Eight Years.
1. "You know a butterfly?"—"And you know a fly?"—"Are they like one another?"—"Well, in what way are they not alike?"
The same questions are asked about wood and glass, and paper and cardboard. Two comparisons at least must be given correctly.
2. "You can count, can't you?"—"Well, will you count for me backwards from twenty to nothing? Begin 20, 19...."
One error is allowed, but the task must be finished in twenty seconds.
3. "What is missing in this picture?" The child must not be allowed to see the figure in the diagram until he has answered the questions regarding the heads. Otherwise, when shown a head, he may say, being influenced by suggestion, "It has no body." See Fig. 5.
The same question is put for each of the four pictures.
4. "Can you tell me what day it is?"—"And will you tell me the date also?"
The year must be given; three or four days' latitude is allowed in the day of the month.
5. "I am going to say five numbers. Listen and repeat them after me. 5, 8, 2, 9, 1."—"Again, 3, 7, 5, 2, 0."—"Again, 1, 3, 7, 2, 9."
One success suffices.
Nine Years.
1. "Would you like to play shop? You be shopkeeper. I will buy from you this box. It costs twopence." Here the examiner hands the child a shilling. "Now, will you give me change out of this money here?"
In order to give the change the child is provided with one of each of our current coins—sovereign, half-sovereign, crown, half-crown, florin, shilling, sixpence, threepence, penny, halfpenny—and in addition five halfpence and six pennies.
Note.—Binet gives the child a franc for an article valued at 20 sous, and the child has to select his change from the following coins: 8 coins of the value 0 fr. 05, 4 of the value 0 fr. 10, and 1 of each of the others—viz., 0 fr. 25, 0 fr. 50, 1 fr., 2 fr., 5 fr., 10 fr., 20 fr.
2. "What is a fork?"—"What is a table?"—"A chair?"—"A horse?"—"A mamma?"
For a pass three at least of the definitions must be given in a form superior to the "use" type.
3. "What is the name of this coin?"—"And of this?"—"And of this?"
The examiner in this way goes through in irregular order all our current pieces of money. Coins like one another should not be shown in immediate succession.
4. "Will you tell me the names of the months in order?"
One omission or one inversion is allowed to pass.
5. "What would you do if you missed a train?"—"What would you do if one of your playmates should hit you without meaning to do so?"—"What would you do if you broke something belonging to someone else?"
For a pass two at least of these questions must be answered sensibly.
Ten Years.
1. "You see these little boxes. They are not all the same weight. Some are heavy and some are light. Place the heaviest one here, and at its side the one which is a little less heavy, then the one still a little less, and finally the lightest of all."
The boxes in question weigh respectively 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 grammes, and all look the same. They are placed in a pile before the child, and as the examiner gives the directions he indicates with his finger the place he appoints for each box. Three trials should be given, the boxes being mixed after each trial. In order to pass the child must be correct at least twice. The time should not exceed three minutes. The material for the test can be easily made from match-boxes.
2. "Now I am going to show you two drawings. You may look at them for ten seconds, which is a very short time. Then I will ask you to draw them from memory."
For the drawings see Fig. 6. The child is counted correctif he reproduces the whole of one drawing and half the other.
3. "I am going to read you some sentences, each of which contains something foolish. Listen attentively and tell me each time what is foolish."
The examiner reads the sentences impressively, but without any special emphasis on the part the child should comment on. Each time when he finishes he changes his tone, and demands, "What is foolish in that?"
Sentences.—(1) An unfortunate bicycle rider fell on his head and was killed instantly; he was taken to a hospital, and they fear he will not recover.(2) I have three brothers, Paul, Ernest, and myself.(3) The body of an unfortunate young girl, cut into eighteen pieces, was found yesterday on the fortifications. It is thought that she killed herself.(4) There was a railway accident yesterday, but it was not a bad one; the number of dead is only forty-eight.(5) Someone said If I should ever grow desperate and kill myself, I will not choose Friday, because Friday is an unlucky day, and will bring me unhappiness.
Sentences.—(1) An unfortunate bicycle rider fell on his head and was killed instantly; he was taken to a hospital, and they fear he will not recover.
