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
“On the whole, the experiment performed by the energetic coöperation of
nearly four thousand university people may be regarded as remarkably
successful for the purposes intended. If for no other reasons, it has
been worth while as a study of a device used already upon nearly two
millions of men engaged as soldiers in the great historic
undertaking—the World War. It has been a means of self-revelation to
many persons on the campus. When the statistics are all worked out in
careful detail we shall obtain new insight into some educational
problems.”
At Hamline University, St. Paul, Minn., the Alpha test was given to 74
men and 145 women, but reports on the results of the test are confined
to 61 men and 145 women. The median for the men tested was 129 and 133
for women. The higher level for women was accounted for by the fact that
there were more seniors and juniors among the women than among the men.
The medians for these two classes of women were 138 and 150
respectively, but for the men in the same classes, 132 and 130
respectively. A somewhat higher standing for women was evident when the
entire series of tests were considered, although the mathematical
problems in the tests were harder for the women.
In questions of practical judgment, disarranged sentences and analogies,
all of which involved nimbleness of wit, the women showed superiority to
the men. In questions of general information, however, the men
established a lead over the women, but of only 2.5 per cent.
Prof. Gregory D. Walcott, who reports the tests at Hamline, is not
convinced that the Alpha tests, designed for military purposes, are the
best for determining the fitness of students for college work. He says,
however, that the degree of correlation obtained in the Hamline tests
indicates that the Alpha tests are of tremendous value.
Intelligence tests are being used at regular intervals at the University
of Rochester. The method of application is described as follows by Louis
A. Pechstein, Professor of Psychology at the University.
“We call our freshmen to the campus a week early. The introductory week
is given largely to lectures on college ethics and problems of study.
During the first day of the week I give all the entrants both the Alpha
and the Otis Group Intelligence tests. The marks and groupings are
turned into the office and, so far as possible, we shall make up several
representative classes of men supposedly of the same general mental
make-up.
“During the first term we shall test the entire student body and then
begin to correlate with teachers’ opinions and grade records. In no
sense are we committed, but we shall try to influence our programme
making and section determination by the testing results. Then I shall
issue a report to each student regarding his standing, apparent strong
and weak processes, and try to help him in his development.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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