96 MEMOIRS NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. [vol.xv, 



work, and in addition to reporting his observations made numerous and valuable constructive 

 suggestions for the improvement of the service. 



(g) The fact that approximately 75 per cent of the officers who became familiar with 

 intelligence ratings through the official trial of methods favored the continuation, extension, 

 and improvement of the service within the Army. 



(h) The fact also that as a result of the first year of this new service the majority of 

 commanding officers of posts, camps, divisions, or other important organizations who had 

 reasonable familiarity with intelligence ratings more or less definitely and strongly favored 

 their use. Indicative of the nature of this service and its values is the fact that with few 

 exceptions individuals who at first objected to psychological examining as a wasteful and 

 impractical novelty, on gaining acquaintance with the work as actually conducted in camps 

 and observing the uses of intelligence ratings, became favorable to the service. This happened 

 frequently and most strikingly in the General Staff of the War Department and in other Wash- 

 ington staffs. 



(i) Chief among the assets of the service was the constant demonstration of practical value 

 and the recognition of this value by intelligent, open-minded, and progressive officers. In 

 several instances new and important uses of psychological ratings were suggested to psychological 

 staffs by officers of the line. 



(j) Absolutely essential even for the continuance of the psychological service and still 

 more so for its development were the favorable reports of official investigations. These number 

 three: First, investigation by the War College Division of the General Staff, through request 

 for reports of commanding officers. Despite the fact that these reports were seemingly unfavor- 

 able, the investigation itself residted in unqualified indorsement of psychological work. The 

 second report, based upon investigation initiated by the Chief of Staff, had the important result 

 of leading directly to the preparation of general orders ; and the third report, initiated in the 

 Office of the Secretary of War, wholly justified the service on the basis of feasibility, economy, 

 and practicabfiity, and pointed out that psychological ratings would be of extreme significance 

 for military efficiency if the Army could be speedily educated to their proper use. 



(k) The exceptional personal, intellectual, educational, and professional qualifications of 

 psychological officers did much to carry this new work to success. 



(Z) The establishment of a special school for military psychology and the training of officers 

 of this service in the fundamentals of military behavior, as well as in psychological examining 

 for the Army, at once greatly increased the efficiency of the psychological personnel and im- 

 pressed experienced Army officers with the wisdom and thoroughness of the organization of 

 the service. 



(m) The provision of carefully prepared and thoroughly tested methods and equipment, 

 and the attempt to provide also adequate examining space, favorably influenced such officers 

 or other observers as came into intimate contact with the work. 



(71) The general observation that commanding officers and others in responsible positions 

 usually received the highest of ratings and the fact that the intelligence ratings of arms of the 

 service in general agreed with the consensus of Army opinion were favorable circumstances. 

 Officers of the Engineer Corps ranked very high. This created a favorable impression and 

 unusual interest in psychological examining within that corps and led to numerous special 

 requests for psychological service. It furthermore promoted the service both early and late 

 because the Army recognized the superiority of the engineers. 



(o) Aiding indirectly but also substantially were the popular recognition of the importance 

 of classifying soldiers mentally and attempting to use intelligence economically and effectively, 

 and the steady stream of requests from commercial concerns, educational institutions, and 

 individuals for the use of army methods of psychological examining or for the adaptation of 

 such methods to special needs. 



These are only a few of the assets or favorable circumstances, but among them appear those 

 which played the most important role in initiating, preserving, and developing the service of 

 psychological examining. 



