A Clinical Demonstration of Superior Children
- Author:
Mildred Loring Sylvester, Executive Officer, Psychological
Clinic
University of Pennsylvania
As a part of the program of the nineteenth annual Schoolmen’s Week1 held each year at the University of Pennsylvania, a clinical demonstration of five superior children was given, March 12, 1932, by Dr Lightner Witmer, Director of the Psychological Clinic, assisted by Dr Miles Murphy, Chief of Clinic. The interest of this Clinic in superior children has developed concurrently with, although less intensively than, its interest in the feebleminded, the intellectually deficient, and the modal child. There has been a Pre-School Class for Superior Children conducted in this Clinic over a period of years, with a minimum eligibility requirement of 140 I.Q.
In 1911 Witmer collaborated with Van Siecle and Ayres2 on the general subject of provision for exceptional children in public schools, in which article cognizance was taken of the problem of educating the talented or unusually bright child in a public school. It was stated that there was indication at that time, based on school statistics and Binet Examinations, that ” about 4 per cent of the entire school membership may fairly be rated as exceptionally bright or talented,” … “who are born with exceptional endowments, and go through the public schools with greater than average ability and rapidity.” However, “that these unusually able children have been given scant attention in our public schools is shown by the fact, that at the present time only five cities are known to have special classes for exceptionally gifted children.” The following year, 1912, Witmer was abroad, studying pedagogical methods for exceptional children, both in England and on the continent. He returned in time to conduct a small class of bright children in the Psychological Clinic in connection with the Summer School Session.
In 1919, “Witmer discussed again the need for special consideration of bright children in the public schools. In his opinion ‘’ it is only by accident and not by foresight or interest that a very bright child ever gets the training he needs.” Bright children must not be hurried forward in the curriculum, their training should be extensive, increasing “the range of their knowledge, power, skill, alertness and efficiency.’’3
During Schoolmen’s Week for many years there have been demonstrations of superior children who have been examined by this Clinic and continued under its observation. In the current demonstration, five young children were shown, four boys and one girl, ranging in age from 5 years, 3 months, to 7 years, 8 months, and in Intelligence Quotient from 138 to 166. Elizabeth C.A. 6-2; M.A. 10-3; I.Q. 166. Memory span: Auditory 5, visual 6, reverse 4. School proficiency: Reading (mechanics) adult, (comprehension) 5th grade; spelling, 4th grade; writing, poor (uses typewriter); arithmetic, IB. Performance tests: Superior to 50 per cent. Elizabeth was brought to the Psychological Clinic by her mother for educational guidance, because of her accelerated intellectual status. Her father is a teacher of violin, her mother is a librarian. The ancestry is Scotch, English, Irish and German. At the age of three, Elizabeth was placed in a small private one room school for one year, with children of various ages and proficiencies. While playing in the kindergarten group, she listened to older children being taught to read, and without formal instruction being given her, she picked up the mechanics of reading. During that year she read a Primer and a First Grade reader. Since then her reading has progressed, entirely under self-teaching, so that now she has read more than forty books, including “Alice in Wonderland,” “Anderson’s Fairy Tales,” “Heidi,” and others. Upon examination she was able to read all material presented to her, including s Witmer, Lightner, “The Training of Very Bright Children.” Psychol. Clinic, 1919, 13, 88-96. Galton’s ‘’ Inquiry into Human Faculty’’; her reading comprehension is at least 5th grade. Demonstration: (Excerpts from dialogue) M.?Can you tell these people your name? Can you talk loud enough for them to hear? E.?I guess so. I’ll tell you all my whole name?Elizabeth Carolyn Douglas. M.?Did you ever go to school ? E.?Not to a big school. I went to Kindergarten for one year. M.?When was that?last year? E.?No. I don’t know exactly what year it was. All I know is I just went to kindergarten. M.?Did you like it ? E.?Yes. M.?Suppose you read that for me. You had better stand up. E.? (after reading selections from several readers, increasing in difficulty) That is all the further I can go. M.?But you said on Thursday I could not find anything too hard for you to read. E.?”Well?all right. (Reads from “Clinical Psychology.” Studies in honor of Lightner Witmer.) M.? (after Elizabeth reads “mathematician”) What is a mathematician ? E.?Well, I think?it is a person who knows mathematics. M.?Well, what are mathematics? E.?I don’t know that. M.?(To audience) I first saw this girl on Thursday. I first gave her a first reader to read, as I did today, and proceeded until I got the hardest thing for her to read I could. She has just read from the memorial volume to Dr Witmer, from an article on the relation of intelligence to efficiency. This girl has the tool of reading. She does not understand this which she has read, but that does not distinguish her from a good many people. M.?(To Elizabeth) What books have you read? E.?”Alice in Wonderland” is one of them. “Pinocchio”? M.?Tell me about Pinocchio in the book.
