The Children of a Jewish Orphanage
A Preliminary Report of a Psychological Survey. :Author: M. S. Viteles. University of Pennsylvania.
This report is based upon the examination of 155 children in a Jewish orphanage in Philadelphia. The original purpose of the investigation was to compare the performance level of this group of children?showing an average school retardation of over one year? with the performance level, measured quantitatively, of an unselected larger group, using tests which had been standardized with the unselected group. The Witmer Form Board, the Cylinder Test and the Memory Span Test, standardized by Young, Paschal and Humpstone, respectively, were selected for this purpose. In its final development, however, the investigation took on the character of what might be called a psychological survey?the sifting process by which a large group may be examined for the purpose of picking out those who for one reason or another should be subjected to a thorough clinical examination. There was a shifting of emphasis in the examination from the quantitative statement of the results of a given performance to the analytic diagnosis of the performance on the basis of the competencies and efficiencies which are involved in it. To test fully, however, even in a preliminary way, the adequacy of certain competencies and efficiencies required the introduction of other tests especially fitted for the individual case, and such tests as the design blocks, the Knox Tapping Test and selected tests from the Stanford Revision were employed in individual cases. On the basis of the qualitative performance of the tests, certain individuals were picked out for a more comprehensive clinical examination. A number of these children have already been examined, and a report of the completed examination will be made at a later date. The full report of a case, made upon one of the blanks used in the investigation, illustrates the type of cases marked for further examination. In each individual case a social history taken from the records of the institution was drawn up, in greater detail for the cases marked for further examination.
RECORD OF THE EXAMINATION OF CASE 65. Name, No. 65. Sex, Male. C. A., 8-1. S. A., 2A. Date, May 3, 1919. Form Board Cylinder Memory Span Miscellaneous 1. 47” 1. 187” 4. Alertness ExerBoth hands. Both hands. Trial cise. VerySpace for block. and error. Level- 5 after 4. poor response. ncss? Diameter? 11 to 7. One obsrvational error. 2. 43” 2. 177” Same method. Both hands. Repeats 5. No false moves. Levelness? Diameter? 3. 47” 3. 92” Trial and error, 4 Fatigue. to 5. Plan 1. One observational error. Individual History Family History Date of Birth, March 26, 1911. Father Mother Place of Birth, Woodbine, N. J. Dead Nationality. Health, Skin disease. Race. Early History. Cause of Death. Cancer. Special Notes Left down twice in same grade. Qualitative Performance Remarks C. P., 3.3. Talks to himself during the D. P., 3.3. entire performance. Shows speciFluctuation, 2. fic defects in persistence and alertSensibility, ? ness of attention. Rate of disCo-ordination, 3.3. charge and energy low. Training, 3. Retentiveness, 2.3. Special Action Rate of discharge, 2. Health Examination. Energy, 1. Further mental examination. Observation, 2.3. Alertness, 2. PROCEDURE.
The form used to record the findings was developed primarily for conciseness. It offers the opportunity for presenting on one side of a sheet of paper the data connected with the preliminary examination. For most of the cases it presents the one statement which will be made; only for the suspected cases will more data be gathered. Certain of the oustanding specificities involved in the performance tests on which a qualitative estimate was to be given are found on the blank. Others were added as the individual cases warranted such additions. By C. P. and D. P. are meant contracted and distributed particularization, the concentration and distribution of attention. Fluctuation refers to the distractibility of attention, retentiveness and training to the memory complex, and co-ordination to muscular co-ordination.
The procedure followed in presenting the tests was in each case the standarized method of procedure outlined by the men who standardized them. Each child was examined separately under conditions which minimized the distracting influences.
TREATMENT OF RESULTS.
After the investigation was completed it was found impracticable to take the means of the age groups as had been done by Young, Paschal and Humpstone in the standardization of the tests with which the inquiry was originally started. The number of cases in each age group was so small as to make this unit of measurement absolutely valueless. I have therefore adopted the following method for the comparison of the quantitative performance of each individual with the result obtained in the standardizations. The results in each standardization arc divided into quintiles. Each quintile group was given a certain value on the five-point scale. For the Witmer Form Board and the Cylinder Test the highest quintile was assigned a value of 1, the upper quintile a value of 2, the middle quintile 3, the lower 4, and the lowest a value of 5. The values for the Memory Span Test are reversed, the lowest quintile being assigned a value of 1, and the highest quintile a value of 5. The values 3, 4 and 5, taken together, represent, for each of the tests, the GO per cent giving the best performance in the standardization of the tests. The performance of each child was compared with the performance time and level for his age group in the standardization for each test, and a value was assigned to his quantitative performance in that test, according to the quintile of the standardization in which his performance fell. These three values were then added and divided by three, the resulting figure representing what I call the mean level of the individual’s performance. For example: Case No. 15 (Boys) takes 13 seconds to do the Witmer Form Board. His performance time falls into the second quintile with a rating of 4. The Cylinder Test is done in 37 seconds, falling into the third quintile with a rating of 3. His memory span is also in the third quintile with a rating of 3. Adding these three together and dividing by three we get a value of 3.3, the mean level for the three tests. It follows, therefore, that a perfect agreement on the quantitative side, between the selected and the unselected groups would require that GO per cent of the children in the orphanage show a mean level of 3 and over. If such is the case, the performance of the selected group can be said to be on the same plane as the performance level of the unselected group in this series of tests.
