No. 1.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINING IN THE UNITED STATES AKMY. 45 



on the assumption that the promotions would be made in accordance with the Surgeon General's 

 officially announced approval. 



The importance of this particular miscarriage of justice is greater than might at first appear, 

 because the majority of the officers recommended for promotion had served as psychological 

 examiners since September, 1917. Many of them are men highly trained for professional work 

 in psychology, and qualified to hold important academic or other institutional positions. 

 Furthermore, the failure of these promotions necessitated the organizing of psychological 

 examining in several training camps under the direction of a first lieutenant of the Sanitary 

 Corps. This officer, since he had to deal chiefly with officers of the line and staff of higher rank 

 than himself, worked at a very serious disadvantage. It is scarcely possible to overemphasize 

 the injustice to the psychological service of this particular and peculiar disapproval. 



Almost simultaneously with the inquiry concerning the value of psychological examining 

 initiated by the Committee on Organization of the General Staff, two other investigations of the 

 work were undertaken. The one was made for and under the direction of the First Assistant 

 Secretary of War, because of numerous criticisms which had reached the Secretary's office. 

 This investigation was conducted by Mr. G. H. Dorr. The other investigation was conducted 

 for the General Staff by Col. E. J. Burt. 



These three inquiries into the nature and value of the psychological service were undoubtedly 

 inspired by the same motive — namely, the desire to ascertain whether psychological examining 

 yielded sufficiently important practical results to justify its continuation and extension. Each 

 investigation was conducted independently. 



As has already been indicated, misleading inferences and resulting unfavorable recommen- 

 dations on the basis of the reports of commanding officers were avoided by action of the Division 

 of Psychology; nevertheless further development of psychological examining awaited the 

 reports of Col. Burt and Mr. Dorr. Both of these investigators submitted detailed statements. 

 It is unnecessary to do more than report the nature of their conclusions and recommendations. 



Formal report was made by Mr. Dorr on June 10, 1918. After describing in detail the pro- 

 cedures of neuro-psychiatric and psychological examining, this investigator made the following 

 recommendations concerning psychological service: 



The present force of psychologists should be transferred from the Sanitary Corps and placed under the Committee 

 on Classification of Personnel and the psychologic work in the camps hereafter be conducted by them under the direction 

 of the Camp and Division Personnel Officers. 



The machinery now set up for the psychologic test of all men inducted into the service at the time of their arrival at 

 camp should be given a thorough trial. To give it this trial, it is essential that the results of the psychologic tests be in 

 the hands of the camp personnel officer prior to the time that the men are assigned out of the depot brigade. Such small 

 increase in personnel as may be necessary to effect this should be made. 



Personnel officers should be instructed to make such use of the psychologic tests in making assignments of inducted 

 men as appears to be practicable treating the results of the tests as a rough index of mental alertness, but not of other 

 military qualities. They should be instructed to report at the end of two months on their observations as to the value 

 to them in their work of the information afforded by these tests. Personnel officers should be instructed to place in the 

 hands of regimental and company commanders lists of the psychologic test rating of men assigned to the divisional organi- 

 zations at the time they arrive in those organizations. 



General instructions should be issued pointing out the object of the psychological tests and of the waysin which 

 they had been found useful in certain of the camps, with instructions to company commanders to report at the end 

 of two months their observations as to the extent of the use to which they have been able to put the tests in the 

 selection and training of their men. 



The ultimate determination of whether the group psychologic examinations are of sufficient value to warrant 

 their continuance should await the resirit of the observations so obtained, for no matter what the theoretical merits 

 or demerits of the test may be, the practical value must depend on the use to which they are put. 



The existing tests should be revised, with the aid of officers accustomed to the training and handling of troops. 



Psychologists attached to the camp and division personnel offices should be subject to call for aid in solving 

 problems of discipline, training and morale. Definite steps should be taken looking to the development of this 

 branch of the psychologic work. 



The test should not be applied to officers except at the request of camp or divisional commanders and the chiefs 

 of Staff Corps. 



Officers engaged in psychologic work who fail to establish effective working relations with officers in command 

 of troops should be promptly transferred to other lines of activity. 



