Evening star., 1932-03-22
infant SELF-HELP
AIDS PRIDE IN DRESS
National Child Research
Council Experiments on
Habits of Youngsters.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

The immaculate dresser probably
was a child who had to tie his own
shoes and button up his own shirt.
An experiment to determine the
dressing habits and attitudes Of so
children between 18 and so months of
age now is under way at the National
Child Research Center here. 1t Is
genesis Of attitudes on personal ap-
pearance which the children are likely
to carry through life.
Even at this early age, according to
DR.. Cora B. Key of the Child Research
Center staff, there are striking indivi-
dual differences among the toddlers.
Some are vain, some immaculate, and
some sloppy. Thus far DR.. Key has
found no sex differences.
The outstanding difference which
has appeared at this stage Of the inves-
tigation, DR.. Key says, seems to result
froLl the attitude unintenionally in
culcated In the child by parents.
Try for Speed.
Some children are not allowed to
dress themselves. Since they were born
everything has been done by a mother
or nurse Eventually they must learn
TO put on their own clothes, but by that
time they have developed the attitude
that clothing Is of no great Importance.
They look upon it as an irritating ne
easily and quickly as possible.
On the other hand, some children are
given little help from the time they can
toddle and may be scolded if they don't
get their clothes on soon enough. Some
of the operations are too difficult Tor
them, DR.. Key finds, and as a result
everything associated with clothes be-
comes distasteful to them. But in cases
where the child has been made to do
for itself all those operations of dress
ing which are not too hard and as
being allowed to take its own time, an
attitude of pride in clothing develops
conditioned by pride IN any kind Of ac-
complishment.
Thus, it is held, the experiment may
show that some of the famous beauX
and bellies of the past may have been
due to the urintentionally correct atti-
tude of those who had charge of them
when they were babies long before
modern psychology tried to determine
how children should be dressed.
Object of Experiment.
The object Of the experiment, which
Is to be continued for three months,
with observations twice each month, Is
to construct a scale to guide parents in
following a happy medium. Thus, DR..
Key holds, the normal child should be
able to perform in given time differ
ent dressing operations, graded accord
ing to difficulty, at different age levels.
She wants to know just how this scale
runs among normal children.
About the simplest operation, she
finds, Is putting on socks. Most 2-year-
olds can do this. The average time
taken will be ascertained. Then the
conclusion probably will be that q
year-old should not be helped in this
task and should not be hurried within
the normal time interval But the s.
year-old should be able to put on socks
much more rapidly.
From this point the operations of
dressing 90 up rapidly in difficulty.
About the hardest task of all Is tying
Oldest children in the group can do
this without help, but must not be
hurried Buttons are hard for the tod
dlers to master.
Curiously enough, some Of the great
est difficulties found by DR.. Key are
with those garments which must be
slipped on over the head. such as little
girls dresses and little boys shirts. 1t
looks easy, but, she says, part of the
operation muSb DC CdETlcQ On OuI "a
sight and involves a mastery Of space
relations which few small children have
attained.
Beside, DR.. Key wants TO answer such
questions as how long 1t takes children
to dress themselves completely at the
different age levels, whether girls re-
quire longer than boys, and whether
the pattern Of clothes may not be
changed to make the tasks easier.
100 Articles Recorded.
One fact which is standing out, she
says, Is the great size and variety Of
the child's wardrobe. 1t has been nee
essary to record for the convenience Of
the four trained observers who are con-
Quoting the experiment nearly 100 diff
ferent clothing articles which have been
found among the children at the re-
search center.
Children who have not been taught
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