No. 3] PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINING IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 



745 



In view of the importance of problems of Americanization the following table comparing 

 the English acquirements of men from different European countries is of particular interest. 

 From some countries the number of cases is small and the figures somewhat unreliable, but the 

 larger differences between nationalities appear consistently at various camps. Figures are 

 percentages of men given beta only. 



England.. 

 Scotland. . 

 Ireland . . . 

 Canada... 

 Norway . . 

 Sweden . . . 

 Denmark. 

 Holland.. 

 Belgium. . 

 Germany. 

 Austria 



Country. 



Camp 

 Pevens. 



7.4 

 7.1 

 39.2 

 57.0 

 48.6 

 41.7 

 27.3 



12.7 

 48.8 



Camp 

 Custer. 



61.6 



58.0 

 62.5 

 17.0 

 73.0 



39.0 



Country. 



Portugal.. 



Italy 



Poland.... 

 Lithuania 

 Finland. . . 



Russia 



Greece 



Turkey... 

 Armenia.. 

 Syria 



Camp 

 Devens. 



Camp 

 Custer. 



A special report from Camp Upton gives more detailed data on 2,338 cases from the New 

 York City draft. The following definitions were laid down for the classes listed in the table 

 below : 



"Literate: Fair" — men given examination alpha because stating an ability to read "American newspaper." 



"Literate: Poor" — men less literate than the above, but who can write their age, name, hometown, and occupation 

 without help even though with misspellings — i. e., the men who were given examination beta but who were able to 

 fill in the information at the top of the examination form without help from the orderlies. 



"Illiterate: English " — men who can not fill in the information on the beta examination blank but who can furnish 

 the information to the orderly by question and answer in English. 



"Illiterate: Non-English" — men who can not furnish the required information for the beta examination blank 

 except by aid of an interpreter. 



"Low-grade feeble-minded" — men recommended for discharge from the Army on the ground of mental deficiency; 

 in general, men with a mental age of less than nine years. 



Literacy classification. 



Number 

 of cases. 



Percent. 



American born: 



Literate, fair 



Literate, poor 



Illiterate, English 



Illiterate, non-English . . . 

 Low-grade feeble-minded 



Total 



Foreign born: 



Literate, fair 



Literate, poor 



Illiterate, English 



Illiterate, non- English . . . 

 Low-grade feeble-minded 



Total 



Total American and foreign: 



Literate, fair 



Literate, poor 



Dliterate, English 



Illiterate, non- English... 

 Low-grade feeble-minded 



Total 



212 

 24 

 



230 

 256 

 185 

 48 

 30 



719 



1,613 



468 

 209 

 48 

 37 



2,338 



85.4 (given alpha). 

 13.1 (given beta). 



1.5 (given beta). 





 . 4 (given beta). 



100.0 



32.0 (given alpha). 

 35.6 (given beta). 

 25.8 (given beta). 



6.6 (given beta). 



4. 2 (given beta). 



100.0 



69.0 (given alpha). 

 20.0 (given beta). 



9.0 (given beta). 



2. (given beta). 



1.6 (given beta). 



100.0 



The following brief report from Camp Wadsworth was requested by the camp personnel 

 adjutant in order to furnish information for the Commission on Illiteracy of South Carolina. 



For the practical purposes of giving one kind of psychological examination to those who can read and write English 

 and of giving another kind of psychological examination to those who are unable to read and write English, illiteracy 

 is defined as follows: All those who can not read and write their own letters, who can not read English newspapers, 

 or who have only been one or two years in American public schools are illiterate. This illiteracy may be due to foreign 

 parentage, lack of education, or inferior intelligence. 



121435°— 21- 



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