E.?He is alive, and can do things. He is a very disobedient marionette. He runs away from home, he steals. He disobeys people?well, like the good fairy, by not coming back to her.
M.?Do you have other books? E.?Yes. In “Alice in Wonderland” I have two books in one. M.?Do you know who wrote “Alice in Wonderland”? E.?Lewis Carroll. M.?Is that his real name? E.?I don’t know. M.?That was not his real name. He was a famous mathematician. What other books have you read? E.??1 Children’s Classics.’’ M.?Can you spell words? Can you write on the board for us? E.?I can write and I can print. M.?Well, before you do that, will you read that story you wrote? (Reads original story about the oysters in the cove. See below.) M.?When did you write this story ? E.?You mean what date, or what month? M.?Oh, not the exact date, but about how long ago? E.?I think it was in 1931. That’s all I can tell you. M.?You wrote it on the typewriter, didn’t you? Did you spell the words by yourself? E.?Some of them, and some of them I had to ask my daddy for. M.? (to audience) She has written it correctly for the most part?you see it is typed in the form of verse, although prose. “Let’s” she has typed “lets”. E.?(interrupting) Well, I knew what was supposed to be there, but you see I didn’t know all the keys on the typewriter when I wrote that story and I didn’t know where to find the right thing to put in there, but I knew what it was supposed to be. I know all the keys now. I made a mistake. I know what to press down now. I didn’t ask Mother or Daddy what to press down; I made a mistake, you see. “The Oysters in the Cove” dick as he wanderd along the seashore looking for shells and seaweed he had found nine shells allready it was a pleasant summer day the oeacaen was a deep blue dick was a boy seven years old he was goeining to spend the summer there and in the fall he was goining back to the city but he did not know this because his mother and father did not tell 118 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC him because they did not want him to know it well he had good luck in finding shells and seaweed and he found five big coves but they were empty finallay he came to a great big cove he said I will be busy for a whilee exploreing this cove so he and another little boy that happned to be there too started to make freinds dick said let.s explore this cove allright said the other boy well they had made freinds dick ran home for his flashlight for it was rather dark in the cove then they got torn work at last they got to the back there they found a brand new chest then dick ran back home for his dady then the two hurried back to the cove then a 11 three were at the cove so they set to work all pulling together very soon they got it out in the light then they opened it and inside they found big pile of oysters then they closed it again then dicks father told the other little boy him and dick then dick and his father went home and got and old blue cart to put the chest on and wheeled it back to the cove then they put the chest on it then they wheeled it back home when theier mother saw what wa3 inside she asked them then they what she asked them how yeht got them then they told her all that I have told you b ut I didn’t tell you that the other little boy told dick and his father that all the coves were full of oysters overjoyed at this news their mother hugged and hugged dick over and over again and said to him that must have been hard work for you honey but he said oh no not so very hard for it really was’t wasn’t you s ee and then dick and his father went out again to find some more oysters in the coves the first cove they came to was filled with nothing but oysters then went back to the house for an other cart but this was stronger and bigger then they piled all the oysters on it and went back home with the oysters and all the rest of the day they kepet b DEMONSTRATION OF SUPERIOR CHILDREN 119 Dr Murphy: This girl presents a very definite problem. What are you going to do with a girl of that sort? She is six years old now. I haven’t had her read these things because I think she understands them, for she doesn’t, but to illustrate to you the extent of her verbal analysis. In meeting new words, hard ones, she may misconstrue them slightly, but she has the tool for attacking them. Once she has heard the word pronounced correctly, she will not forget how to say it. She has an extraordinary talent for self-education.
