March 7, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



223 



recommendation concerning them to the 

 medical offcer. It was also believed that 

 psychologists could assist neuro-psychi- 

 atrists in the examination of psychotic in- 

 dividuals. The proposed role of the psy- 

 chologist then was that of assistant to the 

 army surgeon: the actual role, as a result 

 of demonstration of values, was that of ex- 

 pert in scientific personnel work. 



In interesting contrast with the original 

 purpose of mental examining, as stated 

 above, stands the following account of the 

 purposes actually achieved by this service : 

 (1) The assignment of an intelligence 

 rating to every soldier on the basis of sys- 

 tematic examination; (2) the designation 

 and selection of men whose superior in- 

 telligence indicates the desirability of ad- 

 vancement or special assignment; (3) the 

 prompt selection and recomjiiendation for 

 development battalions of men who are so 

 inferior mentally as to be unsuitable for 

 regular militarj' training; (4) the pro- 

 vision of measurements of mental ability 

 which shall enable assigning officers to 

 build organizations of uniform mental 

 strength or in accordance with definite 

 specifications concerning intelligence re- 

 quirements; (5) the selection of men for 

 various types of military duty or for spe- 

 cial assignments, as for example, to mili- 

 tary training schools, colleges or technical 

 schools; (6) the provision of data for the 

 formation of special training groups within 

 the regiment or battery in order that each 

 man may receive instruction suited to his 

 ability to learn; (7) the early discovery 

 and recommendation for elimination of 

 men whose intelligence is so inferior that 

 they can not be used to advantage in any 

 line of military service. 



Although it originally seemed that psj'- 

 chological examining naturally belonged in 

 the Medical Department of the Ai-my and 

 would there prove most useful, it sub- 



sequently became evident that tliis is not 

 true because the service rendered by psy- 

 chological examiners is only in part med- 

 ical in its relations and values. In the 

 main its significance relates to placement 

 and its natural affiliation is with military 

 personnel. For practical as well as logical 

 reasons it would doubtless have been wiser 

 liad the service of the Division of Psychol- 

 ogy been associated from the first with 

 that of the Comjnittee on Classification of 

 Personnel in the Army, so that the psy- 

 chological as w-ell as occupational, educa- 

 tional and other important data might 

 have been assembled by a single military 

 agency and promptly rendered available 

 for use in connection with the assignment 

 of recruits. Thus also the organization of 

 a special branch of the General Staff or of 

 a Personnel Section of the Adjutant Gen- 

 eral's Office to de-al ^nth varied problems 

 of military personnel might have been 

 hastened and otherwise facilitated and the 

 utilization of brain pmver as contrasted 

 with man power in the ordinary sense 

 rendered more satisfactory early in the 

 emergency. 



Methods of Measuring Intelligence. — The 

 committee of psyeliologists originally or- 

 ganized to prepare and test methods of 

 psychological examining for the army 

 promptly decided that it would be desir- 

 able to examine all recruits in order to 

 provide an intelligence rating for every 

 soldier. This decision necessitated the de- 

 velopment of methods which could be ad- 

 ministered to relatively large groups and 

 in addition the selection of procedures 

 which could be used for the more careful 

 examination of individuals. 



!Mo.st of the methotls which were recom- 

 mended to the military authorities in the 

 summer of 1917 have since that time been 

 repeatedly revised and improved in the 

 light of results. The procedures finally 



