Journal of Educational Psychology

Thurstone, L. L.

doi: 10.1037/h0075524pmid: N/A

In the construction of scales under the general direction of Thorndike one assumption appears which can be proved to be invalid. This is that when the distributions of abilities of several grades are plotted on a common base line or scale, their spreads or S.D.'s will be equal. By appealing directly to the data which Trabue used in the construction of his language scales, the writer is able to show that the standard deviations increase in size from the second to the twelfth grades, the latter being twice as large as the former. By means of a formula derived by him Thurstone corrects for the differences in variations and thus projects the elements of the test upon a true scale. He is thus enabled to explain the wide gaps occurring between elements of the scale which appeared in the upper grades and show consistency in the results where before there was inconsistency. He calls his method "absolute" because it "is independent of the unit selected for the raw scores and of the shape of the distribution of the raw scores."

Zyve, D. L.

doi: 10.1037/h0072258pmid: N/A

After making a careful analysis of the characteristics required for the prosecution of successful work in science, tests are constructed which try out the most important of these aptitudes. Some of these tests are concerned with clarity of definition, suspended vs snap judgment, experimental bent, discrimination of values in selecting and arranging experimental data, detection of fallacies and contradictions, reasoning, etc. The tests were tried out upon scientific and non-scientific students as well as upon members of the faculty. Clear-cut differences are found between the scientific and the non-scientific. Estimates of the scientific possibilities of students were made by their instructors and correlations made between the tests and these estimates. The tests predicted well (r=.74). Moreover, these tests of scientific aptitude correlated low (r=.13) with the Terman Group Test. Correlations were also computed with school marks of both the scientific students and the non-scientific. In brief, the validity of the test is represented by an r of .82 and its reliability by an r of .93.

De Weerdt, E. H.

doi: 10.1037/h0073097pmid: N/A

Forty-nine children of Grade V were practiced for eleven days in several tests: substitution, addition, reading, cancellation, multiplication, same-opposite and multiplication by substitution. The total practice time for the tests varies from 13 minutes for the same-opposite test to 55 minutes for the addition and multiplication. The percentage of improvement ranged from 323 with reading to 37 with addition. Initial scores correlated from––.22 to .78 with improvement, the .78 being reading. The correlations between initial scores and final scores were much higher, with a variation between .68 and .93, the latter being reading. The ten scores initially highest were compared with the ten initially lowest, showing in general a much higher percentage of improvement for the initially highest. But there were large differences among the tests. There is a small correlation between improvement and scores on an intelligence test, scattering all the way from––.07 for cancellation to .56 for reading. One conclusion is that general intelligence tests do not foretell the improvement in specific functions and that we can discover the rate of improvement in specific traits by short periods of practice.

Fritz, M. F.

doi: 10.1037/h0074440pmid: N/A

Fifty statements were taken from the Encyclopedia Medica and arranged so that there were an equal number of true statements and of false statements. 62% were marked true and 38% false. Informing the student of this tendency will probably not eliminate the difficulty.

Fisher, V. E.

doi: 10.1037/h0070242pmid: N/A

A substitution test "was used wherein the individuals were required to write certain digits in geometrical characters arranged in horizontal rows, mixed order, on regular-sized sheets of paper." The characters consisted of an equilateral triangle in two perspectives, a square, a diamond and a U-shaped figure. Data were collected from about an equal number of male and female subjects, from age 9 to adulthood, there being from 13 to 30 at each age. There is a fairly uniform rate of improvement in the girls from 9 to 13 and in the boys from 9 to 14, after which ages there are losses in efficiency. Boys are superior at ages 9, 10, 14, and 15, while girls are superior at ages 12, 13, and 16. There is a tie at age 11.

Ordway Rugg, Harold

doi: 10.1037/h0065839pmid: N/A

Reviews the book The Improvement of Reading by Arthur I. Gates . Careful research in diagnosing and remedying the unhappy results of the present methods of teaching reading has resulted in this new book of Mr. Gates'. The program of diagnosis and remedy with it, its nature and characteristics is clearly set forth in the book. Mr. Gates' work is a significant achievement in the scientific study of learning in one school subject. Within this field, it is the most practical program which has yet been made. However, in this reviewer's judgment, it is a scheme of devices, either for remedy or instruction, and not a "method" of teaching reading. Emphasis is placed upon skills and specific abilities with the view that mastery of these will bring about all the attitudes of interest and desire which attend the learning of reading. It is safe to say that no method is adequate which stresses the intellectual goals almost exclusively and which either sacrifices the emotional goals or expects them to emerge afterward.

Ordway Rugg, Harold

doi: 10.1037/h0063701pmid: N/A

Reviews the book Psychology of the Kindergarten-primary Child by L. A. Pechstein and F. Jenkins . A simple, non-technical, reliable, but not unusual treatment of some of the general facts of the psychology of the kindergarten-primary child is followed by a separate section dealing with specific applications to practical schoolroom situations. On the whole, the first section of the book is superior to the second section, which is too brief and general in nature to offer a rich variety of suggestions for the teacher in need of them. However, the book should be a real contribution to teacher-training classes, and may well form a part of any kindergarten-primary teacher's professional equipment.

Ordway Rugg, Harold

doi: 10.1037/h0068336pmid: N/A

Reviews the book Mental Tests in Clinical Practice by Wells . Dr. Wells' comprehensive treatment of the subject of test administration meets the examiner's need for supplementary suggestions in regard to testing which are not to be found in the separate test manuals. He not only presents his own opinion upon controversial points but summarizes the view-points of other leading psychologists as well. The book is designed for the use of students preparing to administer or to supervise the administration of tests in clinics. After presenting briefly his method of approach, points of view fend opinion as to the place of tests in clinical practice, the author discusses general examination methods from three points of view: (1) The surroundings of the examination. (2) The attitude of the person examined. (3) The conduct of the examination itself. Throughout the book the reader feels the need for further research work to support or refute the opinions expressed.

Ordway Rugg, Harold

doi: 10.1037/h0066159pmid: N/A

Reviews the book The Relation between Early Language Habits and Early Habits of Conduct Control by Ethel B. Waring . Education in the past has operated on the assumption that language stimulation is potent in the control of child behavior. The spoken approval of the adult, it was supposed, served to aid the child in selecting and generalizing his experience. The author of this monograph has made a rather thorough historical study of the problem, followed by an experimental attack upon it. The book does throw some added light on the psychology of learning, and should serve as an impetus to further investigation.

Ordway Rugg, Harold

doi: 10.1037/h0065136pmid: N/A

Reviews the book Education and the Integration of Behavior by Meredith Smith . This study is remarkable in that it not only sets up a reconciliation between philosophy and science but also actively integrates a fundamental viewpoint in modern educational philosophy with the most recent findings of science. No one who is interested in the theories or practices of modern progressive education can afford to overlook this study. It offers a real contribution to "the child vs. the curriculum" controversy in its analysis of experience interpreted as an integrative process of an organism and environment.