A Study of the Fernald Form-Board
The Psychological Clinic Copyright, 1916, by Lightner Witmer, Editor. Vol. IX, No. 9 February 15, 1916 :Author: Leo Bruckner and Irving King, J State University of Iowa.
Among current mental tests various so-called form-boards hold a creditable place. Like all other tests, in order that they may be used with any degree of accuracy, norms of accomplishment need to be determined by using them extensively under standard conditions with various ages and mental types. This has been done by Dr Sylvester* with one of these form-boards, the Twitmyer adaptation of the Goddard form-board. It is the object of this study to arrive at a similar standardization of the Fernald form-board with reference to two age groups. The United States Bureau of Immigration uses this test as one means of establishing the mentality of an individual, and regards the satisfactory completion of the test in four minutes as a mark of the mentality of a nine-year-old. With this tentative valuation in mind, two groups of children were selected from among the pupils attending the public schools of Iowa City; namely the eight-year-old and part of the ten-year-old groups. They were graded in school as follows:?
TABLE I Grade Total 8 year olds. 10 year olds. 27 6 47 9 9 39 90 59
Each pupil was tested in the presence of the experimenter alone. Every effort was made to keep the child from becoming confused or disturbed by outside influences. When he first came to the experimenter, he found the blocks under the inverted form-board, on the top of a small table in a well lighted place. The child was told to place the blocks into the form-board as quickly as possible. The time used was accurately recorded. As soon as he had completed the first trial, the blocks were at once removed from the formboard, and the form of solution was recorded. It was possible to put the blocks into the form-board in eight different ways. Each of these methods was designated by a number and is called a form of solution. After the first successful trial, the same procedure was repeated. This was continued until it was apparent that the child had mastered the problem. No more than five trials were given any individual, and all were given at one period. The child remained standing during the whole experiment. A record of the age and grade of each subject was kept. A particular number was assigned, as stated above, to each of the eight possible solutions and the record of the forms of solution used was thus easily kept. Table II shows the distribution of the solutions for eight-yearolds according to grade, and the time used for each trial. Table II reads:?In grade 1, one pupil completed the first trial in from 16 to 30 seconds; two in grade 2 in from 16 to 30 seconds, etc. The remainder of the table gives the distribution for the successive trials. At the foot of each distribution table is the median for the time required for the solution in each grade and for the combined group. The medians for the first trial show no correlation between ability to solve the form-board quickly and school progress. However, the medians for the other trials do show a correlation, that is to say, after the first trial, there is a definite correlation between school progress and ability to solve this form-board quickly. There is a marked falling off in the median time required by the entire group of eight-year-olds for the second solution. The median of the whole group for the first trial was 2:20 minutes, while for the second it was only 22 seconds. Apparently the pupils solved A STUDY OF THE FERNALD FORM-BOARD. 251
TABLE II.?EIGHT-YEAR-OLDS First Trial Time in Seconds and Minutes 1-15 16-30 31-45 46-60 1:01-1:15 1:16-1:30 1:31-1:45 1:46-2:00 2:01-2:30 2:30-3:00 3:01-3:30 3:31-4:00 4-6 6-8 8-10 Totals Median time… Lower quartile. Grade (School) 27 2:30 47 2:40 9 1:53 Total ___ 9 4 3 3 6 7 6 9 9 10 5 13 4 1 90 2:20 3:40 Second Trial 1-10 11-20 ! .. 21-30 1 31-40 41-50 1 2 51-60 i .. 1:01-1:30 i 2 1:31-2:00 2:01-2:30 j 2:31-3:00 3:01-4:00 i .. 4:00-5:00 ! _1_1_ Totals 5 Median time :50 6 27 :20 16 16 4 1 1 1 3 1 3 1 47 :15 9 :17 24 29 8 2 5 3 10 2 2 4 1 90 :22 Third Trial 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-45 46-60 1:01-1:30. .. 1:30-2:00… 2:00-2:30… 2:30-3:00… Totals Median time. 5 :13 12 10 1 1 1 “27” :12 31 10 3 1 1 j 47 :08 9 :08 51 25 4 1 4 5 1 1 90 :09 Fourth Trial 1-10 ~T 4 9 4 .. 