OF THE INTELLIGENCE OF YOUNG CHILDREN 41 



The coins should always be turned so that the child may 

 see the effigy. 



Frequently a child calls a 1 fr. piece 2 fr. and a 10 fr. 

 piece 20 fr., or vice versa. These are due to slight confusion. 

 Absurdities consist in inventing new pieces — 3 fr., for ex- 

 ample, or 15 sous. A curious error made occasionally is the 

 confusion of 10 and 5 fr, pieces. The test should not last 

 longer than 40 seconds. Finally, sometimes one suspects that 

 an error is merely a chance one. One of our children, aged 

 twelve, named all the coins readily excepting the 5 fr. piece, 

 which he called 10 fr. We made no sign, but some time after- 

 ward we took the trouble to have him name again all the coins on 

 the table. He repeated his error, and therefore failed. We 

 cite this example to show that the results must not be taken 

 automatically. It often happens that one suspects a chance 

 error after later responses are given ; it is then necessary to 

 repeat the test and watch for a repetition of the error. In other 

 terms, in spite of the system of marking which we have de- 

 vised, we believe that the experimenter must judge of the 

 responses which are made. Our method is not an automatic 

 weighing machine, such as the scales of the railroad stations, 

 which print an individual's weight entirely unaided. 



IV. Enumerates the months. — The subject should name 

 the months in 15 seconds without omission or inversion. We, 

 however, allow the error of one omission or one inversion. 



V. Understands easy questions. — We give the text of 

 the questions and some good and bad responses : 



1, — What zvould you do if you missed a train? Correct 

 answers : Wait for another train. — Take the next. Incorrect 

 answers: / should try not to miss it. — Run after it, — Go home 

 again. — Buy a ticket. 



2. — What zvould you do if one of your playmates shoidd 

 hit you without meaning to do so? Correct answers : Do noth- 

 ing to him. — Excuse him. — Pardon him. — Tell him to he more 

 careful another time. Incorrect answers, which show that the 



