David Thoreson Lykken was a behavioral geneticist and Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota.
Education
He joined the United States Navy at 17 and then attended University of Minnesota on the G.I. Bill, earning his bachelor of arts (psychology, philosophy and mathematics) 1949, his masters degree in psychology and statistics in 1952, and his doctorate in clinical psychology and neuropsychiatry in 1955.
Career
He is best known for his work on twin studies and lie detection. He remained on Minnesota’s permanent faculty for his entire career and taught as a visiting professor at Deep Springs College. He was an emeritus professor from 1998 until his death.
Lykken"s wife, wildlife advocate Harriet (Betts) Lykken, died in 2005.
Lykken is survived by three sons: attorney Matthew Lykken, physicist Joseph Lykken, and criminologist Jesse Lykken, as well as ten grandchildren. Some of Lykken"s work was funded by the Pioneer fund, an organization often criticized as promoting scientific racism.
I"m doing a social good by taking their money. Any money of theirs that I spend in a legitimate and honorable way, they can"t spend in a dishonorable way".
Nevertheless, he has praised the theories of eugenic academics associated with or on the board of the pioneer fund, such as Richard Lynn.
Views
Lykken defended his acceptance of money from the fund, writing "If you can find me some rich villains that want to contribute to my research—Qaddafi, the Mafia, whoever—the worse they are, the better I"ll like lieutenant