lOO REPORT OF THE PSYCHOLOGY COMMITTEE 



Special Aptitude. — This committee was organized with the 

 following membership: James C. Chapman, Truman L. Kel- 

 ley, Walter Dill Scott, Edward L. Thorndike, chairman. It 

 was constituted a committee on 'Tests of special skill' by 

 the Executive Board of the Research Council in November, 

 1917. 



Numerous problems of special skill dealt with by this 

 committee ultimately led, through the activity of Thorndike 

 and Scott, to the organization of the Committee on Classi- 

 fication of Personnel in the Army. 



By request, the following summary account of the services 

 of the Personnel Committee has been prepared for this re- 

 port by Walter V. Bingham, Secretary of the committee.^ 



"The Committee on Classification of Personnel in the 

 Army was created by Secretary Baker, August 5, 1917, as an 

 instrument to increase the value of the army's man-power 

 through securing the most effective placement of each man. 

 This has demanded an exhaustive study of the entire army 

 organization to determine where ability of various kinds is 

 required, and the development and supervision of an army 

 personnel system to discover the occupational, educational 

 and military qualifications possessed by the recruits and to 

 insure their assignment to the proper units. 



"The Committee was organized with Walter Dill Scott as 

 Director, E. L. Thorndike as Chairman, and W. V. Bingham 

 as Executive Secretary. The other members were J. R. 

 Angell, R. C. Clothier, Raymond Dodge, H. L. Gardner, J. F. 

 Shepard, E. K. Strong, Jr., L. M. Terman, J. B. Watson, and 

 R. M. Yerkes. The places of five of the original members 

 have since been filled by J. J. Coss, W. R. DeField, W. B. 

 Hale, P. J. Reilly and J. J. Swan. 



"A large force of able and devoted civilian and military 

 associates of the Committee, in Washington, in the camps, 

 and overseas, has made possible the realization of its plans. 



"For this program an initial appropriation of ^25,000 was 



^ An official account of this work is in preparation for early publication by the 

 War Department under the general title " The Personnel System of the United States 

 Army." There will be two volumes: I. The Evolution of the Personnel System; II. 

 The Personnel Manual. 



