portion of the nervous system which is the common possession of all vertebrate forms. As yet no evidence has been found which points to any specific effect of the visceral changes on the conscious emotional experience. "May we not find these differential characters in the nervous pattern that lies ingrained in the archaic part of the neurone pattern?" J. WALKER (Boston Psychopathic Hospital) 919. STURT, M., A Comparison of Speed with Accuracy in the Learning Process. Brit. J. of Psychol., Gen. Sec., 1921, 12, 289 300. Attempt to determine whether in motor learning it is better to insist on speed or accuracy. The author found that if movements, such as are employed in typewriting, are learned slowly at first the length of the learning process is not thereby increased. If, during the learning, the attention is directed solely to accuracy the speed will gradually improve. If attention is directed solely to speed, the accuracy tends to diminish. S. W. FERNBERGER (Pennsylvania) 920. MUSCIO, B., Motor Capacity with Special Reference to Vocational Guidance. Brit. J. of Psychol., Gen. Sec., 1922, 13, 157-184. Some occupations require motor performances over and over repeated which require little strength and, after they have been automatized, little intelligence. Other occupations are predominately mental in nature. It is therefore important, for purposes of vocational guidance, to determine whether or not individuals are of predominately mental or motor types. The specific problem of this investigation is to ascertain if there are interrelations of different motor capacities such as those found in the positive correlations of mental tests. Aiming, tapping, tracing, steadiness and tests of that type were given to individuals of both sexes and of different ages. From his results the author concludes that there is no "motor type." Also motor capacities are relatively independent of intelligence. From the point of view of vocational guidance the author believes that every occupation which requires specific motor abilities will require specific motor tests. S. W. FERNBERGER (Pennsylvania) 921. RUSSELL, S. B., The Evolution of Nerve Muscle Mechanisms. J. of Compar. Psychol., 1921, 1, 395-412. In a highly speculative story of the origin and development of neuromuscular mechanisms in living organisms, the author makes plenteous use of analogies gathered from many sources, notably from chemistry, physics, and mechanics, and not infrequently from the domains of the household. The concepts used relate to carbon and oxygen union, energy, energy discharge (explosion), intermittency of explosion after the fashion of gasoline engines, outer and inner zones of matter in the organism (the outer two becoming the sensory and motor zones and the inner one becoming the central nervous system), walls and check walls, the perforated burner of the home gas cook stove, "signal" lines, line junctions, "guard" junctions, "association" lines, signal centers, and head centers. A diagram is presented to schematize and clarify what the author is talking about. H. R. CROSLAND (Oregon) 922. SANDS, I. J., and BLANCHARD, P. Mechanisms of Human Conduct. 521. Some of the Psychological A conventional survey of instinct and emotion in relation to problems of mental hygiene. Suggestions as to activities of a mental clinic in connection with the schools. R. H. WHEELER (Oregon) 923. BOND, E. D., Internal Secretions and the Family. Ment. Hyg., 1922, 6, 522-525. A rich satire on "glandology," offering to the reader a few minutes of delightful recreation. Cleverly done. R. H. WHEELER (Oregon) 6. ATTENTION, ΜΕΜORY AND THOUGHT 924. WITMER, L., What Is Intelligence, and Who Has It? Sci. Monthly, 1922, 15, 57-67. Intelligence is the ability to solve a new problem, but no one has ever devised a test that tests this and nothing else. Education does not really strengthen intelligence but rather supplies intellectual habits. What the world needs to-day is more of the optimism of the progressive and less of the pathological fear of the standpatter. J. F. DASHIELL (North Carolina) 925. DAVIES-JONES, C., "Forgetting." J. of Ment. Sci., 1922, 68, 263-265. Two cases are cited of examples of the forgetting in the psychopathology of everyday life. These cases were treated by the Freudian psychoanalytic method of free association and the reason for the forgetting was eventually discovered. R. E. LEAMING (Pennsylvania) 926. PETERSON, J., Learning When Frequency and Recency Factors Are Negative. J. of Exper. Psychol., 1922, 5, 270-300. Author reports a study in maze learning in which factors of recency and frequency were exactly balanced against themselves as far as positive and negative effects were concerned. Since the subject was sent back to the starting point at the commission of each error, the probability of a correct choice became increasingly less at each successive blind in the maze, and the impressions resulting from the frequency and recency of wrong choices militated, therefore, against the learning of the maze. From the fact that in learning the maze the subjects' errors were eliminated in the forward direction, whereas in other forms of maze learning where factors of recency and frequency are not balanced against themselves elimination of errors is in the opposite direction, author argues that, contrary to those doctrines coming down