Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1910-02-03

,rtorv., ho,yean learning and recall be most ad
yantageousy filed then the arrangement OF the scnoo
program Of studies can be worked out on psychoog
zeal basis and not on less haphazard basis
which seems to be the present plan.
Among other problems in this field OF applied psy
cbology which the department has undertaken or pro
poses To carry out In the future may be mentioned
the following .
l. What are some of the most advantageous condi
tons of learning to spell correctly?
In learning is II better give all OF the time to
study of the subject to be learned or Is 1t bet
ter to devote portion Of the time In the attempt TO
recall material that has already been masteredS
g. Is Il better, In learning, to attempt to memorize
the material by commencing at the beginning and rum
ming through to the end consecutvey ana by repeating
this process until the whole has been mastered or 10
better to part and then another part and so ONT
A. What method of presentation is more advanta
geous In learning? BY this Is meant, specifically. ID
present to the child material to learn orally or
usually is 1t better to present the material stimuli
taneousy successvely-that is should the whole
thing that he is to learn be given at once or Is ne to
study one part and then the next and 80 ONT
In considering the first of these problems II may be
said that results Illinois clearly point to the fact that
method of teaching children to spell by giving the
word q whole and not breaking II up into sylabes
is not the psychological method and that the old method
of syllabicaton with of its obvious faults had dis
tnct advantages Of the extreme methods Of
today.
Apropos the problem It Is clearly established
by experiments Illinois that there is great advantage
in not spending the entire period Of learning study
Ing the material presented but that II of great
advantage spend part OF this time in attempting
recall what has been shown. Train the pupil to look
the page that he Is trying TO memorize for period
and then to turn his gaze away and in his minds eye
recall the printed matter.
1t is generally held by investigators that the best
method Of memorzing is to learn the material by COM
mencng at the beginning and running through the whole
process to the end. The Illinois experiments brought
this fact that In such consecutive learning there are
certain parts that mastered quickly than 9th
and that is advantageous TO go the whdfs
material consecutivey until the easily acquired
material is mastered and then spend time in
learning those parts that difficult and to finally
relearn the whole consecutivey.
Now. in attempting to the fourth question.
experiments have been carried Illinois which show
rather clearly that the most advantageous way pre-
sent material to little children is usually and In
son The for this, in part at least. is because
successive presentation better attention than
simultaneous presentation and that the when SEEM
especially II It Is difficult be better comprehended
than II It is merely heard.
The foregoing account gives statement of Of
the most typical and important experimental nvesga
lions in progress in the psychological laboratory at
the University of Illinois AS has already been said the
main emphasis is being placed upon the psychology Of
learning. specifically technique and economy In
processes of acquisition. At the time ample
scope is given for the theoretical aspects Of the
ject that the field in general may be covered
and that those who wish obtain higher degrees In
subject may find ample opportunity for research in the
direction which interests them most.