No.1.] PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINING IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 155 



4. UTILIZATION OF RESULTS. 



Psychological ratings should be valuable alike to personnel officers, line officers, and medical officers. To the 

 first, as partial basis for placement of soldiers; to the second, as supplementary information for guidance in connection 

 with training, or special treatment of men who give trouble; and to the third, as partial basis for recommendation for 

 discharge, special examination, or medical treatment. 



The results of examination should be made available to these officers as early as possible. It is therefore the duty 

 of the psychological examiner to see that every drafted man is examined as promptly as possible after arrival in camp, 

 and that report is immediately made to the personnel officer, to the medical officer if the case requires it, and subse- 

 quently to the company commander to whom the man is assigned. 



The draft contains an adequate number of high-grade men to fill positions of responsibility. The psychological 

 examination helps to reveal noncommissioned officer material and suitable candidates for officers' training camps. 

 It also supplies partial basis for assignment of men to specific trades or occupations in the Army. In making selections 

 for training in any specialized branch of military service it will probably be wise to select individuals whose intelligence 

 scores are well above the lower quartile for the occupation in question. Apart from inequalities in experience or special 

 training, the difference in the scores of two men will, in a general way, indicate their relative value for assignment to a 

 specific trade or occupation. 



Emphasis should be placed upon the desirability of balancing the special trades and occupations in the various 

 companies and regiments. Each unit should have its proper share of high, medium, and low grade men for special 

 assignments as well as for the ranks. It is evident that the ultimate value of the psychological service in balancing the 

 units will depend very largely upon the establishment of proper cooperative relations with personnel officers. Frequent 

 conferences with the personnel officers should be held, and ways and means considered for securing effective coordina- 

 tion of effort. 



To be of the greatest value the psychological examination should be given at the earliest possible date after the 

 arrival of the men in camp, in order that the personnel officer may have the results on the qualification cards when 

 making assignments. Unless the scores are available and used properly at this time, companies will be built up that 

 are very uneven in general intelligence. In order to balance companies and regiments satisfactorily it is necessary to 

 observe not only the special requirements laid down in the tables of organization, but also the requirement that there 

 shall be equivalent grades of intelligence in company organizations and in the various trades and occupations demanded 

 in each. 



Cooperative relations should be established between psychiatrists and psychological examiners in order that com- 

 pany commanders and personnel officers may obtain promptly detailed information concerning any individual recruit. 

 The lower grades of mental capacity are clearly indicated by the alpha and beta examinations. The lowest cases should 

 be given individual examination with the least possible delay. Company commanders should be encouraged to refer 

 for examination men whose drill or conduct is unsatisfactory. Where development battalions have been formed special 

 study should be made of the results of the development work in the case of men of various grades of intelligence. The 

 psychological service should be able to make an effective contribution in the handling of development units. 



5. CONFERENCES WITH OFFICERS. 



In order that the results of examinations may be used effectively, it is necessary that psychological examiners 

 take pains to acquaint all officers in their stations with the nature and uses of intelligence ratings. To this end, con- 

 ferences with groups of officers, by regiments or other convenient unit, should be arranged by the chief psychological 

 examiner. In these conferences the methods of examining should be explained clearly and simply, and the possible 

 ways of using psychological information described and illustrated. The examiner should strive especially to take 

 the military point of view. Unwarranted claims concerning the accuracy of the results should be avoided. In general, 

 straightforward commonsense statements will be found more convincing than technical descriptions, statistical exhibits, 

 or academic arguments. 



In order to make such conferences of the greatest value, the views and criticisms of officers should be elicited as 

 fully as possible. In this way misunderstandings will be cleared up and the way paved for effective cooperation. 



The criticisms most likely to arise are the following: (1) That the score made is greatly influenced by such acci- 

 dental factors as fatigue, homesickness, illness, time of day, etc. (2) That the tests do not measure real ability, but 

 instead merely reflect the man's educational and social advantages. (3) That the score may be greatly influenced 

 by coaching or by a repetition of the test. 



While it has been well enough established that such factors as these are not present in a sufficient degree to invali- 

 date seriously the test results, their presence can not be denied. It can hardly be claimed that the mental or physical 

 condition of the subject and the circumstances under which the test is given have no effect upon the score. Similarly, 

 it would be unreasonable to suppose that the result is wholly uninfluenced by educational advantages. While coaching 

 is not likely to invalidate the results to any great extent in Army testing, it is nevertheless a factor which should be care- 

 fully guarded against by measures designed to prevent the dissemination of blanks. As regards practice effects, it has 

 been found that the average gain in a repeated alpha examination is approximately 8 points (raw score). The P. E. 

 of an alpha raw score is approximately 5 points. While cases will admittedly occur in which men will receive a rating 

 on the psychological examination somewhat higher or lower than they deserve, this would occur on any method of 

 classification that might be used. It may well be emphasized that the psychological examination furnishes for immedi- 



