CHAPTER 9. 



EFFECT OF DOUBLING THE TIME LIMITS IN THE ALPHA AND BETA EXAMINATIONS. 



The alpha and beta examinations are frequently characterized as "speed" tests because of 

 the fact that they are done against time and, further, because of the belief that with unlimited 

 time all tests could be done nearly perfectly. It is not possible, however, to state, a priori, just 

 what part time does play in the examinations, or whether there are individuals at certain levels 

 of intelligence who could improve their performance but little with a considerable extension of 

 the period. In order to investigate this point, to determine more fully what these time relations 

 are within any particular test, and to find out what an extension of the period would do in the 

 case of persons at different levels of intelligence, arrangements were made for an experiment in 

 which the alpha examination was given with double time, and performance under double time 

 was compared with performance in single time. 



It should be noted in this connection that it is often argued that the alpha examinations, 

 because of the limited period, are especially unfair to persons who may be described as a slow, 

 cautious, intelligent type. It is argued, often in military contexts, that there are individuals 

 who are entirely adequate to the kind of performance required in the tests, but who, since they 

 combine slowness with accuracy, require a longer period of time in order to do themselves 

 justice. An experiment in doubling the time on alpha will show to what extent performance 

 is improved by extending the time limits. It can not, however, be expected that the order of 

 abilities of various persons will be very materially altered. A change of order would occur only 

 if the tests were of the type in which time was relatively unimportant — so-called "power" tests. 

 Here it might happen that quick individuals, scoring high, would reach the limit of their abdities 

 and fail to profit by additional time, whereas slow, capable persons would plod unerringly on in 

 the extended period and outdistance in the end their more speedy rivals. 



The experiment consisted in giving alpha with double time to 510 men at Camps Beauregard 

 and MacArthur. At Camp Beauregard 10 companies (387 men) were examined; at Camp Mac- 

 Arthur, three companies (123 men). At Camp Beauregard no men had been segregated from 

 the group for the beta examination, but the high range of scores indicates that but few should 

 properly have been sent to beta. At Camp MacArthur 60 men had been withdrawn from the 

 group for beta; the remaining 123 took alpha. The distribution of scores of the two groups 

 thus selected show that they are comparable. The method of giving alpha was as follows : At 

 the end of the usual time (e. g., 5 minutes on test 2, 1£ minutes on test 3) the examiner called 

 "stop" and instructed the men to draw a line across the page at the point reached. This line 

 marked the work done in "single time." The men were then instructed not to change anything 

 above this line but to work on down the page. Time was called when a double period had been 

 completed. 



In all companies but one, company commanders were requested to assign ratings of intelli- 

 gence for all men taking the examination. Independent ratings were made by three company 

 officers. In all, 475 of the 510 men were thus rated. The men had been known to their officers 

 for periods ranging from two to twelve weeks. That the officers did their rating by approxi- 

 mately the same standards is indicated by the following correlations for 99 men taken from the 

 MacArthur data: 



Ratings of captain with first lieutenant correlate 0.79. 

 Ratings of captain \rith second lieutenant correlate 0.77. 

 Ratings of first and second lieutenants correlate 0.74. 



415 



