10 Facts About Jerry Hirsch

Jerome Edwin Hirsch was an American psychologist known for his pioneering work in behavior genetics, and for his advocacy for social justice.

Jerry Hirsch was born on September 20,1922, in Manhattan, New York City.

Jerry Hirsch later conducted multiple influential studies on the genetic origins of behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster, Dobzhansky's favorite species.

Jerry Hirsch subsequently continued this research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he became an associate professor of psychology and zoology in 1960.

Jerry Hirsch became a full professor of psychology there in 1963, of zoology in 1966, and of ecology, ethology, and evolution in 1976.

Jerry Hirsch was the editor-in-chief of Animal Behaviour from 1968 to 1972 and of the Journal of Comparative Psychology from 1983 to 1988.

Jerry Hirsch retired from the University of Illinois in 1993, and remained an active emeritus professor there until 2004.

Jerry Hirsch died on May 3,2008, at his home in Urbana, Illinois.

Jerry Hirsch was an early and vocal critic of the work of Arthur Jensen, who argued that group differences in educational ability were heritable.

Jerry Hirsch argued that Jensen's work was a misuse and misrepresentation of behavior genetics and that Jensen's "avowed goals" were "as heinously barbaric as were Hitler's and the anti-abolitionists".