420 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LI. No. 1321 



quarries. Few hoes occur wesit of the Mississippi 

 Biver. The gradation of notched hoes into axes, 

 hammers and other antifacts was demonstrated. 

 This paiper was tased on the study of several hun- 

 dred specimens in the collection of the author. 



Notes on the sitting height in man: R. B. Bean. 

 (By title.) 



. Clinical study as a type of experimental educa- 

 tion: v. 2Sr. Freeman. Psychological research in 

 the field of learning has in recemt years consisted 

 largely of mass studies or studies of groups of in- 

 dividuals. For example, a common method is to 

 compare the effectiveness of two methods of learn- 

 ing by comparing the average score made by a 

 group which pursues one method with the average 

 score obtained by the other method. These aver- 

 ages often conceal important variations from the 

 rule in the case of individuals. It is necessary to 

 make analysis of the factors involved in such cases 

 if the laws of learning are to be completely under- 

 stood. The clinical study of a child afflicted with 

 congenital word-blindness illustrates such an analy- 

 sis. The case was diagnosed as hopeless by a 

 well-known oculist. Difficulty with reading was re- 

 ported in the case of two near relatives. The 

 Binet test and several specialized tests revealed no 

 defect other than the inability to read. Photo- 

 graphs of the eye movements in reading showed 

 serious lack of coordination. In spite of four 

 years of schooling the child had less than median 

 first-grade reading ability. Forty minutes train- 

 ing a day, in which phonics were abandoned and 

 direct practise in comprehension together with 

 the prevention of attention wandering and eye 

 wandering were emphasized, resulted at the end 

 of ten weeks in better than third-grade reading 

 ability and in much better coordinated eye move- 

 ments. 



The concept of feeble-minded, especially the 

 moron: J. E. W. Wallin. Feeble-mindedness is 

 not primarily a medical or psychological concept, 

 but a socio-legal concept, referring to a condition 

 of social and industrial dependency due to intelli- 

 gence defectiveness dating from birth or from 

 early life, and should only be used in this sense. 

 The prac/tise has been very widely followed of con- 

 sidering that the highest grade of feeble-iminded 

 persons develops to an intelligence level of twelve 

 years. The writer's conclusion, based on the in- 

 dividual examination of thousands of subjects, is 

 in complete agreement with the finding of the di- 

 vision of psychology in the army that the highest 

 grades of mental defectives, the so-called morons, 



do not develop beyond an intelligence level of nine 

 years, and that some persons who stagnate at the 

 ninth-year level can not ^be considered feeble- 

 minded. On the basis of the 70 I.Q. standard of 

 feeble-mindedness, and the average intelligence age 

 of the selective service men, the highest intelli- 

 gence level reached by the feefble-minded would be 

 9.2 years. These findings necessitate the complete 

 rejection of the concept of the "middle" and 

 "high-grade morons," and a considerable lower- 

 ing of the borderland region. The borderland re- 

 gion probably must be placed between the upper 

 limit of age seven and the upper limit of age nine 

 or at most ten (by the Stanford scale), instead of 

 between ages ten and twelve. 'In other words, per- 

 sons who reach an intelligence level of ten years 

 should be classified as borderland, backward or 

 dull. The gradual appreciation of the above facts 

 has recently led to the proposal that the concept of 

 feeble-mindedness be extended beyond its tradi- 

 tional connotation of intelligence deficiency, so as 

 to include individuals who are emotionally, tem- 

 peramentally or volitionally defective or unstable, 

 even though they may be normal in intelligence. 

 This extension is unacceptable. Such individuals 

 can not be considered feeble-minded unless they 

 are sufficiently intellectually deficient to be so re- 

 garded, but must be classified otherwise. The term 

 defective delinquents is suggested for emotionally 

 or temperamentally unstable delinquents who are 

 in need of restraint or special care and who are of 

 borderline, backward or normal intelligence — and 

 thus not feeble-minded — ^and who can not be plac&d 

 in a definite, clear-cut class'ification, such as psy- 

 chotic, psychopathic, neurotic, hysterical, choreic 

 or epileptic. 



(To be concluded) 



Edvtaed K. Strong, 



Secretary 



SCIENCE 



A We^y Journal devoted to the Advancement of 

 Science, publishing the <^cial notices and pro- 

 ceedings of the American Association for 

 die Advancement of Science 



Publisbed every Friday by 



THE SOENCE PRE^ 



LANCASTER, PA. GARR^ON. N. Y. 



NEW YQS&i. N. Y. 



Entecetl ia ifae vaU-tSica U Ijnrnm. Pa., n ieaood d«« M— 