Richard C.A. 7-3; M.A. 11-8; I.Q. 161. Memory span: Auditory 6, visual 8, reverse 5. School proficiency: Reading (mechanics) high school, (comprehension) 4th grade; arithmetic 3A; spelling 4A; writing 4A.
Performance tests: Superior.
Richard is the son of intellectual parents, both of whom are chemists. The father holds a Ph.D. degree, the mother an M.S. degree. He is in the 3rd grade of a private school, doing very good work. When first examined in this clinic at the age of six, he obtained a Stanford-Binet I.Q. of 142. Without having received any previous formal instruction, he demonstrated 4th grade proficiency in reading, 3A proficiency in spelling, 2A proficiency in arithmetic, and only 1st grade proficiency in writing, due to the fact that he prefers to use the typewriter. He knew his multiplication tables through the seven table and had been able to read the clock at three and one half years. It was recommended at the time of his first examination that Richard be taught at home for one year, and entered in a private school at seven years of age. This recommendation was followed and Richard, one year later, was placed in the 3d grade. Upon reexamination at the age of seven years, three months, he obtained an Intelligence Quotient of 161, an increase of 19 points in one and one half years. He has a well-adjusted personality, and shows a wide range of interests and accurate information on many subjects, especially geography, history, and current events. Demonstration: (Excerpts from dialogue) M.? (pointing to the map the boy had made) What is this? R.?That is a relief map. It’s made of paper cloth. M.?What did you use as a model?
R.?I didn’t use anything except I took a road map of United States, and made the outlines of the United States, put in the rivers, then I made the mountains the way they should be from the picture on the lid of my puzzle box. You put some cloth in a pan, then mix some glue in it, and let it stand for a couple of days. Then you spread it on the board, lumping it up for the mountains, and pressing down for the rivers.
M.?How did you get the outline from the puzzle box? R.?I took a piece of paper and traced it. M.?Could you tell us about the rivers and mountains? R.?These are the Alleghenies; the Rockies are here. This is the Hudson; this is the Delaware. This is the Mississippi. Here is the Arkansas River; here is Lake Michigan. This is Salt Lake. M.?What makes the lake salt? R.?The water in the ocean. M.?How does it get there ? R.?Through the sewers. M.?They tell me it is easy to swim there. Why is that ? R.?Because of the salt. It holds you up. M.?Have you seen Salt Lake? R.?No. I have not been further west than St. Louis. M.?Where is St. Louis? R.?Just across the Illinois line. M.?What are you going to do when you grow up ? R.?I think I ‘11 be a doctor, because my grandfather is a doctor. He is a doctor in a little village near St. Louis. M.?How do you know it is little ? How many people live there, do you know? R.?Twelve hundred. M.?Do you read? R.?I like to read the magazines. I am pretty much interested in the patents?my father marks down all the things with petroleum in. M.?What are you studying now ? R.?Geography, history. M.?What are you reading about now in history? R.?I am reading about 1700. M.?What was going on in 1700? DEMONSTRATION OF SUPERIOR CHILDREN 121 R.?I am reading about the Revolutionay War. M.?When was it? R.?In 1780. M.?Who was fighting ? R.?George Washington. And in the south, General Bell. The British tried to beat him but he beat them. Here Richard read the following somewhat “geographical” story which he had composed. The Fairy Redbird’s Adventures Once upon a time there was a fairy redbird, and he lived in Delaware. He changed into a robin but he still acted like a redbird, and that made the other robins mad so they chased him into Pennsylvania. There he changed into a sparrow but still acted like a robin. He built a nest but he soon found out that he was in the same tree with a woodpecker. Just the thought of this chased him into Ohio. Here he changed into a bluebird. But he still acted like a sparrow. Then he got himself a wife. But she wanted to live in Indiana. So they flew together to Richmond, Ind. There they both lived until they decided to take a trip to Illinois. On the way they were lost in the woods. Then a kindly eagle came and said “Bed Bud Illinois is the place for you for they have planted 1500 red bud trees around the town which beautifies it very much indeed. Since you are a fairy redbird, why don’t you change your self and your wife back into redbirds and live among the red bud trees in Red Bud?” The redbird concluded that that was a very good plan. Leopold