from early associationistic psychology, the factors of recency and frequency in the modified form of mental maze play no rôle in the act of learning. Learning must be attributed, rather, to a cumulative process in the afferent nerve impulses which, being reflected up through cortical synapses out to efferent nerve paths, exercises a directive influence on the nerve impulses which subsequent stimuli initiate. C. C. PRATT (Harvard) 7. SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE INDIVIDUAL 927. ANDERSON, L. O., A Preliminary Report of an Experimental Analysis of Causes of Stuttering. J. of Applied Psychol., 1921, 5, 340-349. A group of normals, "ex-stutterers" and stutterers were given several tests including the foot-tapping, hand coördination, block test, two-dot test, visual imagery, complex reaction time, inhibition. The results show that stutterers have in the block test a distinctly poorer memory span for movements than normals. No reliable difference is found between stutterers and normals as to speed or as to number of false reactions in the complex reaction time test. Stutterers do not show, in this situation, any more instability or variability of reactions in the complex reaction time test than do normals. E. MULHALL ACHILLES (Columbia) 928. TURNER, E. M., The Testimonial as an Advertising Appeal. J. of Applied Psychol., 1922, 6, 192–197. An attempt was made to determine the value of the testimonial method of advertising from the viewpoint of the permanency of the testimonial writer's interest and belief in the worth of the article advertised. Does the writer of a testimonial continue to believe in the worth of the article he first recommended? Does he answer the letters of those requesting advice? The business house for whom this study was made has 279 testimonials in eight different pamphlets. Of the 279 testimonials 53 were written before the year 1916, 85 in 1916, 97 in 1917, 44 during or since 1918. A letter was written stating that the writer had noted that he or she was an enthusiastic user of the article advertised and would appreciate his advice about it. A stamped envelope was enclosed. Mr. was signed to all letters addressed to men and Miss on all to women. Only 49.4 per cent of the replies were favorable; 6.7 per cent would discourage the potential buyer and 43.9 per cent failed to bring forth a response and made no selling appeal whatever. The more recently written testimonials were more effective than the older ones. One hundred eighty-eight, or 67.4 per cent of the 279 testimonials, were written by men, 82 or 29.4 per cent by women, 9 or 3.2 per cent by representatives of institutions. It was noted that 57.9 per cent of the men and 56.1 per cent of the women answered the letter, requesting advice, favorably. Of the 18 doctors who first recommended the article only 44.4 per cent wrote favorable replies, as compared with 49.8 per cent of 261 people other than doctors, 22.2 per cent of the unfavorable replies written by others than doctors. E. MULHALL ACHILLES (Columbia) 929. JONES, E. S., Effect of Letters and Syllables in Publicity. J. of Applied Psychol., 1922, 6, 108–204. It is evident that the effective and memory value of different letter and syllable forms can be experimentally studied to the advantage of applied psychology. Results from the preliminary experiments agree with opinions expressed-forms involving "1" and "r" tend to be pleasing, "t" "d" are preferable to the "g" and "k", " V and "s". E. MULHALL ACHILLES (Columbia) 930. FILTER, R. O., An Experimental Study of Character Traits. J. of Applied Psychol., 1922, 5, 297-317. A trait must be defined in order to be studied intelligently. A table is given to illustrate an attempt at definition. This table includes " situations," "reactions other factors being equal," "negative responses." Experiments were conducted and conclusions as follows, drawn: Fair positive correlations show some constancy of speed and decision. The large majority of individuals tested can not be classified as either quick, slow, or mediocre. Only 10% of those tested may be characterized as quick, 8% mediocre, and 13% as slow. Group tests have inherent disadvantages for measuring this trait. E. MULHALL ACHILLES (Columbia) 931. GATEWOOD, E. L., An Experiment in the Use of Music in An Architectural Drafting Room. J. of Applied Psychol., 1922, 5, 350-358. To investigate the use of music in an architectural drawing room when the men are at work was the purpose of the research, the results of which are here reported. The draftsmen were given a problem every six weeks. An Edison laboratory model phonograph was used to supply music-vocal and instrumental. Fifty-six men replied to the questionnaire given them. Forty-nine said that the music made work easier. Instrumental music was preferred to vocal music. Music unfamiliar to the listener is not as desirable as familiar music. Music is not a feature to be used rarely as a sort of diversion or intermission but may be used to advantage along with work. Frequent short periods of music seem to be most desirable and beneficial. E. MULHALL ACHILLES (Columbia) 932. BULLOUGH, E., Recent Work in Experimental Aesthetics. Brit. J. of Psychol., Gen. Sec., 1921, 12, 76-99. Critical discussion of the work in experimental aesthetics between the years 1900-1914. S. W. FERNBERGER (Pennsylvania) |