The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-05-28
WANTS ALIENS
MENTAL TEST
PLAN REVISED
Or. KoIb Thinks Scoring
System Is Unfair to
Some.
~ soieace serrice

~ Ecfeacc Scrrice
PHILADELPHIA May 28.-Intel-
Iigence tests now available must be
revised or the methods of scoring
changed before they are satisfactory
for testing immigrants Il appears
from a report Of DR.. Lawrence Kolb,
senior surgeon Of the United States
public health service, before the
meeting OF the American Associa-
ton for the Study Of the Feeble
minded here today.
The law now provides that no
mental detectives shall be admitted
TO this country. But although psy-
biologists have devised special tests
which do not require the use OF
language. the scores on these tests
do not give a true picture Of the
mental ability Of the person tested,
DR.. Kolb found. His conclusion IS
based on the results of tests given
TO 5000 persons desiring to enter
this country from Europe.
Mems Rating Best
Men d conspicuously better on
these non-verbal, OF performance
tests than do women, although there
is no reason to suppose that the
men are more intelligent than the
women. Children able TO read and
write do the tests as well as their
illiterate mothers, and. because OF
the difference in age attain higher
intelligence quotient, which is
mental age divided by actual age.
Young adults do better than older
adults. And the difference between
the illiterates and those who can
read is very high
These facts seem to indicate
T. at ability on the tests depends 70
le extent at least upon the
Stimulating character Of the envi-
ronment and upon the education as
upon innate capacity which they are
supposed TO measure, DR.. Kolb be-
lieves.
The average of the intelligence
quotients Of the illiterate women
was below so. which would place
half Of them in the classification
which psychologists call "imbecile'
or even lower. but this rating is
misleading, Dr. Kolb points out.
Results Arc Misleading
The scores doubtless show very
poor native intelligence, but they
obviously do not mean all that they
say. Fifty per cent Of these women
are not imbeciles, or even feeble
minded. by any social standards"
The results for the men were
also misleading, he found. Five pei
cent Of the men from southern Italy
received a rating which showed
them to have minds developed only
to the level of an 8-year-old child
yet all had been able to support
themselves and live within the law
II is known that some, with this
grade of intelligence, come here
save money and send back home for
their relatives.
But although the tests can not be
taken at their face value for these
people, DR.. Kolb believes in their
usefulness, and he does not approve
OF duHlltJlIlg ptISOuS WIFI very lOW
scores into the country.
Some Face Trouble
1T seems inevitable that some
of them must get into social or legal
difficulties and the average intelli-
gence of their children born here
will be low. This eugenic angle Of
the situation is the most unfortun-
ate" he said.
a general lowering of intelli-
gence together with a certain
amount Of delinquency. crime and
institutional support by the state
is inevitable where many persons
of such low mentality are intro
duced into the population. Much, if
not all, Of this could be avoided il
it we're legal to exclude all persons
above Is years of age who had 4
corrected mental age of 10 or lower
that is, mental age corrected tor
the handicap of poor environment
and poor education. We have shown
that in making this correction about
our years would be added to the