16 A METHOD OF MEASURING THE DEVELOPMENT 



This type of response by enumeration is sometimes met 

 with in older children who are retarded; it therefore is dis- 

 tinctly characteristic ; there is a persistence of the form of 

 enumeration, but it is used in conjunction with a large num- 

 ber of words, while the enumeration of a young and normal 

 child is, on the contrary, very brief. This difference is ex- 

 plained by the fact that the retarded child of eleven years who 

 is still at the mental level of a child of six or seven years, 

 has the advantage over the latter of a much longer experi- 

 ence; having lived longer, he possesses a larger vocabulary. 

 Example: Mad. . . .a child of ten and a half who has an intel- 

 lectual development of seven years (we explain Jjter how we 

 fix the intellectual level with such precision) ^^^<is the fol- 

 lowing enumeration in reference to the first^pctufe : / see 

 an old man, and then a child, there is a flood, ther^ is water, 

 a zvagon, a basket, a brush, a pail, two wheels, a carpet. An- 

 other example of fluent enumeration, still more characteristic, 

 is found in the following response of Lau...,, child of thir- 

 teen years, four years retarded intellectually : A gentleman, a 

 wagon, a child, a pail, a basket; behind, a piece of zvood; be- 

 hind, some rocks. 



In all cases the most frequent type of response is cred- 

 ited. 



2. Description. This is the level of seven years, while 

 the response by enumeration corresponds to the level of three 

 years. The dift'erence is great. Here the characteristics oi 

 the people and the nature of the objects are mentioned; more- 

 over, attention is called to their relations ; with the result 

 that phrases are substituted for simple words. 



Print 1 : There is a man and a little boy, zvho are pulling 

 a wagon. 



Print 2: A man and then a zvoman, zcho are asleep on a 

 bench. 



Print 3 : There is a man standing on his bed to look out 

 of the zvindow. A man looking at himself in the glass. 



