The Effect of Verbal Suggestion Upon Perse Verance
- Author:
Irene Case Sherman, Ph.D.
This study was made to determine the relationship between development as measured in terms of chronological and mental age and the effect of a verbal suggestion upon perseverance in a task which has been given up as unsolvable.
The subjects were sixty-five children ranging in chronological age from six to sixteen years, in mental age by the Stanford-Binet scale from four to thirteen years, and in Intelligence Quotient from 40 to 89. A simple puzzle box was placed before the child, and he was told that by manipulating its three levers in the proper order the box could be opened. Actually, the door was so fastened on the inside that the box could not be opened.
The time during which the child attempted to open the box was taken. When he indicated that he could not open it, he was told, “I am sure you can get the box open. You almost had it several times.” The time during which he again attempted to open the box was then taken.
Table 1?Time Spent on First and Second Attempts to Open Puzzle Box Time in seconds First Attempt Second attempt Number of Cases 11.5? 111.5 16 35 111.5? 211.5 13 9 211.5? 311.5 17 8 311.5? 411.5 7 3 411.5? 511.5 4 2 511.5? 611.5 4 4 611.5? 711.5 1 1 711.5?811.5 0 1 811.5? 911.5 2 1 911.5?1011.5 0 0 1011.5?1111.5 0 1 1111.5?1211.5 0 0 1211.5?1311.5 1 0 Total 65 65 Average time 273.8” 204.0” P.E. 18.79” 18.58 S.D. 222.9 220.4
Each child tested attacked the problem a second time. However, the average time of the scond trial was seventy seconds shorter than the first. Also, more subjects spent a minimum time on the second trial, as shown in Table 1. The correlation ratio between time spent on the first trial and on the second was +.71. Although those who spent only a short period on one trial tended to spend a short period on the other, and vice versa, those who spent a very long period on one trial spent a comparatively short period on the other.
To determine the relation between development and the effect of suggestion upon perseverance, the subjects were divided into six age groups according to increasing chronological age, and again into five age groups according to increasing mental age. This distribution is shown in Table 2.
Table 2?Total Number of Cases, According to Chronological and Mental Age Age Chronological Mental Frequency 4-5 0 5 6-7 3 16 8- 9 8 26 10-11 10 9 12-13 21 9 14 9 0 15-16 14 0 Total 65 65 Table 3?Time Spent on First and Second Attempts, According to Chronological and Mental Age First trial Age 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14 15-16 C.A. 469 247 343 261 266 226 M.A. 291 350 237 279 225 Second trial C.A. 491 167 196 119 214 301 M.A. 239 244 175 215 205 Correlations* ‘TxiC.A. -.148 P.E. .082 r?T2:C.A. .532 P.E..061 rTi:M.A. -.123 .083rT2:M.A. -.057 .084 Partial frT,:C.A.:M.A. - .089 correlations rTj:M.A. :C.A. ?.021
Table 3 gives the average time of the first and second attempts to open the box, according to chronological and mental age. No consistent relation was found between time of the first trial and development measured either in terms of chronological or mental age. The average time of the second trial decreased, although irregularly, from the lowest chronological age group through the age level of thirteen years, and then increased in the upper chronological age groups. No relation was evident between time of the second trial and mental age.
The time of the first trial was a measure of perseverance; in the second trial the factor of suggestibility was added. As no relation was found between development and time of the first trial, spontaneous perseverance was unrelated to development. A relationship did exist between chronological development and time of the second trial, so that presumably a relation exists between this development and suggestibility as it affects perseverance. Table 4?Average Score, According to Chronological and Mental Age Age 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14 15-16 C.A. 95 68 68 65 77 155 M.A. 79 76 103 77 84 Correlations* rS:C.A. .177 P.E. .082 rS:M.A. -.013 .084 rS:C.A.:M.A. .269 rS:M.A.:C.A. -.202 *S Signifies suggestibility. As the two time periods of any individual tended to be either both short, or both long, a child whose time on the second trial was long in comparison with his first trial was regarded as more suggestible than one whose two time periods approximated each other. On this basis score, or measure of suggestibility was taken as the percentage ratio between time spent on the first trial and time spent on the second. According to Table 4, suggestibility as thus measured at first decreased and then markedly increased in the upper chronological age groups. No consistent relation to mental age was evident. These results are similar to those found in the relation between time spent on the second trial and development, and confirm the position that time spent on the first trial was a measure of perseverance only, whereas, in the second trial, the suggestion given was an effective factor in influencing perseverance.
Summary
The effect of verbal suggestion upon perseverance was related to development when measured in terms of chronological age. The suggestion was most effective in the youngest and oldest children of the group, and least in the intermediate ages.
Spontaneous perseverance shown before it was necessary to suggest the assurance of success was unrelated to development, and evidently is a characteristic not influenced by the degree of maturity of the child.
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