PART II

TWELVE CASES NEW TO LITERATURE CONCERNING TESTED CHILDREN

CHAPTER FOUR

CHILD A

Child A is a boy, born June 18, 1914. He was brought by his parents

to Teachers College, Columbia University, in the latter weeks

of 1920, for mental tests. This was on the advice of the principal

of the school A attended, for the boy was a school problem.

He did not adjust himself readily to the work of the classroom

in the second grade where he was at that time placed, at the age

of 6 years 6 months. The school had found A ready for work beyond

the second grade in reading and arithmetic, but because of his age

and size it had decided to place him in second grade. The record

made at that time and subsequently reads as follows:

FAMILY BACKGROUND

A is descended from German Jews on both sides of his family. His

parents are not related by blood so far as can be known. He is of

the third generation to be born in the United States.

The paternal grandfather is living [[1920]] and well, a tailor

by trade. He is "very handy" in making helpful devices to use

in his shop. The paternal grandmother is living [[1920]] and well,

a competent housewife, who has evinced no noticeable intellectual

interests.

No dependent or incompetent relatives of the father are known.

It is usual for the progenitors in the paternal branch to die

between the ages of 80 and 100 years. The paternal great-grandfathers

of A died aged 86 and 89 years, respectively. The paternal

great-grandmothers both died at 40 years. The paternal

great-great-grandmothers died at 101 and 102 years, respectively.

There have been no constitutional diseases in the ancestry.

A's father has but one sibling, A's paternal uncle, who is

a successful dentist. He married a teacher, and has two young

daughters, A's cousins. One of these, about 6 months older than

A, has twice been tested by Stanford-Binet, her IQ's being 170

and, a year later, 161. At the age of 8 years, this girl had

reached the fifth grade in public school. She now [[1920]] attends

a special class organized for children of her age who test over

150 IQ. The other of these cousins was tested by Stanford-Binet

on November 9, 1923, yielding an IQ of 129. These two girls are

the only first cousins A has.

A's maternal grandfather is living [[1920]] and well. He is a cloth

salesman, but he has always seemed dissatisfied with this vocation.

He had to go to work at an early age. The maternal grandmother is

living [[1920]] and well, a competent housewife, not especially

interested in intellectual pursuits.

No dependent or mentally incompetent relatives of the mother

are known. All are self-sustaining. There are no constitutional

diseases in the maternal ancestry. It is usual for the progenitors

on the maternal side to die between the ages of 60 and 70 years,

but one of A's maternal great-grandmothers lived to the age

of 90 years. A's mother has but one sibling, A's maternal uncle,

a salesman, who is unmarried.

_Father_. A's father is a large, strong man, now following

the profession of organization engineer. He is a high school

graduate and a graduate of Webb Academy, holding a diploma from

the latter as marine engineer and marine architect. He has invented

and patented a complete combustion furnace, and has designed a set

of torpedoes which were used in the Japanese-Russian war. During

the war of 1914-1918, he participated in the development of a fleet

destroyer, and designed a boat superior to previous models for

transporting nitrocellulose. He made the original layout for one

of the largest steel plants in the United States. His rating on

Army Alpha is 180 points. His grip is 70 kg. in the right hand

and 64 kg. in the left hand (Smedley's dynamometer). He was

29 years old when A was born.

_Mother_. A's mother was graduated from high school at the age

of 18 years. Before marriage she was in business, as an executive

in charge of advertising for one of the largest drug concerns

in this country. She has handled business affairs involving large

sums for a tobacco company. She also did some newspaper work.

Formerly she had excellent health, but she has not been entirely

well since the birth of her children. She was 27 years old when

A was born.

_Noteworthy relatives_. In the paternal branch these include

cousins who founded the Banking House of Tuch, in London. The

father's maternal grandfather (A's great-grandfather), a tailor,

devised and patented a union suit, said to have been the first

union suit. He also invented an improved buckle for adjusting

men's vests in the back. It was said of him, "He was always

trying to invent things."

Noteworthy relatives of the mother include the founder of the

Lemaire Optical Goods firm. This firm has an international

reputation for fine lenses. A cousin of the mother is a judge.

Another relative was a leader of Jewish reform movements.

_Immediate family_. A is the first-born child. He has one brother,

three years younger than himself. This brother is large, strong,

and handsome. His IQ on repeated tests, at intervals of a year,

has stood at 145, 152, 145, 161. He too displays the special

interest in mathematics which characterizes A. For instance, at

the age of 5 years he set himself the project of counting all

his footsteps until he had counted a million consecutive steps.

This project he carried out, his parents submitting to the numerous

inconveniences incident to it. The growth of this brother affords

an interesting comparison with that of A, since we have here two

children, both of extremely superior intelligence, of the same

ancestry, and living under the same school and home conditions,

one of whom is nevertheless as superior to the other--in terms

of IQ--as that other is superior to the average child.

PRESCHOOL HISTORY

The preschool history of A has been elicited from the parents and

from the "baby book" kept by them. A was born at full term, and

the birth was normal in all respects. He weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces,

and was breast fed for the first several months of life. He began

to articulate words at 10 months, and at 14 months could pick out

letters on the typewriter at command. At 12 months he could say the

alphabet forward, and at 16 months he could say it backward

as well. His parents had no idea that he could reverse the alphabet

until one day he announced that he was "tired of saying the letters

forward" and guessed he would "say them backward." The concepts

of "forward" and "backward" had thus been developed by the age of

16 months. At 12 months he began spontaneously to classify his

blocks according to the shape of the letters on them, putting

V A M W N together, Q P O G D together, and so forth. This love

of classifying has remained one of his outstanding characteristics.

As an infant, he would for hours thus amuse himself with his

alphabet blocks.

When 18 months old he was able to carry out simple errands

involving not more than three or four items. By the time A was

30 months old he could copy all the colored designs possible with

his kindergarten blocks. Before the age of 3 years he enjoyed

rhymes, and would amuse himself rhyming words together. From

the time he was old enough to be taken out to walk, he would

point out letters on billboards and signs with keen interest

and delight, crying, "Oh, see D! There's J, Mother! There's

K and O!" Also before the age of 3 years A objected to stories

containing gross absurdities. For instance, he rejected the story

of the gingham dog and the calico cat who "ate each other up." A

pointed out that this could not be, "because one of their mouths

would have to get eaten up before the other mouth, and no mouth

would be left to eat _that_ mouth up." He was irritated by this

obvious lapse from logic and requested that the story be read

to him no more.

A learned to read for himself during the third year of life, and

read fluently before he entered school.

