no. i.] PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINING IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 



Letter ratings are assigned on examination beta as follows: 



167 



1 Recalled (or individual examination. 



All ratings above D— are entered and reported at once. Men whose scores fall below D are recalled for individual 

 examination. 



Ratings of D — may not be given in examination beta, unless recall of the men for individual examination is 

 impossible. 



V. Individual Examinations. 



1. GENERAL DIRECTIONS. 



Purpose. — The main purpose of the individual examination is to secure a more accurate measurement of the 

 mental ability of those who have made D — in alpha or beta, or in both . By the personal contact it allows it should 

 also yield valuable supplementary information of a kind which can not be brought out by a group examination. All 

 the kinds of information secured should be considered in connection with recommendation concerning a man. 



The subjects. — Men who are likely to be summoned for individual examination fall into three classes — literates, 

 illiterates, and non-English speaHng. Since the procedure of examination varies importantly with the class, the first 

 task of the examiner is to assign the man who has reported for individual examination to his proper category. The 

 following definitions will assist in the process of classifying: 



Literates. — Those who have been allowed to take alpha may ordinarily be considered literate for purpose of 

 individual examination. Subjects who have not taken alpha may be considered literate if they have completed the 

 third grade (or its equivalent) in an American school. Examiner should question subject regarding his opportunities 

 for schooling, and if necessary may test his ability to read and write English . 



Illiterates are those who do not meet the above requirements, but who understand and speak English fairly well. 

 The subject may be highly literate in some language but illiterate in English . Such are to be classed as illiterate for the 

 present purpose. 



Non-English-speaking subjects are those who, whether foreign bom or American born, are unable to understand 

 or speak English sufficiently well to take an oral examination given in English . The majority of such subjects are for- 

 eigners, but many foreigners belong in either the literate or the illiterate class instead of in the non-English speaking. 



Choice of examination. — Literates should be examined by means of the Point Scale or Stanford-Binet scale according 

 to availability of materials and preference of the examiner. Usually it will not be necessary to give a literate subject 

 further examination, but if the examiner is in doubt as to proper rating and recommendation concerning subject, he 

 should , after completing examination by the one or the other of these scales, supplement his observations by giving such 

 performance tests as seem desirable. 



Illiterates should be examined by means of one or more of the following systematic procedures: (a) the Point 

 Scale as adapted for illiterates; (b) the Stanford-Binet scale as adapted for illiterates; (c) the Performance Scale with oral 

 instructions. In certain instances it may be obviously desirable or necessary to use the Performance Scale in addition 

 to the one or the other adapted scale. As a rule it should be unnecessary to use other than either the Point Scale or 

 Stanford-Binet (complete or adapted) in the case of a subject who has attended an American school as much as four or 

 five years. Inability to read and write after that amount of schooling nearly always indicates grave mental inferiorty, 

 and should not be considered an excuse for failure on such tests as writing from dictation, counting backward, making 

 change, etc. Those who are illiterate from complete lack of educational opportunity should be given the performance 

 scale. 



Non-English-speaking subjects can be examined safely only by means of the Performance Scale with non-verbal 

 instructions. Those subjects who understand English slightly may profit by the use of such words as "no," "yes," etc. 

 For this reason words may be Used by the examiner to supplement his gestures, but they must not be depended upon 

 as a means of conveying the idea of what is to be done in a given test. 



The duration and extent of an individual examination should depend upon the nature of the case and should vary 

 with the information necessary for safe report and recommendation. In some instances only a few tests need be given, 

 in others, even a prolonged examination may leave the examiner in doubt concerning suitable recommendation, and 

 may force him to appeal to company commander or others for supplementary information. Unless conditions render 

 haste imperative, the examiner should obtain a definite intelligence rating for each subject in terms of mental age. 



Condensed instructions for administering the Point Scale and the Stanford-Binet scale are printed in this guide 

 for the convenience of examiners, but these instructions can be used safely only on the basis of thorough knowledge 

 of the detailed descriptions of these two scales which are available in book form. The Performance Scale is fully 

 described in this guide, since its constituent parts and their standardization are newly chosen and especially adapted for 

 army use. 