18 11-22 3 3 2 2 .. 10 21-40 1 5 1 .. .. 7 41-60 .. 1 .. 1 1:01-2:00 2:01-3:00 3:01-4:00 Totals 5 13 13 6 .. 37 Median time :15 :20 :07 :07 . . :11 Fifth Trial 1-10 1 77 3 r 4 7 11-20 | .. 2 2 .. 4 21-40 ! .. I 1 .. 1 41-60 1:01-2:00 - … Totals | .. 5 I 5 3 .. 13 252 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. TABLE III.?TEN-YEAR-OLDS First Trial Time in Seconds and Minutes 1-15 16-30 31-45 46-60 1:01-1:15 1:16-1:30 1:31-1:45 1:46-2:00 2:01-2:30 2:31-3:00 3:01-3:30 3:31-4:00 Over 4 minutes. Totals Median time. . Lower quartile. Grade (School) 9 1:30 Total 7 1 4 2 6 9 5 3 4 5 4 4 3 2 3 3 59 ? 1:09 2:15 0-10.. 11-20.. 21-30.. 31-40.. 41-50.. 51-60.. 1:01-1:30. 1:31-2:00. Totals Median time. Second, Trial 6 :31 14 15 7 1 1 39 :14 1 17 1 22 12 4 1 1 1 1 3 59 :15 15:6 Third Trial 0-10.. 11-20.. 21-30.. 31-40.. 41-50.., 51-60.. 1:01-1:30. 1:31-2:00. 2:01-2:30. Totals Median time. 6 :11 9 :08 30 7 2 39 :06 43 12 3 3 59 :06 :07 Fourth Trial 0-10. 11-20. Totals Median time. 10 3 ~13* :07 * Too few cases to justify conclusions. the combination on the first trial largely by the trial and error method and were aided by their memory of the first solution in the successive trials. To the experimenter it was plain that in many cases there was a conscious effort made by the pupils to recall the form used in the preceding successful solution, with the result that often the identical steps used in that trial were repeated. Sometimes in the succeeding trials the trial and error method continued to be used, as can be seen from table II, in the amount of time required for solution. Table III shows the same distribution by grade and time used in the case of the ten-year-old group.
Table III is to be read in the same way as table II. There is in this group a direct correlation between school progress and success in completing the test quickly, although due weight must be given to the small numbers in the various grades. The median time for the combined group in the first trial was 1:09 minutes, while that of the eight-year-old group was 2:20 minutes. Below are the medians for the successive trials by both groups.
TABLE IV Trial Eight-year-olds. Ten-year-olds. . 2:20 1:09 :22 :15 :09 :07 :11 :07 The median time for each trial is less for the ten-year-old group than for the eight-year-olds; however, in the third trial they are approximately equal. The lower quartile for the ten-year-olds in the first trial is 2:15 minutes. Therefore it may be said that threefourths of the ten-year-old group completed the first successful trial more quickly than one-half the eight-year-olds. Stated in another way, one-half of the eight-year-olds completed the test more quickly than one-quarter of the ten-year-olds. This wide overlapping raises the question, to which age is the test best suited? It can evidently be used for both, with a different time limit for each age. The lower quartile of the eight-year-old group is 3:40 minutes. Assuming that this should give the basis for a standard of the time to be allowed on the first trial, 3:40 minutes would be the standard for eight-year-olds and 2:15 minutes for ten-year-olds. In view of this conclusion it may be said that the time allowed by the Bureau of Immigration is very fair to the immigrant, and would hardly be considered a highly selective device.
An analysis of the forms used and of the changes made in solving the problem in successive trials was also undertaken. The pur254 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. pose of this was to discover the predominance, if any, of a particular form and in a rough way to determine the part memory played in the successive solutions.
Table Vgives the analysis of the form used by the eight-year-olds. TABLE y?EIGHT-YEAR-OLD GROUP Analysis of Form used Form First one used. .. No change made. One change Two changes. … Three changes.. . Four changes… . 12 6 4 2 16 11 4 1 12 6 3 2 17 11 4 1 1 11 9 2 Total 90 59 14 10 6 1 This table is read as follows: The first line gives the form used on the first trial. It reads: 12 pupils used form 1 on the first trial; 16 used form 2, etc. Although there a’rfe two modal forms, namely 2 and 5, it would appear that, with a larger number of cases, there would not be a predominance of any particular form.
