66 A METHOD OF MEASURING THE DEVELOPMENT 



useful to preserve. It is necessary to bear in mind that the 

 symbol alone is altogether insufficient, and that we should 

 have sufficient data to enable another experimenter to judge 

 of them on his own account. Thus, in the responses to the 

 questions involving the reasoning powers, the manner in which 

 the child explains or criticises the absurdities of certain 

 phrases must be given at length; in using the test requiring 

 the repetition of figures it is well to have model series and 

 not to vary them ; then the figures the child gives may be 

 recorded; this precaution will guard against the possible loss 

 of interesting facts. Example: The experimenter recites: 

 1 — 3 — 9 — 2 — 7. The child believing himself repeating, says: 

 1 — 3 — A — 5 — 6. The error is very grave, graver than had he 

 said : 1 — 3 — 8 — 5 — ; for in the first repetition he has fol- 

 lowed the natural order of numbers, and by so doing has 

 implicity admitted the absurdity that he has been asked to 

 repeat numbers in their natural order. A little commentary 

 helps to fix the result in memory. The definitions of words 

 and objects and the resume of the thought of Hervieu should 

 be written in detail. In the test calling for 60 words it is 

 sometimes difficult to write all the words given by the child ; 

 interesting indications can, however, always be secured ; for 

 example, each word may be represented by a vertical line, 

 and a new group be started every half minute (the total test 

 lasts three minutes) ; thus a record is secured of the number 

 of words written in the first half minute, the number in the 

 second, the number in the third, etc. ; this shows whether the 

 subject has increased or decreased in speed as the experiment 

 progressed, and this in turn gives some indication of his 

 ability to work; I am also in the habit of dotting the lines 

 which correspond to the names of objects mentioned, and of 

 underlining those which stand for an unusual word, one not in 

 common use. We advise that the rhymes given be recorded 

 and also the sentence containing the three given words. By 

 exacting all these notes from collaborators it is possible to 

 judge with what care the experiments have been made. A 

 record of the intelligence of a child, presented without other 



