May 8, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



667 



ity felt in these students' training? Dr. 

 A. 's influence is lost in homeopathic dilu- 

 tion, which we should be ashamed to coun- 

 tenance. 



The proper degree of concentration 

 needed to produce best results should be 

 possible of determination by the methods 

 of experimental psychology. I understand 

 that something has been accomplished in 

 this line, particularly as regards memory. 

 It is a conunon impression that "cram- 

 ming" does not conduce to permanent ac- 

 quisition. This conclusion is supported by 

 laboratory tests. On the other hand, ex- 

 periments prove that a subject referred to 

 only at long intervals is not well remem- 

 bered. There must be a golden mean be- 

 tween concentration and dilution. For 

 this golden mean we should earnestly strive, 

 and the psychologists should help us to find 

 it.. 



PEINCIPLE OF ATTENTION AND INTEREST 



Taking up more particularly the indi- 

 vidual student in curriculum making and 

 teaching, we should take into account the 

 element of interest. A girl can dance all 

 night with the pleasurable expenditure of 

 several foot- tons of energy (no pun in- 

 tended) . Her back aches if she sweeps the 

 floor, though the muscular energy dis- 

 charged be insignificant. We should avoid 

 a multiplicity of detailed laboratory exer- 

 cises illustrating the same thing. The hum- 

 drum of laboratory repetition kills interest 

 and initiative. Eecognition of the prin- 

 ciple of interest means an elastic curricu- 

 lum, for the interest of one student is not 

 the same as the interest of another student. 



Interest is the basis of attention and of 

 that self-activity which Dr. Jackson* so 



* C. M. Jackson : " On the Improvement of Med- 

 ical Teaching," Science, N. S., Vol. XXXV., p. 

 566 (1912). Also, "Medical Eeseareh and Edu- 

 cation," Science Press (1913), p. 367. 



well discussed before this association two 

 years ago. So important is this element in 

 education that almost any sacrifice is war- 

 ranted which will attain it. In our sopho- 

 more schedule at Minnesota this semester 

 there is provision for six hours of elective 

 work. It has been our custom in the case 

 of conditioned or backward students to 

 compel them to carry the required courses 

 and postpone their electives. The other 

 day a student appeared before the confer- 

 ence committee of the faculty and made a 

 strong plea to be permitted to carry his 

 elective. He said he was interested in that 

 work and would rather postpone one of his 

 regular studies. The committee voted fav- 

 orably on his request; and in my opinion 

 they acted wisely, for his failure to work 

 with serious effort heretofore has been due 

 to lack of interest. I expect him soon to ob- 

 sei-ve that this elective work in which he 

 is now interested is really tied up with all 

 the rest. I expect to see his interests 

 broaden and all of his work improve. 



PEINCIPLE OP RESPONSIBILITY 



Closely related is the principle of stu- 

 dent responsibility. We are interested in 

 work for which we are responsible. This is 

 especially true if we select the work our- 

 selves. A fixed curriculum deprives the 

 student of all responsibility. He becomes 

 a boarder coming in to meals when the bell 

 rings, not a man laboring for his daily 

 bread. If he may choose his subject or his 

 instructor, his interest and responsibility 

 increase. 



Workers in the field of animal psychology 

 tell us that animals carried through a maze 

 never learn how to fibad their way alone. 

 Let us remember this when tempted to 

 help students over difficulties. Our teach- 

 ing and our courses of study must be so 

 planned as to encourage initiative and 

 responsibility. 