C.A. 7-5; M.A. 10-2; I.Q. 138. Memory span: Auditory 5, visual 6, reverse 3. School proficiency: Good 3d grade. Leopold is the son of parents born in Latvia, and was brought to the Psychological Clinic for educational guidance in connection with his exceptional musical ability. The father was formerly a teacher of violin, moving from Latvia to Palestine, thence to France where Leopold was born, and thence to the United States. He showed musical ability from the time he could walk and talk, composed a march to Lindbergh at three and one-half years, and started taking lessons before the age of 4. He has perfect pitch discrimination, can analyze chords or discords of considerable complexity on hearing them, a gift which not all great musicians have. He has played before many famous musicians.
Leopold was brought to the attention of the Clinic by a teacher in the public school which he attended, who recognized his superior intellectual as well as musical ability. It was recommended that arrangements be made for a shortened school day, which because of his intellectual superiority will suffice. This will give him time for normal boy’s play without interfering with his musical studies.
Demonstration: Leopold played first a Haydn Sonata, followed by a Mozart Rondo. Dialogue: M.?This boy possesses absolute pitch. Most of you know this talent is very rare. (With the aid of a student, the boy’s talent for pitch discrimination was tested.
Single notes were first played on the piano, then chords of increasing complexity, and the boy correctly named all the notes struck.) M.?Leopold, how long have you been playing? L.?Four years. M.?This boy began taking music lessons at the age of four. He has composed music of his own. Will you play something you wrote yourself, Leopold. L.?I don’t remember anything I wrote. W.?Does it make you tired to play ? L.?No. Dr Witmer: People think that children like these, if taught reading, arithmetic, music, earlier than ordinary children, will necessarily exhaust themselves. This is not so in children who really are superior. They will not exhaust themselves if they have real talent. It is easy to see that this boy is not in the least fatigued from the playing he has done. These children follow their talent as easily as the bird sings. They don’t look exhausted; they aren’t; and you cannot stop them.
Charles C.A. 4-7; M.A. 6-7; I.Q. 143. Memory span: Auditory 5, reverse 4. Performance tests: Qualitatively good. School proficiency: Reading, 2d grade; spelling, superior; arithmetic, counting only. Charles was brought to the Psychological Clinic by his mother for educational guidance. His parentage is American, the father is an engineer. At the time of the examination, his mother reported that he had a spelling vocabulary of 300 words, could read, write, and print, all self-taught. Upon examination Charles demonstrated a school proficiency which would justify his placement in 3d grade. Intellectual development was considerably in advance of motor control and emotional orientation. His acceleration was confined to spelling, reading, general information, and memory span. He demonstrated his ability to write and spell ” National Geographic Magazine,” “corporation,” “Haddonfield, New Jersey,” “psychology,” “Pennsylvania,” “Ledger,” showing good discernment and retention of form, good visual imagination. In comprehension on the Binet he is about modal for his age. Socially he is somewhat infantile for his age. The educational problem here is to attempt to place the child in school, such that he will be satisfactorily adjusted with regard both to this superior intellectual ability and to his emotional orientation which is that of a four year old boy. At the time of this demonstration Charles was six years and five months of age.
