OF THE INTELLIGENCE OF YOUNG CHILDREN 15 



1. Enumeration. — These responses are the most element- 

 ary. The child enumerates separately the persons and objects 

 which he recognizes in the picture, without establishing any 

 connection between them. He names only common objects. 

 In the most elementary form the responses are limited to the 

 following: "a gentleman," "a man," "a woman," "a papa," 

 "a carriage," "a little child." Some very young children use 

 the article the, "the child," "the gentleman," "the woman." 

 Sometimes, instead of naming people, the child chooses ob- 

 jects: "a bed," "a table." Notice it is the objects which are 

 named and not the action. When shown the second picture 

 a child oighree will say: "a gentleman;" we never found 

 one who,«a^^'he sleeps," or one who mentioned the action 

 or descrj^d We people. A child of three who would make 

 such aj remark would be much in advance of its age. At 

 three years one is at the stage of recognition, or identification 

 of objects; this is the important, fundamental work in the per- 

 ception of the external world, in comparison with which all 

 other processes of perception are only complementary. The 

 degree of development of this fundamental process of identi- 

 fication shows itself in different ways ; it is revealed by simple 

 addition; the number of objects named increases; instead of 

 one — two, three or four are named. When several are men- 

 tioned, the question of order arises. Most often with our 

 three pictures the children mentioned the people first; but 

 there were exceptions to this rule, and sometimes inanimate 

 objects were first chosen. Thus, for the third picture : "two 

 tables, a chair, a bed, a man," for the second picture : "a man, 

 a woman, a bench," for the first: "a wagon, a gentleman, a 

 bucket, a basket." Sometimes a curious error is produced 

 by suggestion when using the first picture ; noticing the wagon, 

 the child says : "a wagon, a horse." 



In a third variety, scarcely superior to the preceding, the 

 objects are not named separately, but are related, in a very 

 feeble manner it is true, by the conjunctions, and, with or 

 and then. "A gentleman and a lady," "a wagon, and then a 

 gentleman," "a gentleman with a lady." 



