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MEMOIRS NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



[Vol. XV, 



Table 374. — Intelligence and occupation. Median scores in examination "a" according to occupation, Camp Lee, January, 



1918, arranged in rank order. 



With the revision of examination methods and the extension of psychological examining 

 to all camps a number of additional studies were reported and a standardized, coordinated 

 study was made by a number of the camps under the direction of the Division of Psychology. 



The necessity for using intelligence ratings in the occupational assignment and placement 

 of men in the Army was brought sharply to the fore in the experience of the personnel and 

 psychological officers at Camp Wadsworth. Here the personnel officer picked 20 clerical 

 workers for special detail to the Psychological Board. Two facts immediately became apparent: 

 About one-third of the men were inefficient and incompetent and the same one-third had 

 intelligence ratings below C + . The attention of the personnel officer was called to this state 

 of affairs and he agreed that successful placement of men involved the utilization of intelligence 

 ratings. The realization of the need for occupational intelligence standards resulted in the 

 following study: 



The personnel adjutant made a list of 55 occupations which he considered to be of especial 

 value to the Army. Upon the completion of the psychological examinations of the draft of 

 May 25 to June 4, 1918, all record cards containing the alpha grades of literate white men 

 were classified for 55 occupations. The scores or grades were tabulated, the number of cases 

 in each occupation noted, and the first quartile, median, and third quartile scores calculated. 

 Each occupation was ranked with all the other occupations according to the median scores. 

 The results of this study are shown in table 375. 



It will be noted that the occupations embracing unskilled laborers have the lowest median 

 scores. Then come the occupations involving semiskilled labor. Next higher are the skilled 

 trades. The technical trades are next, while the professional workers are the highest of all. 

 It is to be expected that certain inconsistencies would appear in such a study. At that time 

 the extremely low median score of 99 for printers was commented upon and interpreted as being 

 due to the fact that many who called themselves printers were not really printers, but had 

 merely been employed in one capacity or another in printing offices. Presumably this was 

 true of many individuals in each occupational group. In the absence of reliable trade tests to 

 classify men occupationally it was felt that the placement of men occupationally could be done 

 with greater accuracy if the selection were made with reference to the median intelligence scores. 

 For example, there are many soldiers who claim to have been clerical workers, but who are 

 of inferior or very inferior intelligence. In order to avoid mistake in "placing" such individ- 

 uals, the safe thing to do would be to select those soldiers who are above the median ability 

 of their group. 



