190 VITALITY AND EFFICIENCY WITH RESTRICTED DIET. 



tracing the maze above. The subject was warned to let the movement 

 above accompany or be in advance of the movement below and to keep 

 the rule of reversal constantly in mind. The subject worked as fast as he 

 desired, but if he got lost, instead of wandering on blindly (the typical 

 method in solving the usual maze problem) he was instructed to ask 

 for a new start from the center. The total time was taken from the 

 first start to the successful finish. A paper beneath the lower maze was 

 marked by the pencil and showed the subject's progress. This record 

 was used solely for control to prove that the proper path was followed. 

 The test has the added advantage that it can not be conveniently 

 practiced outside the Laboratory, as can mirror drawing or writing. 

 Thus we have here something different from a typical maze experiment, 

 but for convenience of description it may be so classified. Naturally 

 the test could be partially learned in successive trials. At each 

 laboratory session the subject traced completely through one time. 

 He was not allowed outside practice. 



(17) Efficiency in Performing Certain Clerical Tasks. 



Dr. F. Lyman Wells suggested to one of us the possibility of using 

 clerical tests as a measure of the individual's condition and general 

 efficiency in the present research. He had developed but had not 

 described a test blank for this purpose (see fig. 56), and very kindly sup- 

 plied us with blanks for the first three experimental sessions.^ This 

 gave us time to have several forms of this blank made up for use in the 

 experiment. A zinc cut was made for the general form including the 

 instructions for each of the six tasks with the lettered and numbered 

 squares in the lower left-hand corner (see fig. 56). Six mortises were 

 made in this cut. The copy was set up on linotype slugs which were 

 made of suitable lengths for the various openings in the zinc plate. The 

 type used was 12 point Antique for numbers, and 10 point Old Style for 

 letters and words.^ Enough copy was made for each kind of material to 

 permit the printing of 6 different blanks. Most of the copy was taken 

 from Dr. Wells's blanks. The blanks which were made up from the zinc 

 cuts had to be prepared by hand in certain particulars. In task No. 1 

 the amount to be added to each of the numbers had to be written in 

 and the illustration filled in. In task No. 6 the small letters other than 

 X had to be filled in the squares by hand. A form with openings at the 

 different squares insured accuracy in doing this and made it a very sim- 

 ple matter to prepare a set of blanks ready for use. The six different 

 blanks were numbered in a secret way so that the subject had no satis- 

 factory means of remembering or designating them. The same blank 



1 This test should be known as the "Wells Clerical Test C," inasmuch as other test forms of the 

 same general abilities were developed in connection with it. This material, Captain 

 Wells informs us, will be taken up again as soon as opportunity is afTorded; it was 

 ready for serious application at the time of his entry into Government service. 



* The legibility of numbers and words may be judged from figure 56, bearing in mind that 

 the orginal blank from which the reproduction was made is 19 by 23.5 cm. 