The photograph in Figure 1 [not included] shows one of A's amusements

at the age of 10 months--balancing and rolling simultaneously

a large ball between his hands and another between his feet as

he lay on his back in his crib. This activity illustrates his

power of motor coördination in infancy, and it is especially

interesting in connection with the errors of judgment made by

A's teachers to the effect that "A is below average in control

of his body."

FIG. 1. CHILD A AT THE AGE OF 10 MONTHS.

SCHOOL HISTORY

_First year_. A has always attended private schools. He started

school at the age of 5 years, in Philadelphia. Here he was placed

in the kindergarten, though the question was raised by teachers

as to the greater advisability of placement in the first grade.

After a few months in this school the family moved to New York,

where A entered an excellent private school at the age of not

quite 6 years. By this time he had developed many numerical

processes by himself. On one occasion the mother went to speak

to the teacher regarding the advisability of teaching such advanced

processes to so young a child at school, and the teacher replied

in great surprise that she had been on the point of asking the

parents not to teach so young a child these matters.

_Second year_. In the autumn of 1920, A entered a private school

which he attended for several years. It was here that he was

considered to be a school problem. It was recognized that he was

ready scholastically for a grade much beyond his age and size.

As a compromise he was placed in the second grade. Soon the teacher

of the second grade advised that he be considered for the third

grade, as he did not "fit" into second-grade work. Thereupon

he was brought to Teachers College for educational guidance. The

report stated that A stood far ahead of the other second-grade

children in reading and arithmetic but that he was "poor in carrying

out projects," and did not seem interested in the activities

of the second grade.

After mental examination of A, revealing an intelligence level of

12 years 2 months, it was explained that there had never been

worked out an established appropriate procedure for variants of

such rare occurrence. The advice given was to place A in the third

grade; for although his Mental Age was then more than 12 years

(his physical age at this time was 6 years 6 months), many of the

8-year-olds in this school would approximate A's mental capacity,

since the median IQ of the pupils there was about 120. A was

accordingly placed in the third grade, where he had the good

fortune to meet a teacher of extraordinary knowledge and ability.

At the end of that year he was promoted to the fourth grade.

_Third year_. In the autumn of 1921 A was in the fourth grade,

with the same teacher he had had in the third grade. Outside of

school hours he took special work in sports and games with a group

of young boys. At the end of that year he was promoted to the fifth

grade, and placed in a special fifth-grade group which had been

formed of the brightest children of this status in the school.

During this time a special effort was made to develop A in social

activities and to interest him in group projects, with the result

that "he became much more a member of the group." Nevertheless,

he still liked to "lie down on his back and look up at the

ceiling," instead of joining common projects. "His mind often

seems to be miles away."

_Fourth year_. In the autumn of 1922 A was in the fifth grade,

composed of the special group referred to above, with classmates

about two years older than himself, whose IQ's ranged above 140.

At the end of that year he was promoted to the sixth grade, at age

9 years. He seemed happy and contented during his fourth year in

school but displayed many characteristics which might well try

the patience of any but a very wise teacher. The tendency to

become absorbed in his own line of thought continued, giving an

impression at times of indifference, absent-mindedness, and

non-coöperation. Also, he was "slow to take advice." He decided,

for instance, not to learn French, as he was "not interested in

it." He persisted in this attitude until it was clearly explained

to him that people who go to college must know French, whereupon

he applied himself and learned the language. The relative difficulty

in handwriting, shopwork, and other manual tasks which such a child

experiences in comparison with older classmates is also a problem

for the teacher.

_Fifth Year_. In the autumn of 1923 A entered the sixth grade.

He was at this time 9 years old.

JUDGMENTS OF TEACHERS

Teachers' judgments of A show the usual disagreements and errors.

His superior intelligence has been recognized to some extent

by nearly all. One teacher, however, has felt his superiority

to be merely for reading and arithmetic. Several teachers have

judged A to be inferior in respect to manual dexterity and motor

coördination, forgetting that their comparison was based always

on older children, A's classmates. Only one teacher bore this

fallacy of judgment in mind in reporting her estimates. For

instance, one of the supervisors who had observed A, reported

that he was below the average child of his age in penmanship.

A was then 6 years old. This supervisor seemed not to recall

that the average child of that age has no penmanship whatever.

Direct quotation from teachers' estimates will best show how

A has been appraised.

He was quite a desirable pupil, and we should have been glad

to keep him. _From the headmaster of the school A first entered_.

Though ahead of the class in arithmetic and reading, he reasons

like a child of 6. He has undeveloped judgment. _From a teacher,

in 1920_.

He seems to like the third grade, and the children like him.

Intellectually he is able to carry the work of the grade, and

while he is not yet very responsive in manual work, I think he

can gain the muscular control he needs here as well as in a

lower grade. He has made a splendid effort in the matter of

penmanship. He is still very imperfectly adjusted to the school

situation, but in time will find himself able to meet the

requirements, I am sure. _From a report of a classroom teacher,

for February 1 to March 18, 1921_.

Although A still has lapses of inattention during class lessons,

in general he complies with class requirements and he has

learned to use his free time without direction. His gain in

penmanship has been marked. _From report of a classroom teacher,

for March 21 to May 27, 1921_.

He is doing well, but needs handwork. _From report of a special

teacher, 1921_.

He is slow to take advice but has shown big improvement over

last term. He seemed to go ahead suddenly. _From report of a

special teacher, 1921_.

He has got little from the playground. Doesn't "get into

the game," and is a trial to his mates. _From report of a

teacher in charge of playground, 1921_.

Manifests considerable musical ability. Lovely voice, and

true to pitch. _From report of a music teacher, 1921_.

A is making excellent progress both socially and in his work.

Mr. W reports that his shopwork is good, considering his age,

and that it is improving. Miss C says there is continued

improvement in art. I find that his writing of figures is

improving more than written English. He does not like to

write, and is apt to neglect written homework. _From report

of a classroom teacher, for November 17, 1921, to January

31, 1922_.

A is the youngest child in his group (he is 7 and in the fourth

grade, in which the average age is about 9). It is difficult

to classify him in general terms as the first in scholastic

standing, as he is with a group which numbers nine or ten

superior children with IQ's running from 140 to 175; but in

scholastic standing, with the exception of written work, he is

among the best. If one compares his age with that of the

others, his ability is of course most marked. Even in this group

he is conspicuous for his accuracy and lucidity of statement and

for the clear thinking this indicates.

One noticeable indication of his intelligence is his ability to

criticize his own concepts; unless he understands every detail

of a subject, he does not consider that he understands it.

