Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10
TESTS SHOW WAYS
INFANTS DEVELOP
Seek to Determine Whether
Inheritance or Environment
Fixes Intelligence.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r.. HENRY.
What does the newborn baby bring
into the world with it? What is he
thinking about when he laughs?
This much-debated scientific issue
Is being attacked from new angle in
Washington by Rev. DR.. Paul H. Furfey
instructor in sociology at Catholic Uni
versity. graduate students in pSycholo-
Social Service, at 1900 Columbia road
and the Washington Child Research
Center
The work is designed particularly to
Gear up the question Of inheritance
of intelligence. Is brightness or
''dumbness" passed on from parents
to child or is it acquired in the
molding process of environment?
When the child of distinguished par
ents, grandparents and great-grand-
parents devolps into distinguished
ton is that the intellectual qualities
were passed on in the family. This,
Dr. Furfey holds, is not a valid as
sumption. Too many complicating
factors come into the picture from the
first.
The experiments are being conduct
ed on the basis that If a superior or
inferior intelligence is inherited, it will
be present from the first. The degree
of Intelligence will not change marked
ly from the cradle to the grave.
Measure Of Intelligence Tests Used.
But how is anybody to measure the
intelligence of a newborn child-that
Just sleeps. suckles and cries? This
difficulty is overcome by three sets Of
tests worked out by DR.. Furfey's stu
dents, which have proved valid in ap-
plication One is for use between /
and months, one between 6 months
and a year, and one between "A ana
SO months. If inheritance, rather than
environment, is the deciding factor, the
scores for the three tests on one in
dividual should show fairly close re-
,lationship. 1t has been proven con-
clusively that the degree of intelli-
gence does not change very markedly
for the majority of individuals from
kindergarten years to maturity, and
this has constituted an outstanding ar
gunent for inheritance. But these
mysterious first two years generally
have been neglected simply because
nobody had technique for penetrate
ing the baby's mind.
The tests worked out by DR.. Furtey
and his students are simple enough for
narents to apply to their own children,
but 1t would mean much more If they
were applied by an unprejudiced neigh
Dor. The results are not entirely con-
elusive, but they indicate strongly that
there may be no hereditary factor in
intelligence. Except in cases where a
child is born with some pathological
brain condition, the tests apparently
uphold the Declaration Of Independ-
ence that all men ARE born free ana
equal" They may not remain so very
long, but that is another matter.
The test for infants under 6 months
and between 6 and IL months was
worked out by Miss Harriette- Elise Lin
fsft and Miss Helen M. Hierholzer OF
Che Social Service School after an ex-
tensive observation Of newborn chill
dren at Providence Hospital with chill
dren from an infant asylum. In all, 300
children were given the first asld second
tests. They came from mansions and
novels. A @
First Test Based on 30 Items.ss
The first test is for application be-
tween so and 152 days. This consists
of 20 items ALI the requirements can
BE- met by the average baby months
old. but going backward from 6 months
to ! month there is a progressive de-
cline in the number of infants who can
score perfect. This is the basis OF the
percentage tables drawn up by Miss
Linfert and Miss Hierholzer. The baby
of 2 months who completes successfully
as many performances as the average
for 2-month babies scores 100. Among
the accomplishments are: Rolling on
side. rolling frdn side to back, raising
head one or two inches, noticing large
pink and blue spheres and following
them with the eyes, grasping pink
ring in the fingers, putting ring in
the mouth, crying when salt is placed
on the tongue, following three selected
pictures with eyes or head, ability to
hold I'D lead without support, ability
to say "Eh,, "eeh" and "ooh"; turning
the head in response to voice, grasp
ing a wooden picture cube IN the mn
gers.
The observers have established that
approximately 48 per cent OF babies
l month old will follow blue ball with
the eyes. This will be done by 66 per
cent of 2-month-olds and rs per cent
of 4-month-olds. When salt is placed
on the tongue, SO per cent will cry at
/ month, "a per cent at 2 months and
e8 per cent at months. No child OF
/ month was found who would put a
ring in its mouth, only 2 per cent. at
2 months and 80 per cent at months.
A similar table is constructed for each
of the 20 achievements, determining the
child's ability to adapt itself to its en-
vironment and its interest in life.
Mind Keeps Pace With Body.
During the first year Of life, the OBJ
servers say, the child's mind develops
as rapidly as its body and there Is as
great difference between the intelli-
gence at month and IL months as be-
tween the intelligence of the primary
school child and the university gradu-
ate. The test to be applied between 8
and IL months consists of IS items, the
proper achievements being calculated
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