The herald., 1895-03-24
TO MEASURE THOUGHT
A New Instrument That Tells Wit
Accuracy How Fast You +
Really Think y.

What is claimed to be the most wonders
full timeing instrument in the world was
| exhibited before the members of the de-
part nents of pedagogy and psychology Of
| the Brooklyn Institute OF Arts and Sci.
ences, says the New York World. 1t is
called pendulum chronoscope, and has
excited wide-spre interest in the scien-
| tific world. 1t measures accurately down
to the one-thousandth part of a second.
! and is expected to take the place at once
OF the old-style chronoscopes in scientific
laboratories.
The idea of the instrument was origin
ally. suggested by Professor Charles Bliss,
OF the school OF pedagogy of the New
York University. The machine was made
and perfected by J. J. Hogan, the head OF
the mechanical department of the psy-
Geological laboratory of Yale. a
Professor K. W. Scripture, of Yale, ex-
hibited it during his final lecture ON prae-
tical psychology at the Brooklyn Institute.
1t can be used with the quickne5s of a
stop watch. and neither electrician nor
mathematician is needed to operate the
instrument.
Constructed on the pendulum principle
it measures the reaction time between
| sight, hearing or the operation of the will
in muscular movement. The instrument
is mechanical one with simple electrical
attachments. The speed of a cannon ball
can be determined by the new timer, and
it will tell the lapse of time between the
firing of a revolver and the starting of a
runner, or determine how long it takes y
sparrer to deliver blow.
The new instrument is about two feet
high and is mounted on silver and nickel.
1t cost about 5000 to construct it,
simple description of this new instru-
ment is that it consists OF pendulum
and pointer swinging independently on
the same axle. The tip of the pointer
swings along the face of curved scale Or
indicator which is so graduated that 1t
shows the thousandth of a second.
To measure the time required for the
transmission OF any given impression, IA
button is pressed and this sets the pendu-
lum in motion and registers the result on
the scale.
II has been demonstrated that on an
average the reflex action for sound occu-
pies O. 1870 of second.
In making sight test when the pendu-
lum comes in contact with the pointer a
black shutter is raised from a light disk.
As the disk flashes on his sight the sub
jeot touches the button and the pointer is
at once stopped. 1t has been found that
300 of second is the average time between
the exposure of the disk to the sight and
the pressure of the button.
When test for discri mination is made
the lifting of the shutter may show either
a blue or yellow disk. The button il TO
be pressed by the subject If the disk 10
blue; il it is yellow the button is not to
be touched. Tests show that on an aver
age it requires about .010 of second ad
ditional to discriminate colors.
The Hipp chronoscope is the one that
has hitherto been in use, but it is con
trolled by delicate clock works and is
easily disarranged. .
Professor Scripture maintains that mus
cular movements are in the domain OF
psychology proper. Quickness, steadiness
and accuracy of movements are regulated
by the will, and Professor Scripture said
that students should be trained to be
quick of thought
Baseball, football and other athletic
sports he included in psychology. ''One
of the greatest psychological studies"
he said. WAS the % game Of football asd,a The fae
so many years was because of the bad
effect on the wills of the players of pre-
vious defeats and the conviction Of the
onlookers that that team would be de-
feated