His ability in academic work seems well distributed, though

strongest in mathematics. For this grade he is markedly low

in art and industrial work; but he would be average in second

grade, where his age would under ordinary circumstances place

him. His artistic feeling is all for music and literature. He is

moderately interested in drawing, but doesn't like modeling

and does not want to draw unless it is for some special purpose,

or because everybody else is doing so and it is the social thing

to do. For example, he has made posters and designs for holiday

cards, which, while very crude, had an idea to express and

were suitable for their purpose. He enjoys shopwork and here

does better technically than in other types of handwork. I

think he is rather clumsy with his hands, even for his age,

though not much below the average child. With his mental

ability he can learn to do anything in which his interest is

aroused.

This ability to attack any sort of problem is shown in his

physical work. He makes an excellent effort and comprehends

what is to be done, but in bodily coördination, in muscular

strength, and in rhythmic response he would rank in the lower

half of a second grade. _From a specially requested report

of a classroom teacher, June 20, 1922_.

In short, I am fully convinced that A requires most of all

training which will develop a proper harmony and rhythm between

mind and body. _From the report of the instructor in the special

boys' group, to which A belonged, outside of school, April

19, 1922_.

A's teachers seem to hold the universal opinion that he is not

doing well in his work unless prodded or specially urged. It

was to be expected that the handwork, such as art and shopwork,

would be hard for him, but he seems to do poor work and at the

same time to be entirely satisfied with it, his teachers say.

Miss B finds he is not an observer of nature, but rather

inclined to tell what he has read in books.

However, on the academic side, in French and the regular

classroom studies, he seems to require the same prodding. His

sleepiness and inattention are quite marked at times. When

aroused, I find him capable of good thinking, and excellent

memory work. I have been afraid to overstimulate him, but

in order to accomplish the work of the fifth grade creditably

we must develop in him more of a feeling of responsibility on

his own account. His immaturity shows rather clearly in some

of these respects. Of course his work is more than passing,

because of the fine coöperation at home and his own vigorous

response when sufficiently urged. _From a report of a classroom

teacher, for September 18, 1922, to January 31, 1923_.

It is still a problem to get A to make contributions to the

work of the class. His mind works along lines of special

interest at the time. Although urged by the parents to push A

a little harder, I have hesitated to do much urging. One

fears to stimulate unduly. And yet I find that A is learning

in many ways all the time. There are still, of course, some

definite needs.

Mr. P reports no marked improvement on the physical side.

However, on the side of participation in the sports of the

group, I find a great improvement in A. He appears to be

enjoying himself during a ball game, and even catches a ball

occasionally.

Miss B says she hopes that A will have some real country and

nature during the summer. He needs a chance to roam and think

and observe for himself rather than to learn facts from books

or other people.

In the French class his interest and attitude have improved.

_From report of a classroom teacher, for February 1 to June

15, 1923, on the occasion of A's promotion to the sixth grade_.

These remarks from teachers bring clearly to notice some of the

difficulties in adjustment to school procedure when a child has

a 12-year-old capacity for thinking and the body of a 7- or

8-year-old, combined with the life of a 6-year-old. Motor control

is, of course, far behind abstract thinking; writing is slow and

feeble, while reading is rapid and fluent; shopwork is poor but

arithmetic is excellent; he can surpass 8- and 9-year-olds--even

those of superior intelligence--in the classroom, but in playing

with them he cannot catch a ball and is always the last to be

selected when sides "choose up," because he is a handicap in any

playground competitions.

From these remarks and estimates it is also easy to see how such

a child may provoke adverse comments from teachers, may be found

unsuited to school organization, and eventually even be reputed

stupid or "foolish." Fortunately for A, most of his teachers have

had unusual training and have been rigidly selected, besides,

for insight and personality. If you have read Edison's biography,

you will recall that under teachers less highly selected young

Thomas "did not get on in school," was regarded as "foolish," and

eventually was removed from school by his mother, who educated

him at home, she herself being a teacher.

These difficulties of discrepancy between mental development

and physical development are seen to be greatest in the earliest

years of childhood. The judgments show that as A grew from his

sixth birthday to his ninth birthday, he became less and less

conspicuous in his poor penmanship and in his inaptitude at games.

MENTAL MEASUREMENTS

General intelligence tests of A have been made as follows:

DATE BIRTHDAY STANFORD-BINET ARMY ALPHA

AGE OF A MA IQ POINTS

A Norm A Norm A Norm

Dec. 30, 1920 6-6 12-2 6-6 187 100 (Not given)

Jan. 2, 1922 7-6 14-4 7-6 191 100 76 0 (Form 5)

Apr. 22, 1922 [1] 7-10 14-8 7-10 187 100 (Not given)

Feb. 22, 1923 8-8 (Not given) 95 0 (Form 7) [2]

_Mechanical skill_. On January, 2, 1922 (aged 7 years 6 months),

A was given the _Stenquist Assembling Tests of General Mechanical

Ability_ and he made a score of 7 points only. He could tell what

mechanisms were to be constructed from the materials in five

out of the ten instances, but he was not "handy" enough to put

them together. (The test depends very much upon size and strength

of hands and upon the degree to which motor coördination is

developed. Young children, therefore, of whatever degree of

intelligence, are unable to succeed in it).

_Musical sensitivity_. On February 22, 1923, Seashore's _Tests

of Musical Sensitivity_ yielded results as follows, using the

figures for eighth-grade children for comparison, because of A's

Mental Age:

TEST PERCENTILE (EIGHTH GRADE) PERCENTILE (ADULTS)

A A'S FATHER

Consonance Below 27th 36th

Pitch 91st 81st

Intensity 41st 26th

Time Below 17th 78th

Tonal memory 70th 9th

_Design_. On January 2, 1922, the examiner made the following note

in reference to A's performance with Milton Bradley color cubes

(with which he always asks to play when he comes to the laboratory):

The child can construct the most complicated designs with

Milton Bradley's color cubes in less than three minutes each,

from memory--the design being exposed to vision and studied

for one minute. Three colors are involved--red, blue, yellow,

and white.

TRAITS OF CHARACTER

A has not been rated by any scale for traits of character as,

for instance, were the children reported by Terman. There are at

hand only statements by persons who know A. The parents both say

that A has no troublesome traits of character except "a tendency

to fail to take his own part in a fight." If a child strikes him,

he often does not strike back but simply does nothing. His parents

feel that this indicates a lack of "give and take" that is

essential to getting along in the world. The parents describe

him as "especially honest, truthful, reliable, affectionate,

kind, generous, and modest, with strong control of his emotions."

Traits of A which are faulty from the point of view of teachers

are absentmindedness, lack of interest in group activities,

untidiness, and obstinacy. One teacher estimated him as "a little

bit selfish." The desirable traits most often mentioned by teachers

are kindliness, amiability, affection, good humor, reticence, and

precision in treating the data of thought. The following are

quotations from teachers:

I am so sorry about A's coat. I laid it on his desk, as he

was cooking when it came. . . . Evidently he didn't notice it

on his desk when he came in later. Knowing A's absent-minded

habits, I ought to have called his attention to the coat.

