52 A METHOD OF MEASURING THE DEVELOPMENT 



In showing the first three pairs of lines, the experimenter 

 says to the child: "Which is the longer of these two lines?" 

 When the three last pairs are reached, the form of the ques- 

 tion is slightly changed, and he limits himself to the words, 

 "And these?" The child succeeds in the test if he judges 

 two of the last three pairs of lines to be equal. Experience 

 proves that very young children, even those of seven years, 

 are capable of distinguishing the difference between the lines 

 a and h, c and d, e and ;. When the equal lines are 

 reached, the child is played upon by two influences ; first is the 

 influence of training. Until now, during three trials he has 

 seen that the line to the right was the longer; it is then nat- 

 ural to suppose that this will continue ; it is a supposition, a 

 generalization, in such cases where the operation is a con- 

 scious and reflective one; but we think that most often there is 

 no conscious process, but an unreflective tendency, a budding 

 automatism, a habit. It is rather a sketch of a habit, a 

 habit in the making, certainly not very strong or resistant; 

 but, nevertheless, it exists, and can determine alone the kind 

 of response, if no cause for a contrary response comes up to 

 oppose and frustrate it. The second influence is that of re- 

 flection, founded on the perception of the lines; a single glance 

 suffices to show that that on the right has ceased to be longer 

 than that on the left. And if the child reflects, he will resist 

 his automatism and no more say that the line on the right 

 is the longer. He will, on the contrary, declare them to be 

 equal. Thus analyzed theoretically, the test appears to be a 

 revelation of the suggestibility of the child ; the most suggest- 

 ible are those who are led by the automatism in judging the 



