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
During the twenty years which have elapsed since the first
interpretations were set forth there have been modifications of each
hypothesis, in the direction of mutual reconciliation. This has come
about through extended researches by many inquirers, furnishing
additional data.
III. CORRELATION OF ABILITIES IN VARIOUS GROUPS
Some of the significant studies of correlation made since Spearman and
Thorndike proposed their conflicting interpretations, have been cited in
the appended list of references. Two samples of the results of these
studies are herewith presented. The first is from Simpson’s study of
mental tests given to two groups of adults, chosen respectively from the
opposite extremes of competency, as shown by social-economic success.
One group was composed of successful professional educators. The other
was composed of unskilled laborers and unemployed men. The table on page
18 shows how the traits measured cohere among these individuals. The
coefficients are positive, in the majority of cases highly so.
The second sample is from Weglein’s study of standing in school
subjects, among high school pupils.
Bearing in mind that, if no mutual relationship exists among the
abilities considered, coefficients of correlation will approach zero, it
is clear that there is decided positive, but not perfect,
correspondence. The wider the range of competence tested, the greater
the correspondence found. High school pupils (from among whom those
having very little ability for the subject matter taught have already
been eliminated) show smaller coefficients than do the persons measured
by Simpson. If all adolescents in existence were obliged to study the
subjects listed by Weglein, and if the resulting grades were then
correlated, the coefficients would be notably higher than those
recorded.
TABLE FROM SIMPSON
PEARSON COEFFICIENTS OF CORRELATION (CORRECTED FOR ATTENUATION)
Correlations of abilities in two selected groups, and in the two treated
as one group. In the case of each test the heavy-face figure given first
is for the Good and Poor together, divergences being measured from the
median of the 37 individuals. The second figure is for the Good group,
divergences being measured from its median. The third figure is for the
Poor group.
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