The results in tabulated form show the age, school grade, actual performance time for the Form Board and Cylinders, the Memory Span, the performance estimate for each of these and the mean level of the results for boys and girls.
The cases chosen for further examination are marked by an asterisk.
CONCLUSIONS.
The qualitative judgments of the individual performances could not be subjected to a statistical study, but the judgment of the quality of the performance was made on a five-point scale. 1. The results of the investigation with the standardized tests show that 57 per cent of the boys and 52 per cent of the girls have a mean level of 3 and over. This means that the difference in the quantitative results between the selected group and the large unselected group is so small as to warrant the assumption that quantitatively, at least, the selected group, from a low social stratum, has as high a performance level as an unselected group. Table I.?Distribution of Mean Levels.
Value. 1-1.9 2-2.9 3-3.9 4-4.9 5.0 Total. Boys. 24 33 0 7 Girls. 10 29 28 14 0 81 2. The difference between the sexes is so slight as to be practically negligible. 252 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. Table II.?Boys. Age. Case No. Yrs. Mos. 1 15-7 7 10-4 3 16-4 4 10 5 15-9 6 15-6 7 15-3 8 15-1 9 15 10 14-9 11 14-7 12 14-3 13 14-2 14 13-11 *15 13-9 16 13-8 17 13-8 *18 13-7 *19 13-4 *20 13-4 21 13-4 *22 13-4 23 13-3 24 13-2 25 13-1 ? 26 13-1 27 13 28 12-11 *29 12-10 30 12-9 31 12-8 32 12-8 33 12-3 34 12-1 35 12 36 11-10 37 11-9 *38 11-9 39 11-8 40 11-1 41 10-10 *42 10-10 *43 10-9 *44 10-7 45 10-7 46 10-5 47 10-4 48 10-3 49 10-1 *50 10-1 51 9-7 52 9-5 53 9-3 54 9-2 *55 9-2 56 9 57 9 58 9 59 8-9 *60 8-6 61 8-3 62 8-3 63 8-3 *64 8-2 *65 8-1 66 8 07 7-9 68 7-2 69 7 70 6-11 71 6-8 72 6-6 73 6-6 74 6-3 School Grade. 2HS 7B 8b S6a 1I1S 7a 7b 2HS 7b 7b 8a his 6b 7b 7b 6a 1HS 5a 7a 7b 7b 5b 7a 6b 7b 8b 0a 7b 5a 6a 5a 6a 7b 6a 6a 5b 5a 4b 6a 4b 5b 3b 5a 4a 5b 5a 3a 5a 14b 4a 2b 3b 3a 4a 3a 3a lb 4a 3a 2a 3b 3b 2b lb 2a 3a 3a lb lb lb lb lb 2a la
Performance Time (in sees.) Formboard Cylinders 19 11 18 13 14 12 13 19 17 10 13 10 18 18 13 16 11 15 18 17 20 19 16 12 17 1,2 15 12 16 13 14 14 15 14 21 16 13 18 15 15 16 32 16 18 14 17 28 27 21 12 20 24 16 19 22 20 20 23 24 00 23 15 20 22 43 26 16 21 26 27 25 26 26 23 58 24 105 44 47 30 32 35 45 32 39 25 69 33 37 61 44 45 55 44 37 55 32 44 37 36 44 40 62 36 44 20 37 35 43 66 47 42 52 33 48 06 40 47 40 40 44 40 74 00 55 08 35 62 65 47 57 83 70 F 75 45 01 56 92 46 75 F 90 182 72 81 90 61
Memory Span. Performance Mean Estimate. Level. 1 1.0 2 3.3 2 1.3 4 2.6 3 2.3 3 4.0 3 4.0 3 2.6 3 1.6 3 4.3 3 3.0 2 4.0 2 1.3 3 3.0 3 3.3 3 2.3 3 3.3 1 2.0 3 2.6 4 3.0 2 2.0 2 1.6 3 3.3 3 3.0 3 2.6 3 3.3 4 3.0 2 3.3 2 2.3 2 3.3 3 3.0 2 3.6 2 3.3 4 4.0 2 2.0 2 2.0 3 3.6 3 3.0 3 3.0 2 3.6 4 3.3 3 1.6 3 3.3 4 3.3 4 4.3 3 3.3 3 2.6 3 2.6 4 2.3 1 2.3 2 2.6 2 2.0 3 3.3 1 2.0 2 2.3 2 3.0 2 2.6 3 2.0 4 2.6 1 1.0 4 3.0 4 4 6 4 3.6 4 3.3 2 1.3 4 3.6 4 4.0 3 2.6 4 3.0 3 2.6 3 3.6 3 3.6 4 4.0 3 3.3
*Further examination. HS=High School. Table III.?Girls. Case No. 1 *2 3 *4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 *13 14 15 1G 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 *34 *25 20 *27 28 29 *30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 *40 41 42 *43 44 45 4G 47 48 49 *50 51 *52 53 54 55 50 57 58 59 *60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 *71 72 73 74 75 *76 77 78 79 *80 81 Age. Yrs. Mos. 7-2 7-2 7-1 7-1 6-10 6-10 6-10 6-9 6-9 6-8 6-7 6-7 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-1 5-10 5-9 5-9 5-9 5-8 5-7 5-5 5-3 5 5 4-10 4-9 4-7 4-7 4-6 4-6 4-5 44-1 4-2 3-9 3-8 3-6 3-11 3 3 3 3 2-11 2-10 2-10 2-4 2-3 2-2 2-1 2-1 2-1 2-1 2 2 1-10 1-9 1-7 1-2 1-2 0-11 0-10 0-10 0-9 0-7 0-3 0 0 9-9 9-9 9-7 9-6 9-5 9 9 8-9 8-3 8-3 8 7-3 School Grade. B. C. D. C. C8a/18 7b/18 2HS 2HS CSa 2HS CSb C8a/19 B. C. C8b/18 1HS C8b/19 1HS C7b/19 C8b/18 his 6b 8a 1HS CSb-lS 1HS 1I1S 6b 7b 5b 1IIS HIS 8a 7b 7b 21IS 8a 7b 7b 7a 8b 7b 7a 6a 6a 6a 6b 7a 5b 6a 5b 4a 4b 6b 4b 7b 5b 7a 5a 7a 6b 6b 5a 5a fib 5a 5a 5a 5b 4b 4a 4b 2b 2a 5a 4a 3a 3a 2b 2b 3a 2a 2a lb
