No. 2.] PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINING IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 



555 



Several suggestions were made involving the brief scoring of parts of tests of the group 

 examination for literates (especially the arithmetic, common-sense, and information tests) as a 

 basis for determining whether or not the subject should be sent to the group examination for 

 illiterates. In some camps it was quite impossible to make any recalls whatever of larger 

 groups, whereas the possibility stdl existed of holding the alpha groups while this scoring was 

 accomplished. The method evidently possesses possibilities as a means of segregation, as the 

 combined score in the arithmetic and common-sense tests correlates 0.924 with total score in 

 alpha. The method was not extensively used, however, since it is wasteful of blanks, and since 

 in many cases it could be avoided by setting a sufficiently high standard for entrance to the 

 alpha examination. 



Section 2. — Linguality tests. 



The non-English-speaking and illiterate recruits constituted such a serious clog to military 

 efficiency that development battalions were organized to train these men in speaking English 

 and in reading and writing. At first there was some tendency to appeal to the psychologist 

 for a determination of the illiterate men to be sent to the development battalion. The psychol- 

 ogist, however, had no classification available except the segregation of men for the beta 

 examination. To have sent all men segregated for beta to the schools of the development 

 battalion would have been impracticable because of the large numbers involved. In fact, 

 these schools in some cases were obliged to abandon the attempt to train English-speaking illit- 

 erates in reading and writing, and to concentrate on the more serious problem of the men 

 illinguate in English as well as illiterate. The psychologist, cooperating with the non-English 

 development battalion, was now in a position to develop a rough test whereby a man could 

 be provisionally certified as English-speaking or non-English-speaking. 



Linguality tests for this purpose were initiated at Camp Upton. A fairly accurate indi- 

 vidual directions test was arranged, and a less accurate but usable group test, modeled after 

 examination beta. The group test is too difficult at the start and is extended to an unneces- 

 sarily high level for purposes of calibration. The individual test is preferable, not only on 

 the score of accuracy and level, but also because of its military nature. The following report 

 from Camp Upton describes the nature and operation of the tests, which were never developed 

 further because of the abandonment of development battalion schools with the signing of 

 the armistice in November: 



I. The Individual Linguality Test. 



Verbal. 



Performance. 



E. 



1. What is your name? (Help.) 



2. How old are you? (Help.) 



3. How long have you been in camp? (Help.) 



4. Where is your home? (Help.) 



5. What did you do (work at) before you came into the 



army? (Help.) 



1. Sit down. (Help.) 



2. Put your hat on the table. (Help.) 



3. Stand up. (Help.) 



D. 



6. What is your name? (No help.) 



7. How long have you been in camp? (No help.) 



8. How old are you? (No help.) • 



9. Where is your home? (No help.) 



10. What did you do (work at) before you came (got) into 

 the army? (No help.) 



4. Sit down. (No help.) 



5. Stand up. (No help.) 



6. Turn around. (Help.) 



7. Put your hat on the table. (No help.) 



8. Fold your arms. (Help.) 



9. Turn around. (No help.) 



11. When the sergeant tells you to keep your eyes to the 



front, what does he mean? What does it mean to 

 "keep your eyes to the front?" 



12. What kind of shoes should a soldier wear? (No help.) 



13. What does it mean when you are told that you are 



"required to remain in your barracks?" 



10. Take two steps forward. (No help.) 



11. Turn your eyes to the right. (No help.) 



12. Put your hands on your shoulders. (No help.) 



13. Carry the right foot 6 inches straight to the rear. 



(No help.) 



14. Extend the fingers of the left hand. (No help.) 