A is not neat nor orderly.

A still has lapses of inattention during class lessons.

He is slow to take advice.

He is affectionate and kindly, while not over-demonstrative.

The class in which he has been for a year and three months

was slow in accepting him, but now they appreciate his intellect

and his good humor, and treat him with the kindly tolerance

of older brothers and sisters. A responds to this attitude well

and loves to fool and frolic with the others, somewhat kitten

fashion. In the goal ball games he wants to play though he is

simply a figurehead, and he knows enough to obey the rules

and not get in anyone's way.

In working with a group, A is inclined either to be dictatorial

or to insist upon doing everything himself. This may be because

of youth or because he sees so clearly what is to be done, but I

think he is a little selfish and obstinate. A is a very lovable

child with a tender heart and a good deal of emotional capacity,

generally kept hidden, so he is not difficult to manage. It is

difficult, however, to make him assume responsibilities about

material or work which is irksome, such as writing, and he is

very untidy.

It has been a pleasure to have A in my class. He has been

friendly and pleasant in his relations with his teachers as well

as with his classmates.

The physician who attended A when his ankle was twisted in an

accident (mentioned later in this account) rated him very high

for courage.

The character traits which have stood out repeatedly and most

noticeably in the course of visits to the laboratory for mental

tests appear to the present writer to be amiability, reticence,

emotional control in the face of mishaps (such as falling off

a chair in a strange place and bumping his head severely), and

obstinacy in pursuit of his plans and activities. He does not seek

advice, and does not take it readily. He is easily bored by

unnecessary repetitions of matter once presented. For instance,

in certain mental tests, where the standard procedure demands

that the same question be asked several times (Stanford-Binet

fables, "What lesson does that teach us?"), A grew more and more

restive at each repetition, and finally said, "We don't need that

every time, do we?"

The nickname is an important datum in estimating a child. A's

nickname among the children at school is "Sleeping Beauty."

This name was given, the teacher thinks, because of A's abstraction

and because he was never ready in games.

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS AND HEALTH

_Physique measurements_. The following measurements were made by

the present writer, using the standard scales and stadiometer

of the Teachers College Laboratory. The measurement of cranial

circumference was made with a reinforced fabric tape.

[PART 1 OF 2]

DATE WT. HT. (STAND.,

(LBS.) IN.)

A Norm A Norm

Jan. 1, 1921 56.0 44.8 48.0 46.6

Sep. 17, 1921 [3] 58.0 128 cm

Jan. 2, 1922 66.5 51.7 50.3 48.3

Feb. 22, 1923 68.7 55.9 52.7 50.1

[PART 2 OF 2]

HT. (STAND., HT. HT.-WT. CRANIAL

IN.) (SIT., IN.) COEFF. CIR. (IN.)

A Norm A A Norm A

48.0 46.6 25.5 1.01 .96

128 cm

50.3 48.3 26.5 1.26 1.07

52.7 50.1 28.1 1.24 1.12 21.3

In the case of the measurements made in clothing, subtracting

.5 inch, the height of heels, from standing height, and 4 pounds

for clothing from weight, we see that in all measurements of

physique taken, A decidedly exceeds Baldwin's norms for the

selected children in good private schools.

_Grip measurements_. Grip in the hand has been repeatedly measured

with Smedley's dynamometer, with the following results:

GRIP (KG.)

DATE Right Hand Left Hand

A Norm A Norm

January 1, 1921 13.0 10.0 10.0 9.0

February 22, 1923 16.0 13.0 14.0 12.0

The superior size of A is, therefore, accompanied by superior

strength of hand.

_Growth curves of A and his brother compared_. In the case of A and

his young brother, we have two boys of the same ancestry, living

in the same school and home environment, both falling into the

highest one per cent of the population as respects intelligence,

yet very widely separated in terms of IQ. The repeated measurements

show that the children do not become either more alike or more

different as time passes, but that each remains a constant,

maintaining a static relationship to the other in mind and body.

The pressure of the similar environment does not bring them closer

together in ability.

_Nervous stability_. The supervisor who judged A's penmanship to be

inferior to that of the average child of 6 years, also interpreted

this difficulty in writing to be a symptom of nervousness,

especially when considered in connection with his abstraction and

general maladjustment to work of the second grade. For this reason

the parents obtained statements from two physicians who knew

A well, as to the child's nervous stability. The physician who

removed A's tonsils wrote as follows:

I am glad to state that he is as free from any nervous stigmata

as is possible for any child of his age. Because of his

brightness, he was treated as an older child before his tonsil

operation, and what was about to be done was explained to

him, and he underwent the anesthesia in a perfectly natural

manner. His convalescence was unusually rapid, and at no

time did he show the slightest indication of any neurosis.

From careful observation I can truthfully say that A would

pass the severest tests, and show no abnormality.

The other physician wrote:

At the time I examined A in 1917 I found no neuropathic stigmata.

In fact, he impressed me as a boy who was rather well developed

physically. By physically I mean inclusive of his nervous system.

A's parents rate him as "well balanced." The present writer would

rate him as far above the average child of his years in nervous

stability.

_Organic condition_. Physical examinations reveal no defect

except a serious degree of "progressive myopia." To correct

this, glasses are worn and the use of eyes is limited.

_Medical history_. A has always been healthy. He has never been

subject to a chronic disorder. He sleeps well and has a keep

appetite for food. As an infant there was never any trouble in

feeding him. He cried very little, and was easy "to care for."

When he was 3 years 6 months old he was almost run over by an

automobile, but escaped with a twisted ankle. After that, for

about a year, he had a series of boils. At the age of 5 years

A was threatened with a mastoid infection and the drum of his

right ear was pierced, liberating a large quantity of pus. Hearing

was not, however, impaired. Adenoids and tonsils were removed at

the age of 6 years. These had never been especially troublesome,

but the parents decided on the operation because A breathed

through the mouth. He has not had "children's diseases," and

except for the incidents narrated, his medical history is negative.

MISCELLANEOUS CHARACTERISTICS

_Diversions_. At the age of 5 to 6 years A had much difficulty

in playing with children of his own age because he could not be

satisfied with play involving merely sensory stimulation and

diffuse motor activity. He always tried to diver the play to

some planned end, to _organize_ it, in ways not appreciated

by others of his age. When he was 6 years old, boys of 12 to

14 years of age were preferred by A as playmates, and he would

join them whenever they would accept his company. However, he

had and continued to have chums of approximately his own age.

