TcsU of llir i: mot ions. 73 



(Mil KM- .-i mil (if ciiiniioiial sli-cssi. iiikI pccnli;i:- cliuiccs in \viM-«ls circlcH 



(or iiliosyiiciiisy in ;in\icly Icmlciicics » . And ;m.iiii llic Icsl li;is \>nvk ol 

 it (xiteric'uce with altnormal iKTSuimlilies ; it iiiis olivioiis lelatictus to 

 cniaiii kinds of anxiety states. Tlie test, it should he added, derives ujost 

 directly from a (luestioiiaire used l)y Woodworth iu studying iieiirotie indi- 

 viduals in the army. And it is aimed to involve the content of certain 

 types of (Udusion eounnon in menial disease. 



So much for the seitarate tests: in suunnariziuii- tlie total examination 

 the total niunher of words erossed out is lirst sunuued. and is considered 

 an indication of total atfectivity or emotionality. The deviations are tlien 

 addi'd together, and the total used as an exi)ression of "total idiosyncrasy". 

 Well — the tests doulttless seem to you vvvy crude — and so they are; they 

 simply represent an etfort at lirst investigation of a suhject which has 

 until recently heen all too nnicli neglected. I'.ut as an investigatory instru- 

 ment the exaunnation has certain advantages whicii I would like to have 

 you considi'r for a moment. 1 mentioned a moment ago Woodworth's 

 (|uestionnaire. It consisted of questions such as: 

 Have you worried ahout smoking? Yes. No. 



And the i^erson taking the examination was to underline "Yes" or "No" 

 according as one answer or the other was correct. Putting the questions 

 iu this way it required an 11x17 sheet to ask one hundred such questions. 

 We ask one hundred fifty questions in a space 9x0 ; the total examination 

 really asks six hundred questions all on two sides of a 9x12 sheet. The 

 grea't condensation is ohvious. 



It is thus possihle in a very brief space to accumulate a large amount of 

 data. But there are other advantages. There is no elaborate technique in 

 giving the examination. All that is neces.sary is to hand the blank to the 

 Ijerson who is to take the test and say. "Head the directions, and do what 

 they tell you to do". It is thus possible for us to send out the blanks to 

 other colleges and institution-; and obtain results which are strictly com- 

 parable, so far as directions arc concerned, to the residts we obtain our- 

 selves. Suppose for the moment you are taking the test. You do not have 

 to write any answers. All you have to do is cross out certain wcu-ds or 

 draw lines ai'oiuid them. The result is that the a\-erage college stu<lent 

 answers these six hiui<lred questions in less than half an hour! Further- 

 more, in the first scoring of the blank, all that is necessary is to count up 

 the number of words crossed out. and the number of i>eculiar choices made 

 in circling words. So the examination is an extremely convenient method 

 of obtaining information: those of you who teach will appreciate that an 

 examination in which six hundred cpiestions are asked and answered in 

 thirty minutes, and in which a first valuation of the results can be obtained 

 in three minute-:, is .somewhat unusual. 



However, such an instrument is of little value if the information yielded 

 by it is not worth while. The examination is intended i)rimarily. of course, 

 for work with delinquent and with nervously altnormal individuals. And 

 from such groups data are not yet available, though results from a number 

 of reform schools, a group of colored peoi)Ie. a theological seminary, and a 

 colony for epileptics will he ready soon. Results fnun a group of college 

 students have, however, been analyzed to show sex diflerences. liriefly 

 it may be .said that <*.4% of the girls lind more things unpleasant than the 



