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
“_Attention!_ Watch _this_ man (pointing to demonstrator). _He_
(pointing to demonstrator again) is going to do _here_ (tapping
blackboard with pointer) what _you_ (pointing to different members of
group) are to do on your _papers_ (here E. points to several papers that
lie before men in the group, picks up one, holds it next to the
blackboard, returns the paper, points to demonstrator and the blackboard
in succession, then to the men and their papers). Ask _no questions.
Wait_ till I say ‘Go ahead!’”
In general, when instructing the group to turn from test to test, E.
holds up a Beta blank before group and follows his own instructions as
he gives them. As soon as he has turned to desired test or page he says,
“This is test X _here_; look!” (Pointing to the page.)
To suggest to the group the necessity of working rapidly the
demonstrator, after proceeding very deliberately with the early samples
of each test, hurries as soon as he has worked out the last sample
problem.
(1) to record his response as fast as he can,
(2) then to catch E.’s eyes for approval and
(3) finally, to slip away from blackboard, drawing curtain as he does
so.
After the personal data called for on page 1 of blank have been gathered
and recorded, the orderlies’ vocabulary in Beta is rigidly restricted to
the following words, or their literal equivalents in Italian, Russian,
etc.: _Yes_, _No_, _Sure_, _Good_, _Quick_, _How many?_ _Same_, _Fix
it_. Under no circumstances may substitutional explanations or
directions be given.
TEST 1—MAZE
“Now turn your papers over. This is Test 1 _here_ (pointing to page of
record blank). Look.” After all have found the page, E. continues,
“Don’t make any marks till I say ‘Go ahead.’ Now _watch_.” After
touching both arrows E. traces through first maze with pointer and then
motions the demonstrator to go ahead. Demonstrator traces path through
first maze _with crayon_, slowly and hesitatingly. E. then traces second
maze and motions to demonstrator to go ahead. Demonstrator makes one
mistake by going into the blind alley at upper left-hand corner of maze.
E. apparently does not notice what demonstrator is doing until he
crosses line at end of alley; then E. shakes his head vigorously, says
“No—no,” takes demonstrator’s hand and traces back to the place where he
may start right again. Demonstrator traces rest of maze so as to
indicate an attempt at haste, hesitating only at ambiguous points. E.
says “Good.” Then, holding up blank, “Look here,” and draws an imaginary
line across the page from left to right for every maze on the page.
Then, “All right. Go ahead. Do it (pointing to men and then to books).
Hurry up.” The idea of working fast must be impressed on the men during
the maze test. E. and orderlies walk around the room, motioning to men
who are not working, and saying, “Do it, do it, hurry up, quick.”
At the end of 2 minutes E. says, “Stop! Turn over the page to Test 2.”
[Illustration: Test 1]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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