Special talents and defects : $b Their significance for educationHollingworth, Leta Stetter
Science
Special talents and defects : $b Their significance for education
Hollingworth, Leta Stetter
Educational psychology; Educational tests and measurements; Exceptional children
The most common form of color blindness is, however, that in which only
red-green sensations are absent, other colors being distinguishable.
There is no disease present in such cases. The defect is hereditary, and
consists in deviation from the typical in structure of the retina. The
eyes of color-blind persons are as healthy and normal as those of
others, in respect to functions other than acting as receptors for
certain waves of light.
A few cases of blue-yellow color blindness have been reported, these
resulting from pathological causes.
A color-blind child does not, of course, know from his own experience
that he is so. He supposes that everyone sees what he sees, until
informed by test or disaster of his deviation from the usual.
Color blindness seems to bear no relation to intelligence, so that in
drawing where color is used teachers will find a certain percentage of
generally very able children producing absurd results. A color-blind
child with a great gift for drawing, may succeed in etching or in black
and white work of various kinds, as has been shown by the actual rise to
eminence of etchers who are color-blind.
VI. ILLUSTRATIVE CASES
The facts which have been set forth in regard to ability in drawing will
be further illuminated by concrete cases. In Figure 19 we have
reproduced the psychograph of a child in the elementary school, E 1,
showing talent in representative drawing combined with very inferior
intelligence.
E 1 was a pupil in the sixth grade, at the time when this psychograph
was made. She was nearly 14 years old, and therefore distinctly retarded
in school status. In spite of her general incompetence, her drawing
teacher placed her near the top of her grade in native ability to draw.
The child is described as not original. “She can follow better than she
can originate.” “Apparently her talent for drawing is inherited. Her
father is a tailor. He enjoys drawing and lettering. Her mother takes
great interest in the children’s drawings, and an aunt has made
paintings of some interest. An older brother of E 1 is reported as very
good (original and true) in drawing. She has also two younger sisters
and a younger brother who are good in drawing.”
Figure 20 shows a copy of a man’s portrait, done by a 14-year-old boy,
of IQ near 70. This boy was incapable of normal progress through the
school curriculum. Being “left back” repeatedly, he became a truant and
otherwise delinquent. His ability for and interest in drawing are highly
specialized. Figure 21 shows drawings of movement (not copied) by the
same boy.
[Illustration:
FIG. 19.—Showing the psychograph of a stupid child, who has a special
ability in representative drawing. (From Manuel’s _A Study of Talent
in Drawing_. Reproduced by courtesy of The Public School Publishing
Company.)
]
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