(2) I have three brothers, Paul, Ernest, and myself.
(3) The body of an unfortunate young girl, cut into eighteen pieces, was found yesterday on the fortifications. It is thought that she killed herself.
(4) There was a railway accident yesterday, but it was not a bad one; the number of dead is only forty-eight.
(5) Someone said If I should ever grow desperate and kill myself, I will not choose Friday, because Friday is an unlucky day, and will bring me unhappiness.
Three satisfactory answers are required.
4. "What would you do if you were delayed in going to school?"—"What would you do before taking part in an important affair?"—"Why is a bad action done when one is angry more excusable than the same action done when one is not angry?"—"What would you do if you were asked your opinion of someone whom you did not know well?"—"Why should one judge a person by his acts rather than by his words?"
Three sensible answers must be given.
5. "I am going to read you three words, and I want you to make a sentence and use in it the three words. The words are Paris, fortune, stream."
The expression "make a sentence" must not be further explained, but the instructions may be repeated. The child is given a pencil and paper, and, if necessary, should beurged to write something. For a pass the sentence should be well co-ordinated. At this stage it may contain two distinct ideas, but not three; at the higher level it must contain only one idea (see XII. 2). One minute is the time allowed for writing.
Twelve Years.
1. "Which is the longer of these two lines?"—"And of those?"—"And of those?"—"And of those?"—"And of those?"—"And of those?"
This test is aimed at the suggestibility of the child. For the material see Figs. 8-13. The first three pairs of lines differ in length, the longer being at the right hand; the last three pairs are equal. It is sufficient if the child correctly judges two of the last three pairs to be equal.
2. "I am going to read you three words. I want you to make a sentence and use in it the three words. The words are Paris, fortune, stream."
For directions see XI. 5.
3. "I am going to allow you three minutes, and I want you to say as many words as you can think of. Some children have said more than two hundred. Let us see how many you can do. Ready? Start."
In order to pass the child must say over sixty words.
4. "What is Charity?"—"What is Justice?"—"What is Kindness?"
Two correct responses are required.
5. "Put these words in their proper order and find the sentence which they make."
Three cards are successively presented to the child, on each of which is very clearly written or printed one of the following sets of words arranged in three lines.
(1) For — an — the — at — hour — early — we — country — started.
(2) To — asked — exercise — my — I — teacher — correct — my.
(3) A—defends—dog—good—his—master—bravely.
One minute is allowed for each sentence, and two correct answers are required.
Fifteen Years.
1. "I am going to say seven numbers to you, and I want you to repeat them after me. Now, 5, 2, 7, 9, 1, 6, 0."—"Again, 6, 4, 1, 3, 9, 7, 5."—"Again, 8, 0, 4, 2, 7, 3, 6."
One success suffices.
2. "Do you know the meaning of the word 'rhyme'? Two words are said to rhyme when they have similar endings, such as hour and flower, or candy and dandy. Do you understand? Now, find all the words which rhyme with day."
The child is required to find three rhymes in one minute.
3. "I am going to say some sentences to you, and I want you to repeat them exactly after me. Ready? 'The other day I saw on the street a pretty yellow dog. Little Maurice has stained his nice new apron.'"
The examiner is advised to have ready a series of sentences formed of words easy to understand. He should begin with one somewhat shorter than that suggested, which consists of twenty-six syllables—the length required by Binet at this age.
4. "Here is a picture. Tell me what you see."
At this level interpretation of the picture is required. Mere description of the activities represented is not sufficient.
5. "Listen to what I am going to read to you: A woman was walking through a park in Chicago. Suddenly she stopped, dreadfully frightened. She ran to the nearest policeman and told him she had seen hanging to the limb of a tree"—after a pause—"a what?"
"Again: My neighbour has just received some singularvisitors: one after another a doctor, a lawyer, and a priest called. What is happening at my neighbour's?"
Both problems must be solved satisfactorily.
Adult.
1. "Here is a paper folded in four. Suppose that here" (pointing to a small triangle that has been drawn in the middle of the edge which presents a single fold) "I cut out this little triangle. Now, if I unfold the paper, how would it look? Draw the paper as, it would appear if unfolded and show how and where it would be cut."
