Measure Your Mind: The Mentimeter and How to Use ItTrabue, Marion Rex
Science
Measure Your Mind: The Mentimeter and How to Use It
Trabue, Marion Rex
Educational tests and measurements; Intelligence tests; Psychological tests
Only persons who have had the benefit of a fairly complete elementary
school education will succeed very emphatically in this test of ability
to write a composition in the English language. The test may be given to
large numbers of people at the same time just as readily as to a single
individual. The result of the test is, however, a very good index of the
general intellectual capacity of the individual, unless he is
handicapped by lack of familiarity with the language.
The most common use which most of us have for ability at composing in
English is in writing letters to our friends or to those with whom our
business brings us into contact. For this reason, the test consists in
the statement of a condition under which any one of us might find
ourselves and in asking the candidates to write an appropriate letter.
The result is graded into one of five groups, according to its general
quality.
The problem presented to the candidate is fairly complex. First of all,
he must be able to understand the situation described by the examiner
and to appreciate what type of letter would be most appropriate under
these circumstances. He must also be able to write the words which would
express his feelings in the described situation, and in order to make
his feelings clearly understood he should be able to punctuate and
organize his sentences effectively. The result is a useful index of the
general efficiency and maturity of any candidate who has been taught to
write in English.
In industrial life there are many types of positions for which persons
whose ability to compose written English need not be better than
“Inferior,” although there are other positions which would require “High
Average” quality of English composition. The advantage of the following
Mentimeter lies in the possibility it gives of identifying more exactly
just what quality is meant when one speaks of “High Average” composing
ability.
In the public schools the Mentimeter will serve as a crude basis for
classifying the general quality of the compositions written, but for
highly scientific work it would be desirable to secure some form of the
“Hillegas Scale” which is much more exact and well standardized. A very
entertaining evening could be enjoyed by giving this test to a group of
people gathered together for social purposes, especially with a group
which had tired of the ordinary means of entertainment. Reading the
products written should in such a case be entrusted to some one or two
individuals of good reading ability and wise judgment. Frequently the
results would contain very amusing paragraphs.
_Directions for Giving the Test._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account