14 Harry K. Wolfe, 



of vision in general. It is not improbable, therefore, that the 

 difference between boys and girls in naming these colors 

 is due to the relative distinctness v^ith which the sexes per- 

 ceive green. The exceptions to this rule in the first few years 

 may be the result of indefinite nomenclature, together with 

 a larger number of terms having some resemblance to yellow. 



The relative accuracy with which these children named 

 the colors employed is, therefore, as follows : white, black, 

 red, blue, yellow, green, pink, orange, violet. The younger 

 pupils found green easier to designate than yellow. There 

 is also a greater difference between blue and green in the 

 answers of the younger pupils. I think the variation in 

 these two instances is, perhaps, greater than the difference 

 in familiarity with the colors would require ; yet greater 

 uniformity is to be expected among older subjects. It is not 

 desirable to make the ability to name colors a test of indi- 

 vidual development or of scholarship ; but the improvement 

 during the early years of childhood is worth noting. We 

 should expect girls to name colors much more accurately 

 than boys of equal age. Not only are the sexes very un- 

 equally endowed by nature, but the opportunity for devel- 

 oping this sense is afforded to woman in much the more 

 attractive form. I doubt if we should expect, from general 

 knowledge, that girls eight years old will, on the average, 

 name the above nine colors better than boys sixteen years of 

 age. The greatest improvement is in pink, and of course is 

 made by the boys. At five years of age they give the cor- 

 rect answer once in four times. At sixteen about eight- 

 ninths of their answers are correct. 



Orange seems to require special instruction for general 

 recognition. Its situation is peculiarly unfortunate. If the 

 child decides that it is not red, he is pretty sure to say it is 

 yellow. If yellow occurs to him first, he makes up his mind 

 that ' it isn't exactly yellow,' hence calls it red. This wav- 

 ering between red and yellow was a very interesting expe- 

 rience during the investigation, and will be referred to again 

 when I come to treat of the nature of the incorrect answers, 



218 