At the age of 6 years 6 months A's favorite diversions were

reading, playing games of intellectual skill (like geographical

Lotto), and playing in sand (building). At the age of 8 years

8 months his favorite diversions were reading, chess, and pinochle.

_Imaginary land_. At the age of 3 to 6 years A had an imaginary

land which he called "Center Land." This fantasy appears to have

started when his brother was born. When this event occurred

A asked just how it happened. His mother thereupon gave him

the real physiological facts. To these he made no immediate

comment. Several days later he said he had no doubt his brother

did come into the world in just that way, but that he, A, did

not. He, A, originated in Center Land, where he chose his father

and mother. Thereafter, the imaginary land developed rapidly.

In this land children stayed up all night. They could play with

fire whenever they wished. He lived there in a hundred story

house, with an elevator he could run by himself. Two playmates,

"Katharine" and another child, lived there also. By the age

of 6, this imaginary country had almost ceased to engage him,

and at the age of 9 he no longer thinks of it.

_Religious experiences_. Between the ages of 6 and 8 years (Mental

Ages 12 to 15 years) A became very religious. Prayer was regarded

as extremely sacred, and God was much reverenced. Now, at the age

of 9 years (Mental Age beyond the limits of ordinary maturity),

he is no longer seen to devote himself to these observations.

_Career ideas_. At the age of 6 years 6 months A wanted to become

"an eye doctor." "I like to tend to mother's eye. I like to tend

to people's eyes." At the age of 8 years 8 months, in answer to

the question, "What will you be when you grow up?" A replied, "I

will do something with arithmetic in it; whatever has the most

mathematics in it."

_Reading interests_. To the question, "What do you like to read?"

A gave the following responses:

(Age 6 years 6 months) "True books, like _The Fall of Jerusalem_--

that's the best one, and Burgess _Animal Books_, Burgess _Bird

Books_, _Our First Flag_, _The Arabian Nights_."

(Age 8 years 8 months) "Books about people who _really_ lived."

A has always preferred books of fact to books of fancy--"true

books," as he called them; but now he enjoys fairy tales more

than he did when he was younger. This may be because the fact

behind the fancy now makes a stronger appeal. The following list

represents six months' reading, from the age of 7 years 0 months

to 7 years 6 months, some of the books being read to A, to reduce

eyestrain. [4]

_On Plymouth Rock_ S. A. Drake

_Four Great Americans_ J. Baldwin

_Stories of New York_ A. T. Lovering

_The Children's City_ E. Singleton

_The Burgess Bird Book_ Thornton Burgess

_The Burgess Animal Book_

_The Empire State_ J. W. Redway

_Around the World with the Children_ F. G. Carpenter

_East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon_ G. W. Dasent

_Miles Standish_ H. W. Longfellow

_The Wreck of the Hesperus_ H. W. Longfellow

_Fables_ Bulfinch

_Aesop's Fables_

_Tales and Teachings from the

Pentateuch_ M. M. Joseph

_The Little Gray Grandmother_ Carolyn S. Bailey

_Stories of the Bible_ Louise M. Pleasanton

_The Pied Piper of Hamelin_ R. Browning

_Tanglewood Tales_ N. Hawthorne

_First Jungle Book_ R. Kipling

_Second Jungle Book_ R. Kipling

_Poems_ J. W. Riley

_Poems_ Eugene Field

_Poems_ R. L. Stevenson

_The Wonder Book of Knowledge_

_The Blue Bird_ M. Maeterlinck

_Historic Boyhoods_ R. S. Holland

_The Friendly Stars_ M. E. Martin

This list gives an idea of the reading preferences of A, at

the age of 7 years. Within the year following, the preference

for biography and autobiography developed.

_Interest in astronomy_. Because other very young children of more

than 180 IQ known to the present writer had been especially

interested in astronomy--particularly Child E--it was desired to

observe what would be the reaction of A if knowledge of astronomy

were made accessible to him. Books which had interested Child E at

the age of 6 to 7 years were therefore made accessible to A. He at

once became interested in the heavenly bodies and their movements.

_Tendency to classify and diagram_. A's love of classifying--

first noted at the age of about 12 months--is a conspicuous

characteristic. He classifies events, objects, names, numbers,

and other data of experience. He can think in terms of diagrams

and sometimes draws a diagram to clarify or condense his meaning.

_Lightning calculation_. A's keenest intellectual interest is

probably in numbers, and he has responded very readily to his

father's instruction in short-cut methods of calculation. By March,

1922, he could very quickly square any number up to 100; multiply

any two numbers of a sum not to exceed 200; square any number up

to 1000 ending in 5 such as 865, 935, etc.); square any number up

to 10,000, ending in 55 or in 555; solve problems in proportion,

such as 9 : 21 :: 21 : _x_, 8 ÷ 42 :: _x_ ÷ 21, 8 : 9 :: 10 : _x_,

subtract the square of one number ending in 5 from the square

of another number ending in 5, where the difference between

the two numbers is 10, or 20, or 30 (e.g., 2255² or 2245² or

3345² or 3325²). Also at that age he could calculate series of

operations, thus: "Take 2, square it, square that, divide by 4,

cube it, add 17, take the square root, add 7, square it, square it,

give the result," his calculations taking about five seconds each.

EDITOR'S SUPPLEMENT

The author's original write-up of Child A ends with the above,

written early in 1923. From records in the author's files the

following further data concerning later development may be added:

_December 26, 1923_

AGE: 9 years 6 months

SCHOOL GRADE: Sixth

TEST RECORD: Given Stanford-Binet by L. S. H. with Mental Age of

16-11. This would give IQ 178, but the comment is made, "Can no

longer be measured by Stanford-Binet." On this day also given

Army Alpha, with a score of 128 points, this being the score

assigned to chronological age 17 years 8 months.

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS:

Standing height 54.2 inches

Sitting height 27.9 inches

Weight 74.3 pounds

Head circumference 21.5 inches

Right grip 14, 17, 18

Left grip 14, 12, 14

TEACHERS' REPORTS. (Private school, September 22-December 19,

1924) "A's reports show that he has attained high credit in

mathematics and history; low credit in French, shopwork, art,

music, and physical training; average credit in other subjects.

His written work shows improvement.

"He presents the usual problem of the unadjusted. There is now

more alertness in his manner, but still a lack of the will to do

work because it is a group demand. Something more of maturity

has come to him with his greater freedom. He has started the

manual-training problem with some sense of self-discipline.

"If he will now attack his work with the mental grip of which

he must be capable, and give to the group the benefit of his

ability, it will be a joy to have him among us."

