The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1921-12-05
College FRESHMEN
SCORE WELL IN ARMY
INTELLIGENCE TESTS
Splendid Record Is Made by Fresh.
man Class Of the Kentucky Uni.
versity In Tests Used by U. y.
Army Officials.

The Freshman class at the Univers-
ity OF Kentucky compares favorably In
mentality with officers Of the RAINY.
This Ia the conclusion reached after
applying the Army Alpha Mental
Tests to 275 members Of the Fresh
man class In the College Of Arts and
Cciences at the University OF Ken
lucky, the result OF which have Just
been announced by Doctor ]. B. Miner,
Head fthe Department OF Psychol-
ogy. The survey shows that the Kenr
lucky sctudent group compares favor
ably with those OF state universities
like Ohio and Minnesota. The middle
score OF men nthe Army Alpha Test
shows that Kentucky men score 129.
while the Minnesota men in the Fresh
man class score 1870, and In Ohio State
University the middle score is 129 for
the Freshman class. The average mid
die score in twenty colleges for men
including upper classmen was 1870.
The highest group which has been re-
ported was at Yale where the median
score for Freshmen was 160.
In using the army test for a mental
tug Of war between the sexes, the
women of the class were at disad-
vantage. The series Of tests were de-
vised for men. Nevertheless, 43 per
cent. OF the women of the class dis as
well as the upper so per cent. Of the |
men. In 10 women's colleges the mid
die score Of the women students, in
GLIDING the upper classes who test
higher was 1877.
The most significant fact that
comes out of the inventory of the
stock in trade Of the freshmen
is that the college group as whole is
comparable to the officers in the army
This means much. Nearly tow million
men we're tested In the army. Among
the white men in the draft for the
army. approximately IL per cent. test
ed A or B. Among the officers 81 per
cent. tested A or B, and among the
freshmen group at the University Of
Kentucky rs per cent. 1t is from the
with this high type of abil-
lty that society selects very largely
its officers for civic, business and So
cial life, its executives and leaders.
Such forcible demonstration Of the
high innate ability represented in the
student group should help to make the
college students realize the serious
which they are facing
and for which they are being trained.
In interpreting any particular
score there are number of important
things to be considered, says Doctor
Miner. In the first place no mental
Of this kinds can test ali
of the traints Of an individual which
are socially important. The Army Al
pha test, according to the official
statement about the test says: "All ii
does is to afford reasonably reliable
measure Of one essential quality e.
general intelligence" General intelli-
gence is further explained to mean
the general capacity of an individual
to adjust his thinking to
new requirements; 1t is general men-
tai adaptiability to new problems and'
conditions Of life," In particular, il
may be further said that this series
Of tests does not measure artistic tai
emit mechanical ability, or other val
liable traits which may not be core
lated with general intelligence or
mental alertness.
1t is also rather obvious that any
particular student may not have done
himself justice on this series OF tests
1t the time which he took them. He
nay have been temporarily much be-
oW par, or he NAV have been unus-