Performance Time (in sees.) Formboard Cylinders 16 11 11 16 10 13 12 11 15 14 16 14 18 16 15 15 19 10 14 13 8 17 13 15 13 18 16 11 13 16 13 13 11 13 13 11 16 9 16 16 26 18 21 16 15 18 14 19 19 17 15 15 17 18 14 16 17 14 15 10 10 15 22 19 17 22 16 27 7 22 27 25 27 22 21 27 25 21 19 42 28 35 37 30 66 35 3S 34 40 39 45 50 30 57 42 30 28 37 32 30 33 33 87 40 50 45 52 43 45 38 30 30 41 49 39 31 35 70 31 45 41 46 43 35 41 57 68 48 50 49 37 44 39 31 40 35 76 46 34 38 33 42 48 48 54 56 44 50 87 58 55 Memory Span. Performance Estimate. Mean Level. 2.3 2.0 3.3 1.3 3.3 2.3 2.3 3.0 1.6 1.3 2.0 2.3 1.0 1.3 2.3 2.3 2.0 3.0 3.6 4.0 4.3 2.3 3.0 2.3 3.3 2.0 2.6 4.0 3.3 3.0 4.0 3.0 3.0 3.3 4.3 4.3 2.6 4.0 3.0 3.0 2.3 2.6 2.6 3.0 3.0 2.0 3.3 2.6 1.6 3.0 3.6 3.3 4.0 3.6 4.6 2.3 3.6 4.6 4.3 4. 4.0 4.0 1.6 2.3 3.3 2.6 2.6 2.0 2.0 2.3 1.0 1.6 2.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 2.3 3.0 3.3 1.6 3.6
B.C.=Business College. HS=High School. C=CompIeted. * Further examination. 3. As a result of this preliminary investigation 15 boys and 15 girls were marked for further examination. It is important to note, however, that the quantitative statement of results?as represented in the mean level?was found to be an unsafe criterion for choosing candidates for further examination. Twelve of the thirty children who are to receive a more comprehensive examination are rated, on the basis of the quantitative performance, in the highest 60 per cent, while many children who quantitatively fall into a low group gave qualitative performances which made unnecessary further examination. Actual contact with the child with the accompanying analytic diagnosis of the performance appears to be the only safe criterion for judgment even in such a preliminary survey, and it is only upon such a basis that a careful survey can be made. The finding is suggestive in the light of the use of the so-called “group intelligence tests” in eliminating from further examination groups of children in a school system or in an institution. There is developing a tendency for arbitrarily measuring school children?and granting or witholding certain educational privileges?on the basis of quantitative results of group tests. The method is quicker than that used in this investigation, but hardly as scientific. A number of subsidiary facts came out as a result of the examination of this special group: 1. The general school retardation here seems to be the result not of a general low level of mentality, but of certain external conditions. The children in an orphanage are drawn from a class where early schooling is neglected for one reason or another. Quarantine of an entire institution because of scalp and other contagious diseases interferes with schooling and results in a general retardation. 2. In the performance of certain of the tests the older children gave a comparatively lower grade of performance than the younger children. This was especially true of the Cylinder Test, and was more especially characteristic of the girls’ performance in this test. A competency very much involved in the performance of this test is alertness of attention, and it seems that the older children, who have been longer exposed to institutional influences, are least efficient in the exercise of this competency. With the enforced routine of institutional life there is less need for employing this competency, and efficiency in its application is therefore lost. The final result of the completed examination of the suspected cases will be reported at a later date.
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