no. 2.] PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINING IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 471 



of the value of psychological examining relatively unsatisfactory. After beginning the regular 

 program at Devens, the prospective reduction of available space forced the staff to suspend all 

 recalls and rush group examinations in order to complete the survey of all men in camp. The 

 large percentage of foreign and illiterate at Camp Lee made it necessary to modify the arrange- 

 ments for segregation and recall; examination b was dropped after careful study and group 

 skill reduced to half time. Individual examinations, relatively unimportant since satisfactory 

 action on reports was not obtainable, were delayed until the major portion of the group survey 

 was over. 



This division of the report is entitled, "The initial experiment. " The period of examining 

 ending December 31, 1917, was characterized by a large number of reports on the organization 

 of routine work, on statistical studies, and on attempts to invent new procedures in testing. 

 The staffs were expected to report as fully as possible on the success of the methods. They 

 were authorized to present all suggestions that concerned changes in procedure. Every encour- 

 agement to devise new and more suitable tests was given, and criticisms of examining materials 

 invited. This freedom of action tended to produce considerable variation in treatment of 

 results. A few experiments were suggested by the central office but in the main the different 

 camps experimented and discarded according to local findings. 



Differences in interpretation of instructions sent to the four cantonments and in interests 

 of the staffs affected the preliminary procedure. The reaction of the staffs in the face of camp 

 conditions varied with the interests and experience of their individual members. Freedom 

 to suggest and experiment gave rein to much variation that might otherwise have been avoided. 

 In general, many new data were prepared. Many forms of testing were tried out; of these the 

 majority were discarded. 



It is due partly to different interests exhibited by the staffs of the four cantonments that 

 the work with examination a brought out such a varied series of studies and special investiga- 

 tions. The work at Devens centered on problems of segregation and standardization of indi- 

 vidual examinations. Dix did a large amount of careful statistical work on examination a 

 and studies correlating the army tests with existing methods of determining mental age. Lee 

 centered attention on intelligence distributions and evidences of military value. The Taylor 

 staff presented several short methods of detecting low mentality and investigated the abilities 

 measured by the group skill test. The specific lines mentioned are suggested as showing the 

 differences in type of results reported. All camps, nevertheless, gave data bearing on the general 

 significance of the army tests. It is due to their energy and perseverance that materials for 

 revision were available when the order for extension of psychological examining was given. 



Numerous differences in procedure and interpretation may be traced to the fact that the 

 staffs were uniformly instructed merely in general terms. Many of the examiners called in to 

 administer the tests had had no instruction or previous practice in handling the work. Exam- 

 ination a was affected very little by the inexperience of examiners. The directions given for 

 administering the test were detailed and had been carefully standardized in advance. The 

 results of its administration are therefore comparable within the limits permitted by the character 

 of recruits examined and physical conditions surrounding the group at the time of examination. 



Section 3. — Description of procedure in examination. 



The original plan of examinations begun in September, 1917, called for a literacy test to 

 segregate literates and illiterates. The group was divided by this test into those who were 

 presumably able to do themselves justice in examination a and those who could not read suffi- 

 ciently well to indicate intellectual status in a test involving reading ability. 



The "literate" group then proceeded to take examination a. A certain percentage of 

 this latter group making low scores on examination a was then recalled and given examination 

 b. This test used a different form of the same blanks used in examination a. Tests 1, 2, and 10, 

 (directions, memory span for digits and number comparison) were omitted. The time all r >' TT '?c ! 

 was approximately doubled. The directions were not read aloud by the examiner. 



