The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-03-02
What the Child Does.

Christian Soldier" etc, that may be
asked for.
What the Child Does.
After his visit to the Thompson home
Professor Bolton said in reply to a
question The facts are substantial
ly as published. The child did all he is
reported to have done and a good deal
more. We resorted to several devices
ITO determine by what e the child
was able to find the disc called for.
lie was first asked to go and pick q
given disc and 1t was played for him;
ne was then asked for another and an
other until the Whole list was gone
through with. After a piece had been
played it was placed on the pile again.
This being done the child was asked
TO name the discs from the reserve or
unde side upo Which no name was
printed. OF the nineteen he named
eleven correctly. Among the eleven
We're several that he had not been able
on previous occasions to identify in
this way, showing that some little
chance may have entered into the in
dentification. The discs We're then
placed right side up and a paper laid
over the name, covering fully one-half
OF thed disc and they We're all correctly
named except tWo. A sheet of card
board was now laid over the discs.
From this had been cut q section
equivalent to one-half the circuInfer-
ence and one-half the radius Of the
discs, thus exposing only one-fourth
of the disc and that on the side where
lilere was no other apparent means of
identification ave the figures made by
llle puictures. In this way he identi-
ned nine Or ten-all that were shown
MN. Another cardboard was cut, ex-
posing again one-half of the circum-
terence and one-half of the radius, this
elnle lt being the inner half of the ra-
dlus. The ~punctures here are much
closer together than further out on
the. disc and the child showed greater.
hesitation and more reluctance towards
answering. However, he made two
mistakes in nine trials and afterwards
corrected one of them. The whole of
inc discs Was now covered save that
portion bearing the name of title and
the child made -four mistakes in ten
Trials. In this the child could be in
uuceo toztake interest With much COAX
lns ana only after repeated requests
could an answer be extorted from him.
Relation of Sight and Sound.
The experiments prove that, al
tiloush not exclusively, the identifca-
ton was made through the figures
made by the perforations in the discs
n the outer parts Where the perfora-
ions are farther apart serve his pur-
pose the better. This conclusion seems
TO be supported by the general laws
OF association. While the music is
being played, the child stands up in a
chair where he can look directly down
the disc. AS the perforations issue
from q set of rollers that hold the disc
IN place, the musical notes cores
PoHdlng TO the perforations are heard.
The sight of the disc and the sound of
the music make their impression
simultaneously upon the brain of the
child, While he is Wra ut in aEstate of
deep interest. These, are the condi-
tons under which permanent associa-
tons a.e always made. Sight and
sound are ~lnseparably bound together
SO that when one Of them is presented.
the other must also come up. The edu-
catlonal significance of this is only too
apparent to the discerning. The fur
ther problem is TO associate either the
sound or the sight of the music with
the name and consequently of both
with it. Thus it becomes possible for
the child hearing the name to pick
out the disc or hearing the music to
name the title. The two fac
tors in this that are of most
interest to the psychologist are
the extraordinary power OF the
child for registering both sight and
sound Impressions of great complexity
and his faculty for making permanent
associations between them. 1t is very
unusual, amounting almost to a mys-
Terry, FOR a brain to have such a fine
Elasticity and rare retentiveness as this
child's brain shows. III psychological
language this means the power Of rec
ignition is unusually developed. Per
haps tie most surprising thing is the
easy facility with which the identifca-
ton OF recognition is made. There is
no critical examination when a disc
is presented: a furitive glance is often
enough for the child to speak the title.
When hesitation is shown it is oftener
on account of the inability to speak the
anne than of slowness in recognition,
for the child can scarcely talk so that
one u~aacquainted with him can under
stand.
Child Not a Freak.
THE child shows none of the signs
of freakishness that often characterize
number prodigies or the stigmata of
weakness that the musical genius pre-
sents. He is a healthy, normal child
about thetusual size for one Of his age:
perhaps his head is slightly above the
~a.erage7in circumference. baby Lorirl
comes of a good family. His uncle on