_December 22, 1924_

AGE: 10 years 6 months

SCHOOL GRADE: Seventh

TEST RECORD: On Stanford-Binet, passed 4 of the 6 Superior

Adult Tests, failing on Tests 1 and 4. Alpha score, 166 points.

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS:

Standing height 56.2 inches

Sitting height 29.4 inches

Weight 80.5 pounds

Head circumference 21.5 inches

Right grip 18, 18, 16

Left grip 19, 17, 15

_December 22, 1925_

AGE: 11 years 6 months

SCHOOL GRADE: Eighth

TEST RECORD: Passed all tests on Superior Adult level,

Stanford-Binet. Took two forms of Army Alpha. Form 7, 162

points, and on Form 5, 168 points.

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS: _Norm_

Standing height 58.1 inches 56.7 inches

Sitting height 29.4 inches

Weight 88.8 pounds 75.5 pounds

Head circumference 21.7 inches

_November 18, 1926_

AGE: 12 years 5 months

TEST RECORD: Score on Army Alpha, 175 points

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS: _Norm_

Standing height 60.0 inches 57.8 inches

(in shoes)

Sitting height 30.0 inches

Weight (without coat) 93.0 pounds 84.6 pounds

_January 12, 1929_

AGE: 14 years 7 months

SCHOOL GRADE: Third Year High School

TEST RECORD: Score on Army Alpha, 194 points

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS: _Norm_

Standing height 64.2 inches 62.2 inches

Sitting height 32.5 inches

Weight (clothed) 118 pounds 98.9 pounds

(stripped) 114 pounds

_October, 1929, to February, 1930_

SCHOOL GRADES:

English Literature C+

English Composition C

German B-

Geometry B+

Trigonometry B+

Science B+

_January and June, 1931_

AGE: 16 years 6 months to 17 years

SCHOOL GRADE: Now a freshman in college

TEST RECORD: Was given CAVD test, Levels M, N, O, P, Q, at

two different sittings--one in January, the other in June.

Score 422 points. (According to available information 400

points is twelfth-grade college entrance score in high-type

colleges, while 421 points is the upper quartile score of

candidates for advanced degrees in Teachers College, Columbia

University, the median being 415.)

_January 20, 1932_

At the age of 17 years 7 months, in the third year of college,

he scored 204 points on Army Alpha, Form 8, a score made

only by the top one per cent of college juniors, seniors, and

graduate students.

_November 23, 1939_

Notice was received of A's marriage.

[1] Demonstration test before a class of teachers.

[2] The score of 95 points on Army Alpha, Form 7, on February 22,

1923, corresponds to a mental level of 16 years, 0 months by

Stanford-Binet. This (if translatable into IQ) would result

in an IQ of 184.

[3] Measurements were made without clothing, by Dr. Herman Schwartz.

[4] The Burgess books had been read often before.

CHAPTER FIVE

CHILD B

Child B is a girl, born November 25, 1912. She was discovered

in a private school in the course of a systematic survey made

by Dr. E. H. Malherbe, who was at the time a graduate student

at Teachers College, Columbia University. To Dr. Malherbe the

present writer is indebted for introduction to this child, and

also for data on first tests as well as for other information.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Child B is descended from colonial settlers in this country.

Her ancestors came chiefly from the British Isles, as set forth

in her family history. Her parents are not related by blood

so far as can be known.

The paternal grandfather was of English descent; the paternal

grandmother of Irish descent. No dependent or incompetent relatives

of the father are known. All are self-sustaining.

The maternal grandfather was of Irish-Spanish blood. The maternal

grandmother was of Irish descent. No incompetent or dependent

relatives are known.

_Father_. Child B's father was born in Vermont and was 42 years

old when B was born. He is a high school graduate and a graduate

of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He passed

the entrance examinations for the latter institution at the age

of 16 years and was at that time the youngest student ever admitted

to the Academy. He has held posts of extraordinary trust in the

pursuit of his profession, and is at the time of this writing an

officer of high rank in the United States Army.

_Mother_. Child B's mother is a graduate of a Catholic parochial

high school and of the College of Mount St. Vincent. She was

married at an early age and her career has been that of housewife

and mother, no profession having been followed previous to marriage.

Although she is the mother of seven children and mistress of a

large household, B's mother found time to attend courses in law

and economics at Columbia University while the family lived in

New York. She was 39 years old when B was born.

_Noteworthy relatives_. Relatives of note in the paternal branch

include B's great-grandfather, who was a physician, founder of the

Vermont Academy of Medicine in the early years of the nineteenth

century, and a professor of surgery there. There are also among

relatives an admiral of the United States Navy, [1] a physician

of wide reputation, a commander of the United States Navy, [2]

and a practical tin- and coppersmith who was an inventor. This

family branch as a whole finds its average level of achievement

in the professions.

The maternal branch includes a woman of extraordinary business

ability, a priest who was a scholar and organizer of marked

ability, and a mining engineer of unusual achievement. The

performance level of the family lies, on the average, in business

and the professions.

_Immediate family_. B is the sixth born of seven siblings. Of these

children, two--the brother born two years before B and the brother

born five years after B--have had mental tests. The older brother

was measured in the course of the mental survey made by Dr.

Malherbe. His IQ (S-B) at the age of 10 years 6 months was 167.

This is not a full measure of his brother, as he passed many tests

at the highest levels of performance provided by the scale.

A still older brother passed the entrance examinations for the

Columbia College, from which may be inferred intelligence above

the average. The younger brother's IQ (S-B) at the age of 6 years

10 months was 138.

PRESCHOOL HISTORY

The preschool history of B has been elicited from the parents.

She cut her first tooth at 7 months. She began to talk at 9 months

of age and to walk at 15 months. As soon as she was able to walk

out with her nurse or her mother, at about the age of 24 months,

B began to notice the letters on billboards and to spell out

words. By the time she was in the third year of life she could

read fluently in simple books. (The brother whose IQ is referred

to above as 167 did not read until he was about 4 years 6 months

of age.)

SCHOOL HISTORY

B has always attended private schools. She began her school life

in kindergarten, at the age of 3 years, and attended the same

school until the age of nearly 9 years. At the age of 8 years

4 months she had reached only the fourth grade, whereas in the

battery of educational tests given as a part of the school survey

she passed at that age the seventh-grade standards for public

schools.

In appraising the great discrepancy between school progress and

ability in this case, it is necessary to bear in mind that children

in some private schools are highly selected as regards intellect.

The median IQ in this particular school was shown by the survey

to be much above 100; so that B was not so hopelessly misplaced

in the fourth grade there as would have been the case had she

attended public school. The fact of competition with selected

children reduces the discrepancy, although it is still very great.

