The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1905-03-03
What the Child Does.

What the Child Does.
After his visit TO The Thompson home
Professor Bolton said in reply to Il
questions: The facts are substantial
Is as published. The child did all he is
reported to have lone and "A good deal
more. We resorted to several devices
TO determine by what means the child
Was able to find The disc called for.
He was first asked TO go and pick a
given disc and it was played for him:
ne was then asked for another m an
other until the Whole list was gone
through with. After q piece had been
llaNed ii Mas placed on the pile again.
This being done the child WAS asked
10 name the discs from the reserve or
under sid upon 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 10 identify In
'his way, showing that some little
',hailce may have entered into the in
qualification. The discs We're then
placed right side up and Il paper laid
over the name. covering fully one-halt
OF the disc and they We're all correctly
named except TWO a sheet of card
board was now laid W the discs
From this had been cut Il section
equivalent TO one-half the circumfey-
tnce and one-half the radius of lhe
discs. thus exposing only one-fourth
OF the disc and that on the side where
'here was no other apparent means of
Identification save the figures made by
me punctureS. In this way he identi-
hed hlne or ten-all that We're shown
HIM. Another cardboard was cut, ex-
posing again one-half of the circunl-
terence and one-half of the a6ius this
lline IL being the inner half of the ra-
dius. The punctures here are much
closer together than further out on
ihe 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
me DISCS was now covered save that
portion bearing the name of title and
me child made four mistakes in ten
Trials: In this the child could be in
uuced TO take interest With much COAX
ing ana only after repeated requests
could AN answer be ex1orted from him.
Relation of Sight and Sound.
"Ihe experiments prove that. al
llcuSh not exclusively. The identiiica-
ton was made through the figures
made by the perforations in the discs
and the outer parts where the perfora-
tlohs are farther apart serve this pur-
pose the better. This conclusion seems
10 ne supported by the general laws
of association. While the music is
being played. the child stands up in a
chat where he can look directly dou.n
the disc. AS the perforations issue
from u set of rollers that hold the disc
IN place. The musical notes cores
bonding TO the p~crforations are heard.
The sight of the disc and tn. sound of
the music make their impression
simultaneously upon the brain OF tho
thild. While he is wrapt in "a state OF
deep interest. These ;,re the condi-
tons under which permanent associa-
tons .i@e always made. Sight and
sound are insep2rably bound together
80 that when one of them is presented.
the other II also come M. The edu-
ratioral significance of this is only too
apparen, 10 the discerning. The fur
iher problem is to associate either the
sound or the sight of the music viii,
the name and consequently of both
With it. Thus it becomes possible fol.
the child hearing the name 10 pick
out the disc or hearing the music to
name the title. The TWO fac
tors III this tina, are of most
interest TO the psychologist are
me extraordinary power OF the
child for registering both sight and
sound lmpreisions of great compleXity
and his faculty for making permanent
associations between them. 1t Is Very
unusual. amounting almos, to q nlys-
terry, for q brain to have such 8 fine
Elasticity and rare retentiveness aa this
tI'iiu pldiu SLoNS. III pSNchO!OXlcR
language this means the powe. of rec
ognition is unusually developed. Per-
haps The most surprising thing is the
easy facility With which the iden1ificn-
ton or 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 oftenei
on account of the inability to speak the
name than of slowness in recognition.
for the child can scarcely talk so that
one u~nacQuainted with him can under
tand.
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
o the usual size for one OF his age:
perhaps his head is slightly above the
acreage in circumference. Baby Lorin
comes Of n good family. His uncle on
his fathers side is president of Ohio
university and one of his relatives on
his mothers side showed unusual abil-
lily as II violiEist. His parents are col
lege bred people who have shown a
g. i-\- fnY. patftru nv. ,.rII g.; -