SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—J. 373 
reference values. Thus sensory tests such as Wiersma’s colours test and 
ideational tests such as Miiller’s memory test may be studied by means of 
the tetrad criterion, and the results could be analysed in the light of 
Spearman’s Law of Inertia. 
Experience with the motor tests shows that the following factors need 
attention : (1) The lack of self-control, a factor whose relation to persevera- 
tion is not definitely known. (2) The relation of general mental ability to 
the activities operative in each test must be ascertained. (3) Differences in 
speed of writing may affect the measure of perseveration which has been 
adopted. (4) Consequently there is the need of choosing for each test a 
function of maximum potency as measure of perseveration. (5) Lack of 
standardised tests. It is further suggested by a preliminary investigation 
with siblings as subjects that it may thus be possible to determine whether 
any of the alleged manifestations of perseveration are subject to hereditary 
influences. 
Dr. W. STEPHENSON. 
Dr. P. E. Vernon.—Perseveration tests and the concept of levels in 
temperament testing. 
‘Temperament is generally conceived as an organised system of general 
traits and instinctive drives, a kind of hierarchy in which the ‘ lower level ’ 
specific activities subserve the ‘ higher level’ functions. An individual’s 
higher traits are best revealed in situations which are to him meaningful 
and important ; hence a study of his lower-level sensory and motor processes 
tells us very little about him that is significant. ‘This point of view is fully 
borne out by a large body of experimental evidence from the results of various 
tests representative of different psychological levels. Perseveration tests 
seem to be akin to other simple sensory and motor tests which, while highly 
accurate and objective, are extremely specific (i.e. their intercorrelations 
with one another are very small), have little meaning for the individual 
subject, and show very poor predictive validity in respect of any higher-level 
trait. 
Rey. Dr. J. Leycester KinG, S.J.—The relation between perseveration 
and complex-synthesis. 
Theissen (1924) and Ewald (1929) established the existence of individual 
differences in what has been called ‘ complex-span.’ Individuals with wide 
complex-span are able to group many single elements into a new complex 
mental whole, while those with narrow complex-span are only successful 
in building up small mental complexes. <A review of these facts in the light 
of Lindworsky’s theory of mental resonance led to the prediction that narrow 
complex-span should correlate positively with high perseveration. 
An experimental research undertaken in confirmation of this prediction 
showed that a correlation does in fact exist between complex-span and 
motor-perseveration as determined by writing tests. 
Furthermore, the experimental results provided interesting indications 
as to the conditions under which perseveration may either favour or hinder 
the learning process. When entirely new material is to be learnt, weak 
perseverators are more successful than strong perseverators ; when, however, 
the material to be learnt was composed of elements already learnt in a dif- 
ferent order or combination, strong perseverators were found to be more 
successful than weak. 