The next line in table V gives the number of changes in the successive trials. Of the ninety cases, fifty-nine made no change in the form used, but used the form of the first successful solution on all succeeding trials. A change was recorded when a new form was used; for example, if form 1 was used in the first trial and form 2 in the rest of the trials, one change was recorded; if form 1 was used in trial 1, form 2 in the second, and form 1 in the remaining, two changes were counted. TABLE VI?TEN-YEAR-OLD GROUP Analysis of Form used Form Total First form used. 6 3 14 G 9 9 Changes made in successive trials: No change. .. . One change Two changes. . Three changes. 36 17 4 2 Table VI gives the same analysis for the ten-year-old group. Again it would appear that if a great number of cases were studied there would be no predominant form. As was the case with the eight-year-old group a large number made no change in the form used. Sixty-four (64) per cent of the eight-year-olds and 61 per cent of the ten-year-olds made no change. It is apparent that memory enters clearly into the solution of the successive trials, and that it is as much a factor in the ability of the younger group as in that of the older. This is significant, as the pupils were not told at the time of the experiment that they were to have more than one trial. The recall was therefore spontaneous, as there was no opportunity given for memorizing the form used on the first successful trial.
The greatest difficulty in completing the test and the greatest number of changes were found with very nervous children, and with those who were afflicted with some ailment, such as adenoids, nearsightedness, etc. These cases stood out so strongly that they could at once be detected by the experimenter. Apathy could be easily detected, as the indifferent attitude of the apathetic child could be seen in the absent-minded way in which he handled the blocks. The greatest difficulty seemed to be found in the attempts to fit in the two smallest blocks, even after the other blocks had been placed in the proper position.
TABLE VII?EIGHT-YEAR-OLD GROUP Occurrence of each Form Form Used once Used twice Used three times. Used four times.. Used five times. . 4 2 13 This table is to be read: Of all the pupils, form 1 was used only once out of all the successful trials by 6 pupils; was used twice by a pupil in 5 cases; 3 times by a pupil in 8 cases, etc.
TABLE VIII?TEN-YEAR-OLD GROUP Occurrence of each Form Form Occurred or used once. Used twice Used three times Used four times 256 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. This table is to be read: In all the cases, form 1 was used twice out of 3 or 4 trials by 4 pupils; used 3 times by 5 pupils, etc. Tables VII and VIII show how often each form was used throughout the test. Table VII reads: 6 pupils used form 1 once; 5 used it twice; 8 used it three times, etc. Table VIII reads the same way. They are simply a further analysis of tables V and VI. It is probable that no particular form would predominate if enough cases were studied. If one form stood out in a large number of cases studied, the matter might be worthy of further study and experimentation.
In order to discover the relation between the ability to solve the test quickly and ordinary school ability, records of the Courtis tests were examined. As speed is the factor which enters into the correlation, the total number of problems attempted by each pupil in the four processes tested by the Courtis tests was obtained,?the results for the test of May 1915 being used. It was possible to obtain the totals of only forty of the ten-year-olds, and as only nine of the eight-year-olds took the test their results were discarded. The total number of problems attempted by these pupils ranges as follows:
TABLE IX Attempts Less than 15. 15-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51 Cases 2 5 6 11 5 6 2 2 1 40
The median number of attempts was 28.7. These results were correlated with the ability to solve the board quickly, and a Pearson coefficient of .0025 was found. This coefficient shows that there was no correlation between these two factors. It shows that probably the Fernald form-board test is too easy a test for the ten-yearold children. But, as it has been seen that one-fourth of the eightyear-old group can solve the problem of the form-board more quickly than one-half the ten-year-olds, it is probable that this test has little significance and is of little value when used alone. The writer feels that it would be of little value to an inexperienced experimenter, but for a trained psychologist the method of attack of the pupil upon the solving of the form-board would reveal many things. The ability of the child to plan or to recall his previous attempts should certainly be an index to his mentality. An indifferent or nervous attitude on the part of the subject would put the trained observer on the look-out for any irregularities or peculiarities in the mental make-up of the person being tested. It would seem that this formboard would be valuable as one of a series of tests. It should not be used alone as a measure of mentality; but the inability to complete the test satisfactorily within the time allotted should place the tester on his guard.
Note.?After our study had been made and this report written our attention was called to a somewhat similar study published in Eugenics and Social Welfare Bulletin No. V, by the New York State Board of Charities. This report is mainly a study of reaction by mental age. Where chronological age averages are given they are strikingly like our own medians for 8 and 10 year olds.
Disclaimer
The historical material in this project falls into one of three categories for clearances and permissions:
Material currently under copyright, made available with a Creative Commons license chosen by the publisher.
Material that is in the public domain
Material identified by the Welcome Trust as an Orphan Work, made available with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
While we are in the process of adding metadata to the articles, please check the article at its original source for specific copyrights.