Final answer:
Samuel Morton's research contained errors as it was pseudo-scientific, biased towards white supremacy, and lacked empirical support. It wrongly asserted a correlation between skull size and intellectual capacity, a notion that was later discredited by evidence provided by anthropological research.
Step-by-step explanation:
Errors in Samuel Morton's Racial Research
Samuel Morton's research on skull and brain size contained significant errors due to its basis in pseudoscience, specifically craniometry. Morton's work attempted to rank racial groups based on the size of their skulls, asserting a correlation between skull size and intellectual capacity. This was fundamentally flawed, as it was influenced by pre-existing biases towards white supremacy and failed to recognize the equality of human races in terms of skull dimensions, intellectual, and moral capacities. The error in Morton's work lies in the fact that he collected data with the intent to confirm his own predetermined notions of racial superiority, which is a clear example of confirmation bias. Moreover, anthropological research by scholars like Franz Boas provided evidence that skull sizes could change due to environmental factors, discrediting Morton's racial theories.
It is evident that the methods of measuring and comparing skull sizes were not just scientifically inaccurate but were also biased in their design and interpretation. This misuse of science was part of a broader trend of eugenics, wherein the inherent value and qualities of different races were judged and ranked in a faulty and discriminatory manner. In summary, Morton's research was compromised by bias, lack of empirical support, and the racist agenda of eugenics which sought to validate white supremacy.