S12 



PSYCHOLOGY 



[b. a. e. 



regarded as reasonably certain. In gen- 

 eral, they indicate that, in the ability to 

 perceive high tones and to distinguish 

 faint sounds, the Indians are superior to 

 Fihpinos, but inferior to Whites and 

 Congo natives. 



In addition to the above, the results of 

 a few other tests have been reported. 

 Color blindness has been found in three 

 cases from a group of 250 which, so far as 

 it goes, does not differ much from the 

 proportion among the Whites. A few 

 tests in reaction-time, made by Witmer, 

 show the Indian superior to Whites and 

 American Negroes. As previously stated, 

 the results of these few tests suggest that, 

 with a more extended series, numerous 

 differences will be found between Indians 

 and other races, as well as between the 

 different tribes of Indians themselves. 



On more general psychological grounds, 

 unusual tendencies to hysteria and simi- 

 lar psychic phenomena have been as- 

 signed to the Indian. This is made prob- 

 able by the readiness with which many 

 Indians yield to suggestion in disease, 

 jugglery, and religious activities, and has 

 been ofiered as a cause for the large part 

 played by the medicine-man on such oc- 

 casions. This impression, of course, con- 

 cerns Indians as compared to Whites, and 

 not to other less civilized races. (See 

 Physiolugy. ) 



B. Since the schools for Indians are 

 essentially the same as those used by 

 white children, the relative progress of 

 Indian and white children may be taken 

 as evidence of their respective mental 

 powers. However, a satisfactory com- 

 parative study of Indian children in the 

 school seems not to have been made ; so 

 that we are forced to fall back upon 

 some general impressions and less direct 

 evidence. It has been asserted by teach- 

 ers in Indian schools that the children 

 under their charge showed more aptitude 

 and greater skill in many kinds of hand 

 work than was usually encountered 

 among white children of the same age. 

 This is often strongly asserted with re- 

 spect to drawing and penmanship. On 

 the other hand, no critical examination 

 of this point has been made, so that 

 judgment must be suspended. The gen- 

 eral experience has been that, when In- 

 dian children have passed normally from 

 our lower schools to the college and the 

 university, they average up to the level 

 of the Whites; but, again, many of the 

 cases cited are of mixed blood, and no 

 estimates have been made of the relative 

 number of failures to reach such a stand- 

 ard. Thus, while there is no direct evi- 

 dence that Indians can not do the work 

 of the school and of life as efficiently as 

 Whites, this fact can not be taken as 

 proof that they have the requisite abil- 



ity to the same degree. The tests of Dr 

 Bruner on the Indians in the model 

 school at St Louis showed that, while in 

 the auditory sense these Indians were 

 superior to their unschooled representa- 

 tives, they were still inferior to Whites 

 selected at random. While it is true 

 that the data for hearing prove nothing 

 with respect to the other senses, they do 

 suggest the presence of differences so far 

 not overcome by education and a change 

 of environment. Hence, the question 

 must remain open until more data are 

 available. 



In addition to these somewhat definite 

 systematic observations, we have the 

 opinions of educated persons resulting 

 from extended official or philanthropic 

 labors among the Indians. A general 

 statement of such opinions on the gen- 

 eral psychological characteristics of the 

 Indians has been given in the article on 

 Plit/siology, the import of which seems 

 to be that no definite differences exist 

 excejjt perhaps in the objective form of 

 emotional reactions. Yet, so far, no one 

 seems to have collected enough individ- 

 ual statements from comjietent persons 

 to say what is the approximate consen- 

 sus of such opinion and, even if they had, 

 such a consensus could not be taken 

 alone as a satisfactory solution of the 

 problem. 



C. It is customary to speak of the cus- 

 toms and thought prevailing among a 

 people as their culture. Since, in all cul- 

 tural activities, ideas and judgments play 

 important parts, it has often been assumed 

 that a detailed comparison of cultures 

 would reveal psychological differences be- 

 tween the peoples to whom the cultures 

 belonged. Indeed, some persons go so far 

 as to assert that the existence of cultural 

 differences necessitates the existence of 

 psychological differences. Yet when the 

 subject is taken on its merits, several diffi- 

 culties areencountered. In the first place, 

 some definite method of grading cultures 

 must be devised before satisfactory con- 

 clusions as to corresponding psychological 

 differences can be formed. As yet, no con- 

 sistent way of grading as to higher and 

 lower has been found. Further, anthro- 

 pologists now believe in the existence of a 

 tendency to conventionalize thought and 

 the association of ideas as a factor in the 

 differentiation of culture. Such a tend- 

 ency appears when the symbolic art of 

 such tribes as the Arapaho, Dakota, and 

 Shoshoni are compared, each using similar 

 designs, but associated with d iff erent kinds 

 of ideas. Also, some claim has been made, 

 but on less definite grounds, that Indian 

 mythology as a Avhole is less closely asso- 

 ciated with creators and gods than is the 

 case with other peoples. In a more 

 general way, we find everywhere among 



