PERSERVERATION 3*5 



repetition and in spite of desire by the subject not to perseverate. 



It is to be distinguished from stereotypy and motor automatisms 



by the relative independency of the latter upon fatigue.) 

 (7) Disability in switching the mind from one topic of thought or mode 



of work to another. 

 The Committee observes that experimental work has already been directed 

 towards determining the extent, if any, to which these various activities or 

 processes obey any general laws, and notably whether individual differences 

 with respect to them vary in proportion to one another in populations of 

 normal, and abnormal, persons. It suggests that further experimental 

 work should be directed along these same lines. 



The Committee notes that although large numbers of tests have been 

 described, there are apparently wide differences in the precise methods used 

 in scoring and in applying them. With the object of making results more 

 directly comparable, and as a guide to others who may wish to work on 

 problems connected with perseveration, the Committee puts forward the 

 following recommendations : 



A. Foreword. 



In many £-tests two essential parts are involved, (i) an initial activity not 

 critically effected by perseveration, (ii) a subsequent activity in which 

 perseverative effects are expected to be critical. The score in (i) is repre- 

 sented usually as X, and the activity as X-activity, while those for (ii) are 

 designated Y and Y-activity, respectively. 



In so far as it is hoped to examine purely cognitive processes, the quality 

 of the work done by subjects should be similar in X- and Y-activities, except 

 for any changes occurring in Y-activity due to perseverative influences, and 

 every attempt should be made to ensure that temperamental or other 

 incidental influences do not enter critically into Y-activity (relative to X), so 

 confusing the matter at issue. It is not doubted that temperamental or other 

 influences of a non-cognitive kind may enter critically into Y-activity, and 

 that these are worth investigating, but for the present purpose they are 

 matters for control. It is probable that different techniques could be used 

 for the same tests, were it intended to examine such influences and not the 

 purely cognitive ones under consideration. The Committee, for this reason, 

 have incorporated several recommendations in the testing procedures 

 described below, directed towards the above objective. 



B. Classification of p-Tests. 



The following classification of tests is convenient for descriptive purposes, 

 and points to certain considerations of theoretical interest : — ■ 



(1) Tests involving alternation of a thoroughly habituated and well- 

 established activity with a new one closely resembling it. 

 (Examples : The SS-writing test (Bernstein) ; the hh-writing 

 test (Wolters) ; the ee, ZZ, ww, 99, 55, 66, 22, aa and similar tests 

 (Stephenson).) 



(2) Tests involving breaking away from a thoroughly habituated and 

 well-established activity, but without alternation. 



(Examples : Mirror image test (Jones) ; Saying Colours (Stephen- 

 son) ; IT test (Jones).) 



(3) Tests involving alternation, but between more or less equally old- 

 established, or between non-habituated, activities. 



(Examples : Adding and Subtracting (Bernstein) ; Brackets 

 (J I Wolters) ; Writing aib2C3 .... (Pinard).) 



