The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-04-23
USING YOUR EYES
Do You Think You Can Remember
Everything You See?
THEN TRY THE PICTURE TEST.
Study For Minute a Painting With a
Number of Figures and Objects In II
and Then Endeavor to Describe II
and the Result May Surprise You.

| Seelng is Dellevlng is an olu say
ing which is in fair way to lose it's
force. Modern psychology is proving
by experiments that people do not see
even fraction Of the things they con-
| fidently believe they see.
The picture test was FIRST demon
strated in America at Clark university
| William Stern Of the University of
/ Breslau. At this time two unusually
intelligent children. a boy and a girl
in the upper grammar grades Of the
| Worcester schools were shown sep
arately for the period of a minute n
colored picture entitled the Bauer
stube," giving the interior of n Ger.
man PEASANTS home. Among other
details is seen table at which a man
and boy are seated, while woman
is standing
The man has removed his coat. and
his bright red vest is clearly exposed
to view. The boy is sitting on bench.
his bare feet not quite touching the
floor The woman wears a brilliant
red skirt, over which is bue-green
apron. She has a yellow shawl over
her shoulders
Near by is n cradle of the same
striking blue-green as the apron. At
the rear of the room is q bed and over
it hang three pictures. These pictures
depict landscapes, and in one is
long avenue of trees. At the foot of
the bed is q window through which
nothing is visible except a branch of Il
| tree Near the window is clock with
the pendulum swung to one side The
hands point to exactly half past II.
All Of the details of the picture are ex-
tremely clear.
The children examined by Stern had
an opportunity in the minute allowed
| for the examination of the picture to
| study it In some detail They knew
that they were to he tested immedi-
| ately on what they had seen Had
not the audience that witnessed the
demonstratfGae been able TO follow the
details of the testimony by means of
reproduction of the picture thrown
by lantern on Il screen Mt the back
Of the children they would have been
impressed with The remarkable clear
ness and apparent accuracy of the
testimony, particularly with reference
to n certain cupboard which both tes-
tilted stood ne + the bed,
This cupboard was described mi
nutely with substantial agreement as
| to the details The fiction OF the cup
board was developed by few sug
gestive questions iugeniously put, such
as the following: "ls there a cup
board In the room?" Crhe reply was
"Yes.D where is it?" How many
drawers does 1t haveT'
Professor COlvin of the University of
Illinois, writing in the Independent
says that lie has carried on the same
experiment with y score OF subjects,
both adu'!s and children, and has not
found enc who could give complete
ly accurate description of what he
had seen. even in the direct testimony,
while under the influence OF the ques.
tions the witnesses have all shown
extensive classification in one or more
particulars.
Scarcely two witnesses have agreed
as 10 the time of the clock; some have
clearly Indicated by the position OF
the pendulum; several have described
the shoes of The boy in detail The Is
barefooledD; four have seen the cup
board; several have said that the lawn
Is visible through the window and
have cinheliSlied 1t with fountain and
shrubs: some have seen road wind
ing beyond the lawn and lined with
an avenue of trees, taken bodily from
one of the pictures OH the wall; non.
existent tablecloth has been described
as torn, The woman's apron has been
given all the colors of the rainbow,
out seldom the right one: the sleeves
of the mans coat, nowhere visible,
have been described as worn at the
generally been overlooked. But, most
remarkable of all. the entire twenty
witnesses have taken their oaths that
the cradle is not blue, but red or a
reddish brown.
The results OF this picture test are
all the more remarkable when we re-
member that the witnesses in this eX-
pertinent are IN much more advan-
tageous position for giving an aeon
rate report than are the witnesses of
ordinary events In trials In court the
witness is ordinarily called upon TO re-
late what has occurred only after a
considerable lapse of time. Mean.
while he is subjected to various ques-
tions, often by Interested persons. He
talks about the occurrence with neigh
bors and friends. and then he is placed
on the witness stand with the injunc.
tion to tell the truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth Under
such circumstances the wonder Is that
there is any resemblance between the
testimony and the actual facts.