At the age of 8 years 9 months, B entered a private school

in Washington, D. C. Here she was placed in the sixth grade,

"skipping" the fifth grade. Her school reports have always been

very excellent, "almost always E in every subject."

In the autumn of 1922 B entered the seventh grade, aged 9 years

9 months. She was the youngest pupil in a class of about 20

children, and held first rank. "She leads in every regular subject

except catechism, geography, and history." B "likes all subjects

except catechism, giving first place, at the age of 9 years,

to arithmetic. Her school marks for 1922-1923 are as follows,

the marks indicating as is usual: 100, perfect; 90, very good;

80, good; 70, fair; 60, deficient."

B'S MARKS, GRADE VII. AGE 9 YEARS 10 MONTHS.

SUBJECT 1922 1922 1923 1923

Oct. 31 Dec. 15 Jan. 31 Mar. 27

Catechism 95 90 80 94

Grammar 92 94 85 90

Composition 87 88 85

Spelling 93 95 100 98

Letter writing 85 85 80

American history 85 80 88 90

Geography 94 87 90 94

Arithmetic 90 90 100 90

Oral French 95 95 96 95

Penmanship D C 75

Reading 90 91 85

Choral singing 80 80 95

Drawing 90 90 90

Plain sewing 80 85 85

Rules of observance 90 100 97 94

Bible history 94 90 86 93

At the age of 11 years B entered high school and is doing good

work there, but without much stimulus of competition, as there

are but a few pupils in her grade.

Unlike several of the children who have an IQ of more than 180,

B has never been a school problem. She has always been a "good

mixer" with children of her school grade, and has taken part in

their activities. Being a very large, strong child, she has not

been so much "out of it" in motor skill as to be conspicuous

among older schoolmates. As evidences of unusual manual dexterity

the following may be mentioned: at the age of 5 years B knitted

on steel needles a pair of socks which were worn by her little

brother; at 6 years she made edible rice puddings; at 7 years

of age she made cookies.

TRAITS OF CHARACTER

No one among parents and teachers has mentioned any character

trait considered faulty. The virtues most frequently mentioned

and emphasized are modesty, reliability, self-direction, poise,

good humor, amiability, and "being a good sport."

JUDGMENT OF TEACHERS

It is remarkable that no adverse comments have been offered by any

of B's teachers. All teachers have rated B high in character and

intellect. The chief error in judgment lies in not ranking her as

high as she really stands. This error arises partly from the fact

that teachers in the private schools B attended deal with selected

children whom they may come to think of as representing the average

of child ability. The judgments of B's teachers may be quoted as

follows:

Remembered in our kindergarten chiefly for her vivid imagination.

_From the head mistress of the school_.

One of the most popular children in the school. _From a teacher_.

It is some time since I had B as a pupil, but I am glad to

tell you my impressions of the child as I remember her.

She was a very quiet, unassuming member of the class. She

had remarkable powers of concentration, always finished her

work well in advance of the others and then found work for

herself until the class was ready to go on with a new subject.

With the children in both work and play she made no effort

to lead them, and although they recognized the fact that her

work was superior to theirs, they showed no resentment toward

B because she never made them feel her superiority.

B showed a mental poise that I have rarely, if ever, found

in a child. It was not so much a matter of a sudden keen grasp

of a subject, which might or might not be permanent. She

seemed to have the power, which is usually met only in mature

minds, of weighing, reasoning, and then placing for permanent

use the matter with which she was dealing. [3]

Always B appealed to me as a normal child, with unusual mental

poise. She was not at all uncanny or tiresomely intelligent.

_From a former classroom teacher_.

MENTAL MEASUREMENTS

Measurements of general intelligence of B have been made as follows:

DATE BIRTHDAY STANFORD ARMY ALPHA

AGE -BINET POINTS

OF B MA IQ B Norm

Mar. 3, 1921 8-3 15-8 189

Apr. 8, 1922 9-4 17-6 188 84 (Form 5) 0

Dec. 29, 1924 12-1 142 (Form 5)

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS

B was measured at the age of 9 years 4 months and again at the

age of 12 years 1 month, in light indoor clothing, with the

following results:

_Height and weight_.

[PART 1 OF 2]

DATE WT. (LBS.) HEIGHT (IN.)

B Norm [4] B Norm [5]

April 8, 1922 106.0 61.5 56.0 52.0

December 29, 1924 123.0 82.8 61.6 57.7

[PART 2 OF 2]

HEIGHT (IN.) HT.-WT. COEFF. CRANIAL CIR. (IN.)

B Norm [5] B Norm B

56.0 52.0 1.88 1.18 22.4

61.6 57.7 1.99 1.44 22.5

B greatly surpasses Badlwin's norms (making the usual allowance

for heels and clothing).

_Grip measurements_. Measured with Smedley's dynamometer, B's

hand grip scores as follows:

DATE GRIP (KG.)

Right Hand Left Hand

April 8, 1922 13.0 11.0

December 29, 1924 20.0 18.0

Superior size is therefore accompanied by superior strength.

MISCELLANEOUS CHARACTERISTICS

_Diversions_. At the age of 9 years B listed her favorite diversions

thus: "All sorts of outdoor games; then reading; then drawing;

then playing with dolls, sometimes."

_Imaginary land_. "When I was 8 years old my imaginary countries

were generally of grownupness, where I figured as chief actress

and queen."

_Career ideas_. At the age of 9 years B was asked, "What will you

be when you grow up?" B responded promptly, "A doctor." Then

she added, "I will learn to sing, too. Perhaps I'll sing to the

patients. There are so many things to do. I'll try to combine

several things." Now, at the age of 12 [[1925]], she is ambitious

to become "a celebrated authoress, actress, artist, and musician."

_Reading interests_. When asked how many books she had read (April

8, 1922), B replied, "Oh, hundreds and hundreds. We have plenty

of books." It is characteristic of her that she reads over and

over again a book that especially pleases her. Thus she had read

nearly all of Louisa Alcott's books twice each, and had read _Lady

Luck_--at that date her favorite book--several times. She had

read a great many books written for boys, and remarked, in trying

to describe her preferences, "I like boys' books best. They

have more in them than girls' books."

_Tendency to organize other children_. B is the only one of the

children here reported who shows any success or interest in leading

or organizing fellow children. She organizes "clubs" and games.

When shown the Civil War code, in the course of mental tests, she

remarked, "I must remember that, for it will be fine for my

Clip-Clap-Club."

[1] Rear Admiral John W. Phillip. (Callahan, E. W. _List of

Officers of the United States Navy and of the Marine Corps._

Hamersley & Co., New York; 1901.)

[2] Commander E. T. Woodward.

[3] At this time B's intelligence was about that of the average

adult, according to mental tests, though the teacher made this

comment without having that knowledge.

