Human Traits and their Social SignificanceEdman, Irwin
Philosophy
Human Traits and their Social Significance
Edman, Irwin
Social psychology
In speed of naming colors and sorting cards by color and
discriminating colors as in a test for color blindness 24
In finding and checking small visual details such as letters 33
In spelling 33
In school "marks" in English 35
In school "marks" in foreign languages 40
In memorizing for immediate recall 42
In lowness of sensory thresholds 43
In retentiveness 47
In tests of speed and accuracy of association 48
In tests of general information 50
In school "marks" in mathematics 50
In school "marks" (total average) 50
In tests of discrimination (other than for color) 51
In range of sensitivity 52
In school "marks" in history 55
In tests of ingenuity 63
In accuracy of arm movements 66
In school "marks" in physics and chemistry 68
In reaction time 70
In speed of finger and arm movement 71
The most important characteristic of these differences is their
small amount. The individual differences within one sex so enormously
outweigh the differences between the sexes in these intellectual
and semi-intellectual traits that for practical purposes the sex
difference may be disregarded. So far as ability goes, there could
hardly be a stupider way to get two groups alike within each group
but differing between the groups than to take the two sexes. As is
well known, the experiments of the past generation in educating
women have shown their equal competence in school work of elementary,
secondary, and collegiate grade. The present generation's experience
is showing the same fact for professional education and business
service. The psychologists' measurements lead to the conclusion
that this equality of achievement comes from an equality of natural
gifts, not from an overstraining of the lesser talents of women.[1]
[Footnote 1: Thorndike: _Educational Psychology_, briefer course, pp. 345-46.]
That is, so far as experiments upon objectively measurable
traits have been conducted, the specific differences that
individuals display have comparatively nothing to do with the
fact that an individual happens to be a man or a woman.
These experiments have been conducted with boys and girls
as young as seven, and with men and women ranging up to the
age of twenty-five.[2]
[Footnote 2: There seems, as might be expected to be, a slightly
higher differentiation between the two sexes after adolescence
than before.]
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