102. RUCH, G. M., and STRACHAN, L., Intelligence Ratings by Group Scales and by Stanford Revision of the Binet Tests. J. of Educ. Psychol., 1920, 11, 421-429.

The Army Alpha is compared with the Chicago scale of Freeman and Rugg by checking each against the Terman Revision of the Binet tests as a criterion. One hundred and sixteen cases were measured by the three tests. The coefficient of correlation for the Army Alpha was plus .73 and for Chicago scale plus .62. The coefficients for the separate tests appearing in both scales were higher for the Army Alpha than for the Chicago scale except in one case where they were about equal. Two reasons are given for the lower figures obtained from the Chicago scale, namely that it is a shorter test, requiring about half the time of Army Alpha; and the failure on the part of many high-grade students to comprehend the instructions of the Chicago scale. In one part of the test there were twenty per cent. of zero scores. Other less significant differences between the two group tests are pointed out by the authors.

A. T. POFFENBERGER (Columbia)

103. SACKETT, L. W., Tests for Mental Alertness. J. of Educ. Psychol., 1920, 11, 430-444

The tests were intended "to determine to what degree retardation in elementary schools is caused by, or at least accompanied by, mental inertia, or slowness in regard to simple tasks." The tests consist of a short story to be read and recalled immediately afterward, and a set of 15 exercises based on the story. These exercises are somewhat like a "following directions" test. The records of nearly 6,000 children in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grades are presented in tables. The tests requiring only a few minutes are said to reveal the ability of the several members of a class to do general school work almost as accurately as the teacher by general observation can do after many months of intimate acquaintance. Further, the importance of mental sluggishness is such as to deserve more attention than it has received in the search for causes of school retardation. Analysis of the data shows other interesting facts about the tests.

A. T. POFFENBERGER (Columbia)

104. VAN WAGENEN, M. J., and KELLEY, F. E., Language Abilities and their Relations to College Marks. J. of Educ. Psychol., 1920, 11, 459-473

"The present study is an attempt to determine the inter-relations of the abilities involved in theme writing, in reading for understanding of content, and in completing mutilated sentences, and the relations of each of these abilities or groups of abilities to marks received in a college course in rhetoric and to marks received in whatever academic courses had been taken by these students in the sophomore year of their college course." Four sets of records were correlated with all the school marks for first and second semester: (1) Two written themes scored by the Thorndike Extension of the Hillegas Composition Scale. (2) Two readings tests constructed like the Thorndike, Understanding of Sentences Tests. (3) Two forms of the Trabue Language Completion Test. (4) Rhetoric marks for the first and second semester of the sophomore year.

The coefficients of correlation are all very low. Among the reasons given for the low coefficients are: (1) The ninety-eight subjects form a highly selected group. (2) The tests were not entirely satisfactory, as indicated by the rise in coefficients when the two types of each test were combined. (3) The school marks were probably too much influenced by other than ability factors, such as personal appearance, pleasant voice, good manners, etc. Intercorrelations among the various records show their relative independence. For example, reading ability and composition ability are correlated plus .52. Many other interesting relations may be gleaned from the extensive correlation tables.

A. T. POFFENBERGER (Columbia)

105. LEAMING, R. E., Five Cases of Vocational Guidance. Psychol. Clinic, 1922, 13, 245-255.

How she guided five different types of "job-seekers"-the beautiful but wild nocturnal wanderer, Josephine-the cherubic Frank whose love of crap kept him from holding a job-Mary Pearl who would take nothing other than some nice, easy work which would not be hard on her-Jake who would take a job, borrow ten cents from his employer, and leave, not to return-and Katherine upon whom everybody had a "pick"-are vividly told by a Counselor.

M. E. GALLAGHER (Pennsylvania)

106. MANN, C., Failures Due to Language Deficiency. Psychol. Clinic, 1922, 13, 230-237.

Children in two different kindergartens in Philadelphia were given psychological tests to determine their fitness for first-grade work. Results of these tests revealed a decided discrepancy in the language ability of the children of the two kindergartens. In one, the children entered a supposedly standardized first grade knowing little or no English; in the other, they had all the knowledge of the language that is to be expected at their age.

M. E. GALLAGHER (Pennsylvania)

107. POOLE, G., Four Cases of Diagnostic Teaching. Psychol. Clinic, 1922, 13, 225-237.

In 1919, because Dr. Lightner Witmer of the University of Pennsylvania considered Diagnostic Teaching one of the most important methods of the Clinical examination, a special staff officer called the "Clinic Teacher" was appointed in the Psychological Clinic of the University. The teaching of the Clinic Teacher follows the analytic diagnosis and is based on the child's known assets and defects of mentality. The best methods for coping with individual educational problems are here employed. The four cases of Diagnostic Teaching, as described by Gladys Poole, a Clinic Teacher, show what results were obtained by a careful study of the cases of Teddy, James, Raymond and Harvey.

