Literary Notices. 335 



as quickly (as one case, at least, indicates) by the parts still left intact after 

 the operation ? In short, before the general inference from the experiments can 

 be looked on as more than highly probable, further investigation and more 

 exhaustive records, of the kind just indicated, are much to be desired. Franz him- 

 self intends to experiment further. ROSWELL p. ANGIER. 



Thorndike, Edward L. Empirical Studies in the Theory of Measurement. Archives oj Psychology, 

 no. 3, pp. 45. 50c. 1907. 



A discussion of statistical methods, in the light of the author's experience* 

 Measurements of type and variability, and measurements of relationships are con" 

 sidered with a view to convenience, economy, and directness as well as to precision- 



Lapisky, Abram. Rhythm as a Distinguishing Characteristic of Prose Style. Archives of Psychology, 

 no. 4, Pp. iii + 44. 50c. 1907. 



Ruediger, W. C. The Field of Distinct Vision, with Special Reference to Individual Differences and 

 their Correlations. Archives oj Psychology, no. 4, pp. 68. 1907. 



The author mapped out the field of acute vision in eighteen subjects, with a view 

 to finding "characteristic individual differences" and to ascertaining whether the 

 size of this field is correlated with "reading rate, the color zones, visual acuity, 

 retinal inertia, and other phenomena of vision." The field of acute vision is defined 

 as the area within which the letters n and u (of a certain font of type) are discrim- 

 inated 75 (and again 90) per cent of the cases, when exposed for a fixed length of time 

 (less than the reaction-time of the eye). 



The shape of this field is found to vary "in different individuals from a 'square- 

 oval,' about twice as long horizontally as wide vertically, to a circle;" and "the 

 size of the field varies approximately as 2-1 in the horizontal diameter, as 1. 5-1 in 

 the vertical diameter, and as 2-1 in area." There is some correlation between the 

 size of this field and the acuteness of vision itself, which amounts, if the latter is 

 determined by Galton's test, to nearly + .69 (Pearson coefficient). In this corre- 

 lation not eighteen bur twelve subjects are used, and this value of the coefficient 

 should not be further employed without a careful reading of the author's text 

 (pp. 46-49). "There is little or no correlation between the horizontal extent of 

 distinct vision and the 'A' test, the number of lines that can be seen simultaneously, 

 reading rate, and the number of pauses per line. Reading rate apparently does 

 not correlate with any of the attributes of vision, but it correlates highly with the 

 smallness of the number of reading pauses per line." 



A simple method of Professor Woodworth's is described, for measuring 

 correlation (pp. 37-39). It can be used wherever the individuals compared with 

 regard to a character, can be ranked in ordinal series, and it takes into account 

 this order of the individuals, but not the amounts by which they differ in regard to 

 this character from one another. E. b. h. 



Jones, E. E. The Influence of Bodily Posture on Mental Activities. Archives oj Psychology, ao.d, 

 pp. 61, 50c. 1907. 



The author briefly sums up the chief results of his work as follows: "Pitch is 

 discriminated better (with the body) in the vertical than in the horizontal position; 



