The evening world., 1919-10-06

hpIut OlAtA OtthRoeVhs
There has always been n popular
,tdea that ability 70 be a good carpen-
der, or a plumber. a machinist or a
>ooklSeeper depended upon some very
special physical characteristics. All
Scientihc research has tended to
prove that the ability TO do anything
Eell and be successful at any voca-
ZION depends largely upon the inter-
Rst in that particular line together
With sufficient mental ability to per-
form the task. Interest in the work
is based largely upon social inheri-
tance and immediate environment
There Is no mental or physical char
acteristac among average people
which is one half as important in
determining their success In work AZ
the conditions which summoned them
snd thereby determine whether or
not they want 70 make good. Two
men may have every physical and
mental attribute the same. but n one
u Single with no dependents and the
other has a wife and three children
5hey cannot be considered as equal
candidates for a position.
Considering those facts. all that
may be expected OF mental tests is 10
determine with a fair degree of ac-
curacy whether or not a person has
the necessary mental qualifications
for certain vocations. General intel
ngence is not q single mental ohar-
acteristio. n is made up OF a num-
Der OF moro or less special mental
utilities. A person whose general in
telligence might be considerably
above average as shown by a scale,
might do very poorly in one or two
OF the separate tests OF the scale.
some people have a good memory
for names. others for facts; still 9TH
crs are poor in language but good in
mathematical reasoning.
In order 10 determine which type
Of mind In best suited for certain
vacations II Is first necessary TO dis
cover what type OF mind has proved
successful in the vocations in ques-
ton. This can only be done by CIV
ing tests 10 n considerable number OF
people who are successful in that
particular work and to others who
have tried this work and been un-
successful. BY this method those
tests which seem TO give high COR
relation with ability in the vocation
under consideration may be dlscov-
cred. These tests can then be tried
on people OF unknown ability TO see
whether they had those same mental
attributes. OF course. II the people
who had tried thH particular vocation
and failed through apparent mental
unfitness also made a high score on
these particular tests the value of the
tests would be discounted. A test OF
patton or profession should be
standardized on the same basis as n
trade test for a special trade. All
experts in that occupation should
pass with a high score and all proved
failures should have low score.
Perhaps the most intensive work in
this field in America has been car
ried on at the Bureau OF Salesman
ship Research at the Carnegie Insti-
tute OF Technology. Experiments for
many vocations are now being under
taken at this institution. and results
may be expected which will be a big
step In scientific vocational dlrec-
lion.
All occupations may be divided into
general groups which have certain
interests In common. Some people
are especially interested in mochan-
ica, others in business: still Others
are Interested in sports and outdoor
life and again there are minds which
run 10 literature and art. Tho voca-
ton chosen should follow this natu
raj interest as much as possible,
BY the uso OF a test OF general IN
formation such as shown in the TWEEN
~ questions given below. II is posi-
bile to detect the particular field u
which a person Is best informed. Fo
purposes of actual vocational iirec
tion the test would have TO be mucl
longer and cover very specific lines
Present Developments in the perfec
tion Of the human measuring TOOL
give promise OF more scientific meth
o-ls OF vocational direction then hay,
s5er been available through any othe
method.
GENERAL INFORMATION TEST
The following questions, designe
20 test your range OF interest in
wide scope Of knowledge, can each b
answered with a single word.
Examples:
A. What is the. tallest building 4
the United States? Ans. Woolworth.
b, Who wrote The Star -6pangle
hAhner?' Ans. Key.