TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION L. 



807 



the complete understanding of a child who comes before us, and if they are what 

 their authors hope them to be, they will assist teachers who desire to determine 

 the reasons for the lack of progress of pupils, or to gain knowledge of the 

 intellectual calibre of a new pupil. As an example of their nature I give those 

 employed for children of nine. 



They are asked (i) to give the exact date of the day, (ii) to enumerate 

 the days of the week, (iii) to define fork, table, chair, horse, mother (the 

 definitions given are to be superior to 'use' definitions), (iv) to read the follow- 

 ing : ' Buiton-on-Trent, 6 January. Last night a great fire at Burton-on-Trent 

 destroyed three houses situated in the centre of the town. Seventeen families 

 are homeless. The losses exceed 150,000?. While saving a child in its cradle 

 a barber's assistant was seriously burned on the hands ' — and after a brief interval 

 to recall at least six facts, (v) Having before them a heap of money containing 

 1?., 10s., 5s., 2s., Is., 6d., 3d., Id., ±d., and in addition three pence and seven 

 half-pence, to enact the part of a shopkeeper, selling a small article for four 

 half-pence. The purchaser tenders Is. in payment, and change is demanded. 

 Various solutions are possible, the best being the sixpence, the threepenny bit, 

 and one penny, (vi) Being given five boxes of identical shape and appearance, 

 but 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 grammes respectively in weight, to arrange them in order of 

 weight; three attempts are allowed, two of which must be correct. 



The investigator on this method deals with the individual, and a littlo pre- 

 liminary talk is necessary to insure confidence. The child's age is then ascer- 

 tained, and the tests for that age given; should he accomplish all or all but one 

 he is adjudged at the level of that age, and is then subjected to all the tests of 

 the succeeding ages. If he accomplishes five of these a year is added to his 

 level; if ten, two years. But, if the child fail in two or more of the tests 

 appropriate to his own age he is put through the tests of each preceding year in 

 turn until that year is found in which he can accomplish all the tests or all but one. 



My experience is that one of the greater hindrances to exactitude lies in the 

 investigator ; it is impossible to be certain that one has preserved identical tones 

 of voice and expression of face throughout the sittings, and with a subject so 

 susceptible to suggestion as a child the doubt will creep in that the result has 

 thus been vitiated. Then there is the difficulty of estimating the results. Thus 

 one of the tests requires the children to make a sentence containing the words 



London, River, Fortune. If I allow the construction ' London river ' M C 



(twelve years) is at the twelve level ; if I do not allow it she is only at the 

 level of ten years, and since she cannot do five tests superior to that level she 

 must be adjudged backward. 



I have found that it is the exception rather than the rule for a child to be 

 able to satisfy the tests for her own age, e.g. : — 



Of 4 children of 6 years 



n "" »> >» ^ »> 



■»• —5 J» Tf J »» 



>> 37 >» >> 1" ,, 



22 12 



>> *-0 ,, ,, U ,, 



>> ** >> )> l 1 * >» 



,, 3 „ ,, 15 „ and over 



2 have to go back. 

 J ^o ,, ,, ,, .. 



\ 9 can do the tests for 8 

 f 15 have to go back. 

 \ 1 can do the tests for 9. 

 / 20 have to go back. 

 1 5 can do the tests for 10. 

 f 23 have to go back. 

 \ 2 can do the tests for 12. 

 f 20 do the tests for 10. 



3 can do the tests for 12. 

 10 have to go back. 

 1 can do the tests for 15. 

 16 have to go back. 



„ 4 can do the tests for 15. 

 f2 have to go back. 

 I. 1 does the tests for 15. 

 f 2 have to go back. 

 1 1 does the tests for 15. 



The provision for adding one year for five tests superior to the level reached, 

 or two years for ten, mitigates the severity of this judgment. Thus, of the 



