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
Differences in the intellectual abilities of people manifest themselves
in three fairly distinct ways: first, in ability to accomplish results;
second, in ability to think clearly about the situations in which they
find themselves; and third, in the feelings which these situations
arouse. Practically all of the tests now available for measuring
educational achievements or intellectual ability are concerned primarily
with the ability to do or to think about situations. This member of the
Mentimeter family is concerned chiefly with the way in which one _feels_
about different types and qualities of poetic expression. The test
cannot be given to illiterate or foreign language speaking persons. It
is planned as a group test of persons who read and understand English
readily.
The test consists of six short stanzas selected from recognized English
poets.[4] Two false versions of each stanza have been prepared and
appear on the same page with the original. The group being examined are
asked to read each version, trying to think how it would sound if read
aloud, and to choose the one which they like “best” and the one which
they consider the “poorest” poetry. The differences between the false
versions and the true in the first set are smaller than the differences
found in the succeeding ones. The score obtained by any individual
therefore depends upon how small a difference he can notice.
Footnote 4:
The Best Version in each set is selected from the writings of
recognized poets:
Set I William Wordsworth in “She Dwelt Among.”
Set II Agnes Millay in “My Tavern.”
Set III Percy Bysshe Shelley in “To——”
Set IV Algernon Charles Swinburne in “Étude Réaliste.”
Set V Edward Coote Pinkney in “Health.”
Set VI James Thompson in “Sunday Up the River.”
Mr. Earl Hudelson contributed the Middle and Poorest Versions for Set
II. One of the present authors is responsible for the mutilated forms
of the other selections. A much more scientific and accurate
instrument for measuring poetic discrimination is being developed by
Prof. Allan Abbott and one of the present authors.
Although this test is very interesting and entertaining its reliability
is not determined and its usefulness is as yet questionable. It
certainly would have no great value in industrial life and only small
importance in public school work; its chief service will be
entertainment in the home and at social gatherings. It is surprising how
poor the judgment of many people is regarding the quality of poetic
products. It would be interesting at social affairs at which this test
is used to make a tabulation of just how many of those present have
selected each different version.
_Directions for Giving the Test._
The examiner should distribute the examination booklets and writing
materials with the following instruction:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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