Knox : Tests for Mental Defects 



129 



over ten years old, it being modified 

 for yotniger ones: 



1. Select a quiet, well lighted and 

 ventilated room, with a temperature of 

 not over 68 degrees Fahrenheit. There 

 must be no disturbing or distracting 

 elements and the room must not have an 

 official air, in fact it should look as 

 much like a "den" in a, private house as 

 possible. Only those concerned in the 

 examination shotdd be present, that is, 

 the interpreter and the examiners and 

 in the case of children or timid people, 

 a relative. The subject must have had 

 good food and a bath previously and he 

 must be mentally as tranquil as possible. 

 The in erpreter should be kindly dis- 

 posed towards the alien and understand 

 him thoroughly and be understood by 

 him. First question the subject about 

 the ordinary occurrences and every-day 

 duties of his previous environment. If 

 he claims to have been a farmer ask 

 about that vocation, if a tailor ask about 

 that, framing the questions to the call- 

 ing and previous style of living. Fur- 

 ther than this ask about conditions as 

 they exist in the town or locality from 

 which the alien came. 



2. Does he know the day of the 

 week, the date, the month of the year, 

 where he is, who he is, and who and 

 what the examiner is? This set of 

 questions determines his orientation 

 and grasp on his surroundings. 



3. Common knowledge comes next; 

 the number of hours in a day, days in a 

 week, weeks in a month, months in a 

 year with their names, the difference 

 between certain animals with which he 

 is familiar, the names of flowers, musical 

 instruments, etc., with which he is 

 familiar, and brief descriptions of each. 



4. Immigrants should be able to do 

 simple addition although they have 

 never attended school and all normal 

 immigrants over eight years old can do 

 it. After adding like numbers, they 

 should be able to add unlike numbers, 

 when one of the previously used like 

 numbers is increased or decreased by 1, 

 for instance, 4 and 4 = , 4 and 5 = , 4 

 and 3 = , 6 and 6 = , 6 and 5 = , 6 and 7 

 = ,, or 8 and 8 = , 8 and 7 = ; rapidly and 

 without difficulty. They should be 

 able to add the following niimbers 

 rapidly, realizing in each case that each 



succeeding probleiTi is but 1 greater 

 than was the previous one ; 7 and 1 = , 

 7 and 2 = , 7 and 3 = , 7 and 4= , 7' and 

 5 = , 7 and 6 = , 7 and 7 = , 7 and 8 = , 

 etc. The vast majority of defectives 

 excepting mathematical savants will go 

 through a most laborious mental process 

 in attempting to do this latter set of 

 probleiTis only to emerge with a most 

 absurd answer, for instance, they may 

 give the answer to 7 and 2 as more than 

 the sum of 7 and 8. 



MORAL TONE TESTED. 



5. Ask questions which tend to 

 show the moral tone as "Why is it 

 wrong to kill?" and "How should one 

 regard his parents as compared to other 

 people?" and "Is it wrong to steal?" 

 and if so, "Why?" Determine whether 

 he w^ould try to resist temptation, how 

 he would meet evil suggestions and 

 other questionable things. Some most 

 astonishing answers have been obtained 

 to these questions as in the case of a 

 boy who, while he professed a love for 

 his parents, wished them dead that he 

 might inherit their property; he was 17 

 years old and was found defective by 

 the other tests. 



6. Construct as nearly as possible 

 miniature problems and incidents of life 

 as the alien has lived it in his country 

 and ask what hqwould do in each position . 



7. If he can count from 1 to 20, as 

 all normal aliens usually can, he should 

 be able to count from 20 to 1 without 

 hesitation ; he should have no difficulty in 

 naming the days of the week backward. 



8. He shoiild be able to repeat six, 

 or at least five, figures after the exam- 

 iner, as 2-9-8-7-5-6-4, or 5-2-9-7-3. The 

 figures should be given slowly and dis- 

 tinctly, not repeating each set more 

 than twice. 



9. The subject should be able to 

 obey three or more simple commands 

 as "open the door, bring me that book, 

 and put this penny on the table." 



10. After looking at a picture for 

 thirty seconds, the picture containing 

 12 objects with which he is familiar, he 

 should be able to name six of them from 

 memory, without much hesitation. 



11. A diamond or a square should 

 be copied with a lead pencil even though 

 he has never attempted this before. 



