OF TEE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 139 



cate both the scope and the purpose of the psychological 

 labors undertaken by Watson and Bentley. 



"An important function of a school of Military Intelli- 

 gence is the training of the men to be generally alert and wide 

 awake; to teach them to use their brains as well as their eyes 

 and ears; and finally to show them that, even when they are 

 doing their very best, they are liable to certain errors in ob- 

 servation, which arise partly through their own eagerness 

 and expectation, and partly through slight defects in the 

 sense organs themselves. The present simple course of train- 

 ing is designed to bring out these points and to give both 

 training in the use of the eye and the ear, and in the noting 

 and correct reporting of small details in observation. The 

 exercises are all simple to give and they require neither ex- 

 tensive equipment nor a burdensome amount of work on the 

 part of the group under instruction. The most important 

 thing which can be said to the instructor is that he should 

 thoroughly familiarize himself with such exercises before he 

 attempts to instruct the group. The work can then be carried 

 out in a dignified and impressive way. It is safe to predict 

 that if the men are taken through all of the exercises in any- 

 thing like a satisfactory way they will come out with a very 

 much quickened ability to observe and a very much better 

 estimate of their own abilities and weaknesses. They should 

 be then in a much better frame of mind for receiving their 

 more practical field instructions. 



"The opening pages are devoted to some of the uses and 

 peculiarities of vision. The intelligence scout or observer on 

 duty at night depends to a great extent upon vision. It 

 seems only fair to acquaint him with some of the more com- 

 mon functions of the eye. 



"After this lecture has been given the instructor may pro- 

 ceed as rapidly as he can with Training Tests A, B, C, and D, 

 which are designed both to test general alertness and to train 

 the men to make close and detailed observations. 



"Training Test E is designed to discover and to improve 

 the men's ability to find their way and to keep their bearings 

 in the dark. 



