No.i.] PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINING IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 67 



The above figures are deemed significant. It will be noted that the median score for the superior group is in most 

 cases almost twice as high as the median for the inferior group. The Signal Battalion is the exception to the rule, 

 but here the entire battalion is bo highly selected that large differences could not be expected. 



Camp Lee, July 16, 1918: In the fourth Engineer Reserve Officers' Training Camp, 80 men were recommended for 

 commissions and 60 for elimination. The percentage of elimination in the various letter groups were as follows: A, 69 

 cases, 34. 8per cent eliminated; B, 49 cases, 38.8 per cent eliminated; C+, 17 cases, 76.5 per cent eliminated; C, 5 cases. 

 80 per cent eliminated. 



Records of final eliminations from the Fourth Officers' Training Camp at Camp Cody show the following percentage 

 of elimination for those receiving various letter grades: A, 2.7 per cent; B, 14.8 per cent; C+, 18.3 per cent; C, 17 per 

 cent; C — , 55 per cent; D, 100 per cent. 



Camp Lewis, July 21, 1918 : Psychological examination was given to candidates before their admission to the Fourth 

 Officers' Training Camp. No candidates below 200 were accepted; 17 per cent of the candidates were rejected on this 

 basis. The committee on selection said it was "fine business." After three weeks' training, 19 men who had made 

 below 230 were marked for failure. As a result of the rigid selection the officers state that they have a remarkably 



bright group of men to deal with. 



X. Methods of conducting examinations. 



Camp Dix, August 12, 1918: In the morning of the next day after arrival the recruit is given the psychological 

 examination. In the afternoon of the same day he is given the various physical examinations and the psychiatric 

 examination. All recruits who are to be examined in the morning are ordered to report in two groups — one at 7.30 and 

 one at 8.30. After segregation according to literacy, the alpha examination is given in groups up to 500; the beta test 

 in groups as large as 100. As soon as 100 beta men have been selected, they are marched into the beta room, given a 

 book and pencil as they enter, and seated for the examination. When the examination is completed the men are 

 marched into the scoring room, and another group at once enters the beta room for examination. In the scoring room 

 the headings are filled out by the clerks, and the men are then passed out through another door. The clerks in the scor- 

 ing room now proceed to score the 100 beta books of the men just examined. This is finished by the time the next 

 beta group has been examined. In this way 1,100 may be given the beta examination in one day, and the papers for 

 each group scored within 40 minutes after it is marched out of the room. The scoring of alpha examinations is similarly 

 speeded up, so that every man making E in alpha is held for beta without recall. Those making below D in beta are 

 held until individual examination has been given. Thus 2,000 to 2,400 men are handled daily in this camp without 

 the necessity of any recalls. Lists of low score men found in the forenoon are sent to the psychiatrist for use in the 

 afternoon of the same day. All but a few of the psychological grades are reported to the personnel office within 24 

 hours, and the remainder within 36 to 48 hours. 



It would seem that the above arrangement is as near to the ideal as possible. There is every argument in favor of 

 giving the psychological examination almost immediately after the men have been received in camp. The men are in 

 better physical condition than after inoculation; it insures that the results will be available for use by psychiatrists 

 during the medical examination; and it gives the greatest possible opportunity for use of the grades by the personnel 

 officer. 



Camp Meade, August 16, 1918: Capt. LaRue has reported to the office of the Surgeon General an experiment 

 designed to obviate the recall of subjects for a second examination. Two men skilled in individual examining were 

 stationed beside the psychiatrists in the general medical examining line. These two examiners interviewed each 

 recruit as he passed and then handed him a card A, B, or I, indicating that he should enter alpha, beta, or individual 

 examining room. Of 1,617 recruits thus classified, 21 per cent were given A cards, 69 per cent B cards, and 10 per 

 cent I cards. In order to find out whether the right man had been picked for the three different examinations, those 

 who received below D in alpha were recalled for beta, and those who received below D in beta were recalled for 

 individual examination. 



It was found that of those who had been given A cards only 3.6 per cent failed to earn a grade as high as D in alpha 

 examination, and none of these, after recall for beta, failed to earn a score of D or higher on the beta examination. 



Of those given B cards 33.8 per cent earned a grade below D on the beta examination, but when these beta failures 

 were given individual examination it was found that 97.7 per cent of them were found fit for regular sendee. 



Of those given I cards 85 per cent were recommended f orregular service and 15 per cent for Development Battalion. 



The loss of special recommendations in the one examination plan is less than one-half of 1 per cent of the total 

 number examined. It is possible that even this loss is over balanced by the failure to secure men who are recalled on 

 the repeated examination plan. A special technique of interviewing would probably render the sorting still more 

 effective. 



Camp Greenleaf , August 16, 1918: A short method of scoring alpha papers has been devised to do away with the 

 recalls from alpha to beta. By study of 1,000 alpha papers it was found that tests 2 and 3 gave the highest correlations 

 between number of attempts and total alpha score — viz, 0.82. It was found that if the number of attempts on 2 and 3 

 equals 13 the total score will be more than 15, if less than 13 the papers are scored until 15 points have been earned 

 and then laid aside for later scoring. The method requires scoring or partial scoring of only about 10 per cent of alpha 

 papers. One hundred papers can be scored by five men in five minutes. The operation of this rule loses only 5 per 

 cent who should be recalled. 



Camp Wadsworth, August 23, 1918: The psychological staff in this camp is organized as follows: individual 

 examining staff, 1 lieutenant, 3 sergeants, and 4 privates; group examining staff, 1 sergeant, and 3 privates for alpha 



