No. i.] PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINING IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 17 



program followed in the other camps. Thereafter several companies were given group exam- 

 ination each day. The largest number examined in a single day was 1,700 on November 22. 



Early in December the officers of this camp were examined, and before Christmas the 

 survey of organizations of the division was completed. To January 1, 1918, approximately 

 17,000 enlisted men and 1,274 officers had been given psychological examination. 



Section 3. — Special investigations and reports from examining stations. 



In each of the four National Army cantonments where psychological examining was 

 originally tried, the staff conducted special investigations as opportunity offered, for the 

 purpose of improving and standardizing methods and of securing reliable bases for the 

 evaluation of results. Results of these investigations were promptly reported to the Surgeon 

 General so that the data received from the several stations might be compared and used to 

 advantage for the improvement of procedures. 



It is impracticable in connection with this historical statement to attempt asummaryof these 

 reports or even a list. Beit said, however, that it was this work and the spirit which prompted 

 it that rendered possible the development and the final stabilization of methods. The actual 

 examining of soldiers in the cantonments occupied not more than half of the time of most mem- 

 bers of the staff. The remainder they devoted systematically to work, the importance of 

 which for the Army was doubtless greater even than the examining of thousands of men. These 

 40 psychologists, who worked early and late under conditions which were almost invariably 

 trying and sometimes utterly discouraging, deserve unlimited praise for the quality and amount 

 of the original work which they did over and above the performance of their routine duties. 



During this period of trial examining approximately 100,000 men were reported on. The 

 total of group and individual examinations, since many individuals were given two or three 

 examinations, approached 200,000. At the same time there were received from Camp Devens, 

 36 special reports ; from Camp Dix, 30 ; from Camp Lee, 32 ; from Camp Taylor, 1 1 . 



Section 4. — The relations of psychological examining to classification of personnel in the Army. 



In August, 1917, a committee on the classification of personnel in theArmy was organized 

 to engage, under the direction of The Adjutant General, in the development and applica- 

 tion of methods suitable for classifying soldiers in accordance with occupation, and in the prepa- 

 ration of a reliable classification of enlisted men and commissioned officers. The informa- 

 tion which this committee gathered was recorded on a "qualification card." It soon 

 became evident that the "intelligence rating" of a soldier may be of great importance in con- 

 nection with assignment to military duty. The committee therefore made provision on its 

 qualification card for brief statement of the result of psychological examinations. 



In view of the obvious relations of the psychological service to the work of the Commit- 

 tee on Classification of Personnel on the one hand, and to that of the Division of Neurology and 

 Psychiatry of the Medical Department on the other, the following recommendations concerning 

 the conduct of the psychological service were made by the chief of the Section of Psychology 

 after conference with Majs. Bailey and Salmon, of the Office of the Surgeon General, and with 

 their hearty approval: 



November 5, 1917. 

 From: Maj. Robert M. Yerkes. 

 To: The Surgeon General, U. S. Army. 

 Subject: Plans for conduct of psychological examining. 



1. The psychological examining as conducted at present has two immediate references — (a) military, (6) medical 



2. It appears logical and in a variety of respects desirable that the portion of the work which has purely military 

 significance be done under The Adjutant General and in connection with the personnel committee; that the medical 

 portion of the work be done under the immediate supervision of the psychiatric boards. 



3. It is therefore recommended that this department request the personnel committee of the War Department to 

 provide in its organization for the psychological examining of enlisted men as they report in the draft and for such 

 examining of officers as is requested. 



