3.7.3 Some Tests About Individual Differences

The first three tests are quoted from Thorndike:

In a test in addition, all pupils being allowed the same time,

1	pupil	did	3	examples correctly
2	pupils	did	4	examples correctly
1	pupil	did	5	examples correctly
5	pupils	did	6	examples correctly
2	pupils	did	7	examples correctly
4	pupils	did	8	examples correctly
6	pupils	did	9	examples correctly
14	pupils	did	10	examples correctly
8	pupils	did	11	examples correctly
7	pupils	did	12	examples correctly
8	pupils	did	13	examples correctly
5	pupils	did	14	examples correctly
5	pupils	did	15	examples correctly
6	pupils	did	16	examples correctly
[57]1	pupil	did	17	examples correctly
5	pupils	did	18	examples correctly
1	pupil	did	19	examples correctly
2	pupils	did	20	examples correctly

The rapidity of movement of ten-year-old girls, as measured by the number of crosses made in a fixed time:

6	or	7	by	1	girl
8	or	9	by	0	girl
10	or	11	by	4	girls
12	or	13	by	3	girls
14	or	15	by	21	girls
16	or	17	by	29	girls
18	or	19	by	33	girls
20	or	21	by	13	girls
22	or	23	by	15	girls
24	or	25	by	11	girls
26	or	27	by	5	girls
28	or	29	by	2	girls
30	or	31	by	5	girls
32	or	33	by	3	girls
34	or	35	by	5	girls
36	or	37	by	0	girl
38	or	49	by	4	girls
40	or	41	by	1	girl

Two papers, A and B, written by members of the same grade and class in a test in spelling:

A.	B.
greatful	gratful
elegant	eleagent
present	present
patience	paisionce
succeed	suckseed
severe	survere
accident	axadent
sometimes	sometimes
sensible	sensible
business	biusness
answer	anser
sweeping	sweping
properly	prooling
improvement	improvment
fatiguing	fegting
anxious	anxchus
appreciate	apresheating
assure	ashure
imagine	amagen
praise	prasy

In a test in spelling wherein fifty common words were dictated to a class of twenty-eight pupils, the following results were obtained:

And now the question—what has all this to do with the teaching of religion? Just this: the differences among men as found in fields already referred to, are found also in matters of religion.

For one man it is easy to believe in visions and all other heavenly manifestations; for another it is next to impossible. To one man the resurrection is the one great reality; to another it is merely a matter of conjecture.

One man feels certain that his prayers are heard and answered; another feels equally certain that they cannot be. One man is emotionally spiritual; another is coldly hard-headed and matter-of-fact.

The point is not a question which man is right—it is rather that we ought not to attempt to reach each man in exactly the same way, nor should we expect each one to measure up to the standards of the others.

Related posts:

1. 3.7.1 Fundamental Significance of Individual Differences
2. 3.5.1 Importance of Child Study To Teachers
3. 3.3.5.1 Sympathy
4. 3.7.2 Typical Illustration
5. 3.6.2 The Method of Disuse