The paper is square to begin with, and is folded twice so as to show a square one quarter of the original size. The required drawing will show two diamonds drawn in line with each other, and each in the centre of one half of a square.
2. "Look at this card. Suppose I lift this lower part and place this edge (tracing the edgeA Cwith the finger) on this edge (the diagonal of the upper piece). Suppose also that this point (C) is placed just on this point (B). Now I will take away the piece, and do you draw the whole figure as it will appear when the proposed change is made. Begin by drawing the upper part."
Bisected Square
A right angle must be represented atB, and the edgeA Cbe shown shorter than the edgeA B.
3. "What is the difference between laziness and idleness?"—What is the difference between event and advent?"—"What is the difference between evolution and revolution?"
Two correct answers required.
4. "There are three principal differences between a King and a President of a Republic. What are they?"
Required answer: Royalty is hereditary, the tenure of office is for life, and its powers are very great; the President is elected, his tenure of office is for a limited time, and his powers are less extensive.
5. "Listen to what I am going to read to you. When I have finished I shall ask you to give me the sense of the passage: 'Many opinions have been given on the value of life. Some call it good, others call it bad. It would be more just to say that it is mediocre, for on the one hand our happiness is never so great as we would have it, and on the other hand our misfortunes are never so great as others would have them. It is this mediocrity of life which makes it just, or rather which prevents it from being radically unjust.'"
Directions to Examiners.—In the use of the Binet scale there are various pitfalls that await the beginner. In the first place he is almost certain to array himself on the side of the child and to declare in some instances that the test is not a fair one—the child could have passed had he understood what was wanted. One frequently sees this attitude towards the puzzle test. (V. 5.) For example, the examiner is dissatisfied when the child simply moves the pieces of card about in a meaningless way, and he tries to explain more clearly what is wanted. I have seen one examiner go so far as to show the child the solution, and then give him a pass when he repeated it. The examiner must always remember that a child who has reached the required level of intelligence will himself see what is wanted. This comprehension is indeed the very thing we are testing for.
Secondly, the examiner is apt to show by his manner when he is dissatisfied with a child's answer. In some cases this may lead him to correct himself—e.g., VII. 1. The examiner must bear constantly in mind thatall answers are equally pleasing to him; he is not there to instruct the child, but to test him. When meaningless or absurd responsesare given, as they frequently are, the examiner must accept them cheerfully, even in some cases with praise, and record a failure. The record, of course, must never be visible to the child.
Again, the examiner must not suppose that the scale can be applied mechanically. Both experience and judgment are necessary before the results can be correctly gauged. In certain tests—e.g., the absurdities—a child's manner tells as much as his words. The children on whom I have tried this test nearly always laughed when they really grasped the point. Before he lays much stress on his results an examiner should have tested at least twenty children.
There is another factor which prevents any mechanical use of the scale leading to satisfactory results, and that is the variability of the child's responsiveness. With an unsympathetic examiner, or with an unfortunate start, he will do himself less than justice. It is the business of the examiner to keep the child in that state of mental exhilaration which enables him to do his best. Words of encouragement and praise should in some cases be freely used, but, of course, care must always be taken to avoid, whether in word, tone, gesture, or facial expression, the slightest suggestion of the correct solution. The happy state of mind must be secured at the very beginning, and for this purpose the choice of the first test is very important. I call to mind a bright child of eight who was confronted first with a simple puzzle test. For some reason, probably over-anxiety to do well, she did not see the solution, and being too intelligent not to perceive her own failure, she burst into tears. Such unfortunate accidents are, however, rare. The children usually enjoy the interview.
To secure a good start one must begin with a test which the child will regard as easy and pleasant. One soon knows almost at sight of the child what it is best to try first. One usually begins with tests for an age at least a year younger than that of the little subject, and works upward.
The examiner should be alone with the child except for the presence of someone whose business it is to make notes. In such tests as the description of a picture, the definition tests, the questions of everyday life, the child's full answers should be written down. The examiner should, however, record his own judgment as to whether the child has passed or failedat once, as there are various factors which tend to make an immediate judgment both more certain and more accurate than a delayed one.
