims (e.g., M. J. Mayo and Horace Mann Bond have produced literature in support of racial equality.), the segregation of ethnic groups, which was supported by prominent psychologists such as Henry Garrett, has existed in the past, and stereotypes and negative opinions about minorities continue to plague American society today. It is clear that not only the field of psychology but also society held beliefs about racial inferiority and/or superiority. As the title of Guthrie's book, Even the Rat Was White, indicates, this belief was even generalized to animals (in this case, rats). Ignoring the fact that characteristics such as intelligence are multifaceted variables that cannot be sufficiently measured with one test or instrument, research supporting the congenital abilities of animals (e.g., Robert Choate Tryon's "maze-bright" and "maze-dull" rats study) was generalized to humans. Just as the majority of researchers and theorists were White, which subsequently produced "White" theories, and measurement instruments were culturally biased in favor of European Americans, experimental rats were also white. The second part of Guthrie's book enlightens the reader of the early trials and tribulations of African-American scholars. The author describes the systematic manner in which black scholars were denied the opportunity to study psychology, publi

Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology

I read this book as a psychology major in the late 70's. It was facinating then and timely. Now it is even more so. The perspectives it shares are critical to understanding racism in its full capacity. Racism is not merely a side issue or cultural anomaly, it is the centerpiece of American life and European culture in general. It goes beyond simply naming behaviors as racist or non-racist. It allows you to understand and label the components of racism and to understand the mechanisms of the disorder. Only then can you cure yourself and help others.