116 PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODS OF TESTING INTELLIGENCE 



correlate to a high degree and with great uniformity 

 with a reliable set of estimations of intelligence. 

 This matter will be the subject of the three sections 

 that follow. 



2. The Teacher's Estimation of the Intelligence of 

 his Pupils 



The question whether a teacher is really able to 

 estimate the degree of intelligence of his pupils is 

 one that has no little importance even outside of our 

 special and limited problem. It is surely practically 

 worth while for the teacher, who is accustomed ordi- 

 narily to pass judgments about his pupils primarily 

 on the basis of their objective performance, to try 

 for once to decide whether and to what extent a cer- 

 tain capacity, namely general intelligence, is con- 

 cerned in these performances. He will be obliged to 

 study his pupils more carefully, to analyze their in- 

 dividual disposition, and will perhaps come by this 

 means to a better valuation of their work, to conclu- 

 sions as to choice of curriculum, to advice as to the 

 choice of vocations. 



The estimation of intelligence has an advantage 

 over the experimental testing of intelligence in the 

 fact that it is based upon longer and wider acquaint- 

 ance with the pupil. For months the teacher has 

 watched the behavior of a pupil in the oral and writ- 

 ten tasks of different studies, has noted his ques- 

 tions and answers, his interest or his indifference 

 when dealing with many different subjects, his inde- 

 pendence or his need of assistance in his work, and 

 has seen as well his behavior when among his mates, 

 in play in the school yard, on excursions, etc. He 