So far as the actual testing is concerned, the examiner should confine himself to the words given in the text. He will find himself tempted sometimes "to draw the child out." For instance, in the picture test, when the child has given him a brief enumeration of objects and then stopped, he will find himself saying, "But what is this man doing?" The child can probably tell; but he must not on this account be accorded a pass on the descriptive level; he has already shown that his level is that of simple enumeration.
Some of the tests (definitions, comparisons, suggestion) bring out a tendency to automatism which is present in many children. Thus, a child having replied correctly that a butterfly is bigger than a fly, may go on to state that wood is bigger than glass, and paper than cardboard; or having found that "It is a fork" is well received as a definition of that implement, he may give similar replies to the other queries in the definition test. This automatism should not be checked: it should be recorded. The more intelligent children begin to exhibit a certain dissatisfaction with their own answers, however readily they are accepted.
It is not always easy to follow the working of the childish mind, and it is not usually advisable to press for further explanation. Such a course is apt to puzzle the child, and render the conditions less favourable. If you are not certain that he should be allowed to pass, you may be practically certain that he should not. Sometimes one gets interesting glimpses into the subject's mentality. A little boy oncetold me he had never seen a butterfly. Nevertheless, I asked the comparison question, and he gave what is a very usual answer: "A butterfly is bigger than a fly." "How do you know," I said, "if you have never seen a butterfly?" "It's a bigger word," he replied. Another time a little girl, who also declared she had never seen a butterfly, gave another answer which is also very common: "A butterfly is yellow, and a fly is black." The source of this knowledge was not discovered; but one of my students told me later that a child whom she questioned about a butterfly said: "I have seen one; it was blue, but itoughtto have been yellow." On being asked why, she responded: "Butter is yellow." The test, of course, is not for the knowledge of the things, but for the power of making a comparison. Occasionally one has to mark a child as doubtful. Thus, in defining abstract terms (XII. 4) Binet records that out of forty-five nine-year-old children, four passed, thirty-six failed, and five were doubtful. This test, however, gives an unusually large percentage of doubtfuls.
Method of Marking.—The examiner should have a large sheet of paper or a note-book with the names of the tests written in column at the left-hand side. Opposite each in a second column he should enter a sign indicating his judgment. Binet recommends the use of the following signs: + ! excellent, + pass, + ? almost a pass, ? doubtful, 0 silence,— ? almost a failure, — a failure, — ! a bad failure. Later this record should be supplemented from the notes taken by the secretary, also by information regarding the child's personal history, and by comments on his behaviour during the examination. The mental age assigned to him is determined in this way: one finds the age-level at which he passes all the tests, and adds a year for every five tests that he passes above that level. Thus, if a child of seven passes all the tests for seven years, three of those for eight, and two of those for nine, he has a mental age of eight years. Binet allows the use of fractions, one-fifth of a year forevery test passed, but he admits that this gives an appearance of a degree of exactitude which is probably not attained. Should a child's mental age show a retardation of three years as compared with his chronological age, and should there be no evident explanation of this, such as ill-health, neglect of school attendance, etc., he is reckoned as deficient mentally.
Binet's scale has been criticised from various points of view. Generally speaking, it seems to be found too easy at the lower end and too difficult at the higher end. It seems certain that some of the tests have not yet found their proper level, or, indeed, that the proper level may vary from country to country, from school to school, and from one social rank to another. Thus, the writer has found that practically all the five-year-old children present in a certain school during the past two or three years are able to pass the colour test assigned by Binet to seven years of age. These children, however, probably belong to a higher social class than the five-year-olds tested by Binet. An examiner very quickly learns which of the tests beyond his age it is advisable to put to the particular child he is dealing with, and owing to the method of marking it does not matter much if one or two tests are misplaced with reference to a particular group of children. The important thing is that there is a general consensus of opinion on the part of those who have tried the scale as to its value as a mental probe and register of mental attainment. Revisions and elaborations of it have already been published,[B]but in view of its simplicity and brevity, and the valuable analytical work of which it has proved itself capable, the 1911 form will probably remain a standard for at least some years to come.
