Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-17


not mirror this same generosity and
desire for self -immolation. When con-
fronted with a fault he shifted the
blame to some on else. He continually
begged and teased for privileges. He
Joined the Scouts and was usually a
center of trouble, for he liked to create
disturbance rather than take part In
the activities. He loved to attract at
tention to himself by his antics"
Application of the developmental test
furnished the explanation OF this bright
but rather obnoxious boy. He had a
developmental quotient of only rs,
against a normal 100.
Accelerated Development.
James, on the other hand, was
remarkable case of accelerated devel-
opment. His degree Of intelligence"
says DR.. Furfey, amounted to pure
genius. At the age of IL he was five
inches above the normal for his age in
height and 80 pounds in weight. At 10
he took the Stanford achievement test,
and he was at least five and q half
years accelerated educationally. The
boys acceleration in developmental age
was much less remarkable. He took the
tests at IS, and obtained Do of 116.
He was just outgrowing his interest in
the Boy Scouts He was still interested
in rough, free play, and was just re-
linquiShing his interest in marbles and
roller skating. He read scientific books
with avidity. He used to perform re-
markable experiments with odd chem
icals and bits of machinery in his eel
lar He showed no interest in girls"
Joseph, on the other hand, was afar
more developed mentally than intel
lectually and he fell violently in love
when he was 10 years old. He gave UP
his old interests in scouting and team
games and abandoned his old friends.
HE became" says DR.. Furfey,
quite blaSe and man of the world
His interests were all in dancing and
keeping company with girls. He lost
interest in school and became dignifed
and reserved 49,
Something was wrong with such
boy. When he was Is DR. Furfey ap-
piled the developmental test. 1t showed
Do of 122. His intelligence quotient,
on the other hand, was about normal
for a boy OF his age. 1t was simply
case of man walking around with
boys brain and boys body.
The first test consists simply in de-
termining the boys reading preferences.
He is given a list of book titles and
asked to designate those he would like
to read. Each title has a certain value
in scoring the test. A boy, for instance.
who would prefer to read an adventure
story to a fairy story would be older
developmentally. The boy who pre-
ferred love story would be still more
advanced.
Sports as Measure.
The second test is concerned with
play interests. The boy who likes to
play tennis or read sport news is further
advanced developmentally than the boy
who likes to spin tops, fly kites, or play
with the girls. The third test is used
to determine the boys attitude toward
things. For example, he might have
any one of three attitudes toward books
they teach you things, it's fun to
read them, you have to study them"
The first would count in the scoring.
the second 4 and the third 2. The
fourth Is a test of activity preferences.
1T is recognized fact" says DR..
Furfey. that intelligence tests do not
tell the whole story of the childs de-
velopment. Even when combined with
various educational tests they measure
only one aspect of the growth of per-
sonality. Parallel with the growth of
intelligence many other personality
traits are constantly developing, whose
growth Is not measured by any of the
standard tests.
1.-TWO boys may each be 10 years old,
| they may be doing equally satisfactory
work in the same fourth grade, and in
telligence tests may show that they
have the same mental age, yet there
| may be very marked differences In the
maturity OF these same two boys as
shown by their general behavior. One
may still be in the stage where he pre-
fers individual games TO team games
He may enjoy tag more than basket
ball. In his weaker moments he NAV
even admit his little sister as a COM
panion in his sports. The other boy
may already have outgrown individual
games. He may despiSe female COM
panionship and show his loyalty to his
own sex by joining typical gang from
Wnlch the weaker sex Is vigorously ex.
cluded. In the growth of personality
the second boy has quite evidently
reached more advanced stage than
| the first.
These facts have long been obvious
to psychologists and we have become
USED to such terms as later childhood.
carry adolescence, the period of COM
petitive socialization, the QUESTIONING
~0~' NAAA ODAASAos AAACy dIC STAKES IN Ine
growth of a larger aspect In personality
and they make themselves known not
by successfully increased powers to
solve a certain type of problem but by
successfully more mature types of ad-
Justment to social situations.
Thus, we say that the boy who en-.
Joys playing foot ball is more mature
than the boy who enjoys playing
house. The girl who goes to social
| dances is more mature than the girl
who plays with dolls. 1t is the kind of
growth which have ventured to cali
developmental age.
Psychologists have hitherto denoted
various stages in the growth of develop
mental age by descriptive phrases like
the initiative stage or the big Iniun
stage But they have VIGOROUSLY failed
to agree on any one classification of the
stages of this growth. Modern science
demands cumulative methods"