The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-07-21
IT is NOT A MIND READER.
But He Claims That 1t Will Accu
rately Record the Intellectual
Capacity of an Individual
How 1t Operates.
REpUBILC SPECIAL.

defects ana TeCtiuS tIft Va
people. 1t is an interesting machine. Pro-
lessor Seashore thus describes it interest
ingiy:
BY Professor Carl E. Seashorc.
II have in this machine an instrument
that will be of great value in aiding em-
ployers in testing the capacity of those who
apply for work l can also decide in short
time any bets or discussions between two
persons as to which is the sharper, the
brighter or the more accurate.
can tell what scholar Is the bright
est. what pupil is the earnest plodder.
what one II quick hut unreliable.
In short, the psychergograph will test the
power OF the individual and compare the ca
pacity of many persons TO do certain kinds
Of work specified. to associate ideas, 10 de-
velop mental working power with age and
to perform many other mental acts and
services.
The instrument is the only one of its kind
1t Is the fruit of three years study in the
psychological laboratory of the University
OF Iowa My attention was drawn some
time ago to the need Of some instrument
to measure scientifically the amount, dura-
ton and quality of mental action under
given conditions. The machine may hence
be said to be primarily a psychological in
strument. as it was invented by me for use
in the classroom and laboratory, rather
than for any OF the other uses that have
developed beyond my first expectations The
present model Is the fourth which l have
made, and / shall probably make another
model as soon as l have time, containing
q few improvements.
which have made on school children with
the instrument. With some graJnmar-school
pupils who were well known to a teacher,
who had been with them for over year,
DuS who were unknown 10 fret
pertinent was held. The dullest pupil in
the room was sent first to the machine
His First Experience.
thought, of course, that the teacher
would first send me one of her brightest
charges, and was disappointed when I
looked at the tape to find that the subject
most every particular. The teacher laughed
when I told her what the subject was good
for We found that my experiments gave
the characteristics of a child much better
that the teacher was able TO describe them
onhand. One or two surprises were noted,
but the teacher told me subsequently that
the pupils seemed to be justifying my esti-
l have tried the psychereograph on the
pupils Of the Iowa City schools, the Des
Moines schools, the Nevada schools and
students of the university.
The f0strument is called the psy-
cherGcgraph because IL produces
graphic records of mental work.
Suppose you wish to determine the rela-
tive capacity of two individuals for doing
certain kinds of mental work or you wish
TO determine the development of mental
working power with age, or you desire to
gauge your brightness" under certain con-
ditions. In all Such cases there is need OF an
instruments by which to measure the
amount. the duration, the quality and other
characteristics Of the specified mental work
under given conditions. The psychergograrh
has been invented for this purpose.
What the Machine Is Like.
Thu raj isis nf frun IN
looks like plain typewriter; the other re-
eembles the graphic recording apparatus on
a telegraph instrument. Suppose We W sh
to measure the power of active attention to
voluntary action in a given act. The per-
son to be studied seats himself I'm front of
the instrument, just as in typewrlting. Four
fingers are placed upon as many keys, each
key being labeled with a word, a picture, e.
color or one Of many other designs. TIE
combinations to be worked out with the
psyehergograph are endless, and l have
just begun to perfect many Of them.
We will suppose that the keys are la
spectively. One Of these colors will be seen
In slot just In front of the two middle
keys as the operator sits down to write
The person about to be studied gets quite
responding to the color seen in the front.
The color at once changes by electrical ac-
ton. and the student presses the color k Y
corresponding to the color then seem. y Is
10 continued as long as the person desires.
As the response to touching the keys IL
electrical, the person stua!ed gets no re t
from the time he beg rs. He must pay I'M
broken attention to the change of the sig
nal. and be In constant action
How Records Are Made.
The recording part OF the apparatus IS
connected electrically with the keys. 1t is
placed facing or at right angles to the writ
ing part. SO that the person studied cannot
see the tape as 1t comes out, and be dis
turbed thereby. A continuous tape of paper
issued from the machine hy ,.1n Ryynrts
keeps the record of the experiments. Tfe
amount of work done. the time required,
every huctuation in the action of the OPP
orator are shown on this tape. There are
1--WE fingers each holding a graphite point:
movement inside the machine and makes a
jog In the paper mark every quarter OF d
second. The other four fingers CORE spo I'd
with the four keys of the typewriting part
Every time the student lags. makes an un-
duly quick movement. makes mistake or
does anything at all with the instrument
the tape viii record 1t. The mis- axes are
perfect tape run through slowly, SO as to
have Il correct
The ability to do work recurring continu-
ous mental action is one of the hardest
things to acquire In school days. Often it
Is not acquired In college days and has to
be acquired in active business. Sometimes
1t Is not acquired at all. All these cases
are detected with the use of the psychereo-
graph. Many school children need to culti
vate this ability to do mental work con-
tinuouely. and II is a great help to them to
have their need OF attention TO this pointed
out to them by one of the experimenters
with this machine.
Not . Mind Reader.
. have had considerable trouble in getting
the older students, such as those attending
the university. to be experimental upon.
They are afraid the machine will find out
the Utmost thoughts that they wish to keep
hidden.
One Of the girls whom 1 wished to
experiment with was very particular
t. Inquire just how much that she
knew the machine would take from
her and how much il would leave
her.
find out something that she wanted to keep
secret and made me promise faithfully that
would not tell a certain girl and Il certain
young man anything that she told by ex-
perimenting with the machine. l promised
faithfully, and have not had occasion to
break my word I really could not have
done so IL had desired. as the machine Is
simply q recorder OF mental work done. and
not mind reader: merely n faithful serv-
ant that records qualities of mind action,
and not what is on the mind.
) have been bothered somewhat OF late
by persons asking so many questions about
my machine. do not claim for IL the power
OF determining everything about the quail
ity at time. The powers of attention, dis
examination. perception. sensation and vol
untary action can be correctly determined
by 1t.
The psychergograph gives valuable results
in anthropologicai studies where the men-
tn powers of one people are to be compared
with others. Ii is invaluable in the study
Of children with q view to experimenting
their education.
: IN IL hope Of settling by ft the
a. AAA