For the complete series of tests the examiner will require the following material in addition to the diagrams:
Three suitable pictures.Key, penny, knife. IV. 2.Weights. V. 1 and X. 1.Drawing of square. V. 2.Drawing of diamond. VI. 3.Rectangular card and divided rectangle. V. 5 and Adult, 2.Colours. VII. 5.Cards with mixed sentences. XII. 5.Square of paper. Adult, 1.
Three suitable pictures.
Key, penny, knife. IV. 2.
Weights. V. 1 and X. 1.
Drawing of square. V. 2.
Drawing of diamond. VI. 3.
Rectangular card and divided rectangle. V. 5 and Adult, 2.
Colours. VII. 5.
Cards with mixed sentences. XII. 5.
Square of paper. Adult, 1.
[A]The directions for this test, given in 1908, are to arrange the two triangles so that thehypotenuses are as far distant as possible from one another. In the 1911 article the directions are as above. It seems to the writer that both directions are ambiguous. In certain experiments in which she followed the 1908 directions she placed the triangles thusoblique triangle point up, oblique triangle point down, so that the children had to lift one across the other to effect a solution. A very small percentage of five-year-old children succeeded. If the triangles are placed thusoblique triangle point up, oblique triangle long side downthe task would probably be easier.
[A]The directions for this test, given in 1908, are to arrange the two triangles so that thehypotenuses are as far distant as possible from one another. In the 1911 article the directions are as above. It seems to the writer that both directions are ambiguous. In certain experiments in which she followed the 1908 directions she placed the triangles thusoblique triangle point up, oblique triangle point down, so that the children had to lift one across the other to effect a solution. A very small percentage of five-year-old children succeeded. If the triangles are placed thusoblique triangle point up, oblique triangle long side downthe task would probably be easier.
[B]SeeJournal of Educational Psychology, 1912: "A Tentative Revision and Extension of the Binet-Simon Measuring Scale of Intelligence," by Terman and Child. For an excellent brief review of the experimental work which has been done with the tests, see the same volume, pp. 101-110. The 1911 scale, with detailed instructions for the application of each test, appeared in theBulletin de la Société Libre pour l'Étude Psychologique de l'Enfant, Nos. 70 and 71, April, 1911. This article has been translated by Clara Harrison Town (Chicago Medical Press). See also Meumann,Vorlesungen Z. Einführung in die experimentelle Pädagogik, Leipzig, 1913.
[B]SeeJournal of Educational Psychology, 1912: "A Tentative Revision and Extension of the Binet-Simon Measuring Scale of Intelligence," by Terman and Child. For an excellent brief review of the experimental work which has been done with the tests, see the same volume, pp. 101-110. The 1911 scale, with detailed instructions for the application of each test, appeared in theBulletin de la Société Libre pour l'Étude Psychologique de l'Enfant, Nos. 70 and 71, April, 1911. This article has been translated by Clara Harrison Town (Chicago Medical Press). See also Meumann,Vorlesungen Z. Einführung in die experimentelle Pädagogik, Leipzig, 1913.
For the picture tests Binet used the following:
Fig. 1. Man and boy pulling a barrow with furniture.
Fig. 2. A poor old man and a young woman sitting on a seat outside on a wintry day.
Fig. 3. A prisoner standing on his bed to look out of the window of his cell.
The student should choose pictures which contain familiar figures and objects, and which "tell a story" capable of sympathetic interpretation. They should not be too childish.
The following pictures, all in the Tate Gallery, may be suggested:
The Doctor, by Luke Fildes.The Blind Beggar, by J.L. Dyckmans.The Wedding, by Stanhope A. Forbes.A Hopeless Dawn, by Frank Bramley.The Man with the Scythe, by H.H. La Thangue.
Mark the pictures chosen Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
Fig. 4.Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.Fig. 7.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 8.Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.
Fig. 9.Fig. 9.
Fig. 9.
Fig. 10.Fig. 10.
Fig. 10.
Fig. 11.Fig. 11.
Fig. 11.
Fig. 12.Fig. 12.
Fig. 12.
Fig. 13.Fig. 13.
Fig. 13.