M. E. GALLAGHER (Pennsylvania)

108. IDE, G. G., Diagnostic Problems in Educational Guidance at the Observation School, University of Pennsylvania, Summer of 1920. Psychol. Clinic, 1922, 13, 265-273.

Dr. Gladys G. Ide discusses the problems of the Observation School at the University of Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1920. These same problems, from a slightly different angle, are present in practically every school.

M. E. GALLAGHER (Pennsylvania)

109. IDE, G. G., A Clinical Survey of a First Grade. Psychol. Clinic, 1922, 13, 274-287.

The psychologist is interested in: What a child is like who enters the first grade. What does he bring to school? What does he lack for efficient work? With what children should he be associated? Is there a danger to him in his associates? What can be done with the group as it appears the first morning of school? Of what value will it be if an attempt is made to sort the children? Will it be of economic value, aside from the education of a good social product, that is, will it pay the community in terms of dollars and cents? To contribute toward the ultimate solution of this problem, Dr. Ide and two assistants tested school children of a first grade. Dr. Ide discusses this survey under the headings: The Local Problem, The School Organization, The Method of Testing, The Tests, The Group, Physical Defects, Educational Tests, The Performance Tests, The Binet Tests, The Colored School and Results.

M. E. GALLAGHER (Pennsylvania)

IIO. DUNSTON, J. T., The Problem of the Feeble-minded in South Africa. J. Ment. Sci., 1921, 67, 449-459.

The policy of the Government in South Africa has been to bring all persons, whether suffering from defect or disorder of the mind, under one control-at the present time that of the Minister of the Interior. The Commissioner of Mental Disorders, under the Act of 1916, has been made responsible for keeping a register of all mentally disordered and defective persons, and for seeing that they are under proper guardianship or care. Physician-superintendents and medical staffs of the various mental hospitals have had the opportunity of going outside their institutions, and making investigations in the various prisons, reformatories, industrial schools and the community generally in their immediate neighborhood.

The inmates of institutions mentioned above are classified as follows: (a) normal, (b) backward and borderline, (c) feeble-minded, (d) moral imbecile and feeble-minded with unpleasant traits of character or conduct, and (e) idiots and imbeciles. Classes (d) and (e) are certified and sent to government institutions or placed under suitable care elsewhere as soon as the diagnosis is made. The classes (b) and (c) are dealt with in a special part of the institution provided for them and kept there until they are either returned to normal classes or certified and removed.

In regard to the native population the author quotes several excellent reasons why it may be inferred that the natives are mentally an inferior race. He advises against hasty judgments, however, and points out the fact that careful psychological investigations should be carried on to determine this question definitely. The coarser forms of mental defect, idiocy and the lower grades of imbecility do not appear to be so common as they are amongst the white population. This may be due in part to the former tribal customs of destroying the defectives and furthermore to the fact that until the advent of the white man tuberculosis, syphilis and chronic alcoholism were not known amongst them.

R. E. LEAMING (Pennsylvania)

111. COLIN, H., Mental Hygiene and Prophylaxis in France. J. Ment. Sci., 1921, 67, 459-470.

In 1914 a revision of the French law of 1838 regarding the insane was proposed. The law of 1838 read, "Each department is to have a public establishment designed specially to admit and care for the insane." The proposed revision read, "Persons suffering from mental affections which compromise public order or who are dangerous to themselves or others are to be cared for and detained in special establishments when they cannot be provided for at their own homes." An intention was thus expressed of bringing the asylums into line with the hospitals.

The war broke out before the new law was passed. On December 8, 1920, La Ligue d'Hygiene mentale was formed with the aim of divulging "the principles of mental hygiene and prophylaxis and to favor their application by constant pressure on the constituted powers and on public opinion," in other words, to continue the work started by the proposed revision.

The author states that insanity is, in a great number of cases, curable and avoidable. "The technique of mental prophylaxis consists in the first place of discovering, by the clinic and laboratory, the subjects who present a particular mental weakness, in order to place them under hygienic conditions unfavorable for the eventual outbreak of mental disorders."

The treatment of the psychopathic is at the present time imperfect. It concerns itself only with conditions of confirmed insanity. The irksome and vexatious formalities of certification keep the milder cases away from the asylums. For mild psychoses and for acute mental disorders there ought to be reserved another method of treatment which permits the creation of uncertified wards and dispensaries. The organization of uncertified wards in the asylums will be the most efficacious method of combating the prejudice which attaches itself to asylums and to the insane. La Ligue d'Hygiene mentale has been formed with one of its principal aims the establishment of such clinics, dispensaries and wards.