Demonstration: Dialogue: M.?This boy can spell extraordinarily well. He is in the first grade. Charles, can you write “University of Pennsylvania” for me? C.?I’ll print it, I’ll make the first letters big, and the other letters small. That is how I print in school. (Result correct, printing beautiful.) M.?Can you write “psychology” for us? (Correctly printed.) What is this thing ? C.?A microphone. M.?How did you know it was a microphone? C.?I heard you say so. Dr Witmer?Write “expedition” for us. (A word the boy has never heard of?prints correctly.) Samuel C.A., 4-6; M.A. 6-3; I.Q. 144. Memory span: Auditory 6, visual 8, reverse 3. Performance tests: Good qualitatively. Samuel is an only child of Jewish parents. He is particularly gifted in intellect and language ability. He has a pleasing personality, his behavior is well-conformed, and he is well adjusted toward other children. He has been enrolled in the Pre-School 124 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC class for Superior Children in the Psychological Clinic, where he has demonstrated the competency estimated at the time of examination. Demonstration: At the time of the demonstration, Samuel’s chronological age was 5 years, 3 months. In his own words, he told an imaginary story of the donkey and the robbers, in which he displayed a marked sense of humor, emotional poise, and superior facility with language. Excerpts from the Remarks on Demonstration of Superior Children By Lightner Witmer Superiority is both quantitative and qualitative. There is only one measure of superiority and that is relative superiority in producing what is demanded in a number of competitive events. Every test on the Binet-Simon scale is a competitive event, a competition. To say that a child has a Binet-Simon I.Q. of 140 means relatively little unless we know that children having an I.Q. of 140 or more are superior to 99 per cent of other children. Such a child is one in a hundred. A child who is one in a thousand is even more superior. This is quantitative superiority. Qualitative superiority is determined for us by what we happen to value or what we think worth while. The fact must not be overlooked that the Binet-Simon test has been constructed by men who have thought certain tests worthwhile. They happen to have included for the most part tests which measure intellectual ability more than anything else. The boy who played the piano here has an I.Q. of 138, a little below 140. That puts him in a group of 9 per cent superior to 90 per cent and inferior to 1 per cent. But playing the piano is not a part of the Binet-Simon test. If it were, his I.Q. would be more than 138. It may be that washing dishes or windows, or doing carpentering work, or spelling, should be in the test as well as the elements already there. When you get a Binet-Simon I.Q. you have only a partial measure of a child’s superiority. I would caution you as to the use of the term Mental Age. Elizabeth has an I.Q. of 166, a chronological age of six and a mental age of ten. She is not a ten-year old girl; in mental age she may be ten, but first of all, she is a six-year old girl,?a six-year old girl able to do the Binet-Simon test as well as a ten-year old, but that does not mean she is ten years old. She is not ready to be taught with ten-year old children. There are sixteen-year old girls with mental ages of ten years. It is ridiculous to think that a girl of six and a girl of sixteen, both with a mental age of ten, can be taught together.
People today are inclined to use the word genius in relation to superior persons. Today we have not shown you one genius child. “We must distinguish between genius and talent. No child can get into a group of 1 per cent superior to 99 per cent without having great talent; perhaps some of those in the one per cent group also have genius. I consider the greatest element in genius to be the ability to solve new problems. That distinguishes what is called intelligence. All these children have intelligence, but have they so much that they will get into the genius class ? That depends partly on the quantity of their superiority and the quantity of their energy.
I make certain discriminations which I think are important when we come to study superior children. There are, in my opinion, six important but very differentiated categories of performance: (1) A group of performances that we think display intellect, defined by quantities of knowledge; (2) performances that display intelligence, defined by the ability to use knowledge and everything else in novel ways. These two are entirely different. A child may do well in school and college and yet not have superior intelligence. (3) We have mind. Intellectuality is defined by knowledge ; intelligence is defined by the novelty of performance; mentality is defined by discernment, discrimination. (4) We have mechanical efficiency. All these children seem to produce not only with great intelligence and discernment and at a high intellectual level, but also with great efficiency. Two other categories, the two most ancient ones are (5) motivation and (6) will. Both motivation and will are extremely important in measuring children. Some people make a great success because they have will, some because they do not have will. Motivation is the ancient category of the soul. The only way I can tell if a person has a soul or not is to say whether he behaves in such a way that people say he has a soul.
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