[4] Baldwin's norms for children 9 years 6 months old.

[Transcriber's note: The second row is clearly from a different,

and likely the corresponding, age norm].

[5] Without shoes.

CHAPTER SIX

CHILD C

Child C is a boy, born June 15, 1913. He was brought to the writer's

attention by the principal of Public School 157, Manhattan, who

wrote as follows, requesting an examination in the laboratory at

Teachers College, Columbia University:

I have in the 5A grade of this school a boy . . . who seems

to be somewhat of an infant prodigy. His verbal memory,

especially, is phenomenal, but he is underdeveloped on the

physical side, takes no interest in Manual Work, and does not

like to play with other children.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Child C is descended, in both lines, from German Jews. His parents

are not related by blood.

The paternal grandfather was a successful businessman. The paternal

grandmother was a competent housewife. A paternal uncle is a judge

in New York City. No incompetent relative in this branch is known;

on the other hand, there is no one of great eminence.

On the maternal side, one of C's mother's brothers is a physician,

a cousin is a writer, and another cousin is a judge. No incompetent

relatives are known in this branch.

_Father_. C's father is an accountant. He did not graduate from

elementary school but went to work at an early age. He was 40 years

old when C was born.

_Mother_. C's mother is a high school graduate. She was 35 years

old when C was born. She is a housewife, and had no paid occupation

before marriage. C is an only child, never having had any siblings.

PRESCHOOL HISTORY

The following information was gathered from C's mother. The child

cut his first tooth at the age of 9 months. He began to walk at the

age of 1 year 3 months, and to talk fluently at the age of 1 year

4 months. He learned to read almost as soon as he talked, and at

the age of 3 years could read simple matter.

When he was 4 years old, C went one day into a store with his

father. While the latter was making his purchases the child took a

book from the shelf and began to scan it. The shopkeeper noticed

the child looking attentively at the book and said, for a joke,

"Boy, if you will read me that book, I'll give it to you."

Instantly C began to read fluently and carried the book away

from the astonished merchant.

On another occasion, when he was about 5 years old, a woman noticed

C searching about the house and said to him, "Are you hungry?" His

reply was, "Yes, I'm hungry for a book."

Apparently C has never had an imaginary land. His favorite

recreation has always been reading.

SCHOOL HISTORY

C's school life began at the age of 6 years. He did not

attend kindergarten. His teachers recognized him as "out

of the ordinary"--but not in any appreciative way. They

thought him "queer" and "odd." In spite of perfect work,

he was advanced only a little more than the usual rate,

being placed in Grade 5B at the age of 9 years 5 months.

His obvious misplacement and unhappiness here caused the

principal of the school to seek advice regarding C's education.

After mental tests had revealed the mental level of a superior

adult, C was invited to enter the Special Opportunity Class then

just organized at Public School 165, Manhattan. Here he was

associated with twenty-five classmates of his own age whose IQ's

ranged from 150 to 175, the median of the group being about 164 IQ.

In this class C gradually became adjusted to the work in such a way

that at the end of the school year (1923), when asked whether he

would prefer to stay in the Special Opportunity Class or go on to

high school, he unhesitatingly chose to stay with the special

class. "It will be more interesting," he said. He therefore

finished elementary school at the age of 12 years, although at 10

he was judged by his teachers to be fully prepared in knowledge

to enter senior high school. There is no doubt that he could

have been made ready to enter college at the age of 12 years.

When asked at the age of 9 what he would be when he grew up,

the following conversation took place:

Q. What do you think is the most interesting vocation? What

would you like to be when you grow up?

A. Well, the answer to those two questions is not the same one.

Q. Then tell us first what you think is the most interesting

vocation.

A. Science, especially astronomy.

Q. And what vocation would you like to follow when you grow

up?

A. To be a medical doctor.

Q. But why not be what is most interesting?

A. Because a person cannot make much money being an astronomer.

I never heard of anyone at the Lick Observatory earning

fifty thousand dollars a year.

Q. But do medical doctors earn fifty thousand dollars a year?

A. It is possible for one to do it. Some of them do.

Q. Do you think being a medical doctor is the most lucrative

occupation?

A. No. It would be more lucrative to get into Standard Oil.

Q. Then why not go into Standard Oil?

A. Because it isn't so interesting as being a medical doctor.

Q. Which is the more useful occupation--medical doctor or

astronomer?

A. Medical doctor. Because a man does not care much for a

blazing star a million miles away if his wife is sick. Anyone

cares more for a _person_ two feet away than for a _thing_ a

trillion miles away.

The ambition to become a medical doctor has persisted for three

years and gives an impression of permanency. [1]

Scores of anecdotes could be cited to illustrate the interests and

the fine intelligence of this boy. In walking through the halls of

the college with him, on one occasion when he had come for a mental

test, the present writer saw what seemed to be an exhibition of

Chinese costumes in a glass case, and called C's attention to it,

saying, "Look at this exhibition of Chinese work." C looked

closely at the exhibit for several moments without comment,

and then said, "Well, I believe it is Japanese work, isn't it?"

He then proceeded to point out certain minute differences which

are found between the work of Japanese and Chinese and which were

later verified by an authority on the subject.

When he went with his class to visit a new high school building

in the city, he was missed as the others began to move from one

corridor to another. After search, he was found in the chemical

laboratory copying in a notebook the names of all the chemicals

in the bottles as they appeared on the labels.

In the Opportunity Class C was appreciated by these children

of more than 150 IQ as he had never been by the unselected children

in the regular classes. They recognized his encyclopedic knowledge

and respected it. They eventually elected him to two posts of

responsibility among them. These were totally new experiences for C.

Another new experience for the boy was that of being equaled

by another child in an intellectual performance. Although C led the

special class in marks, as would be expected, he was nevertheless

occasionally equaled or surpassed in one or two subjects in the

month's record. He learned for the first time how to adjust himself

to successful competitors in his own particular field.

TRAITS OF CHARACTER

A few faulty character traits in C have been noted by teachers.

One teacher said, "He is somewhat of a prig." This impression

appears to have been based partly on his lack of desire to play

with children of his own age and partly on his use of "long

words." Soon after C entered the Special Opportunity Class for

gifted children, another boy equaled him in an assignment and

put out his hand to C, saying cordially, "Let's shake." C had

never had the experience of being equaled by a fellow pupil and

he turned away, refusing to shake hands. However, he has now

learned to react most cordially to those who equal him, though

he bitterly dislikes to be equaled or passed in mental work.

Never in any sense a leader or guide among the unselected children

of the school from which he came, C was soon elected to the

position of monitor by the children of median IQ 164. They were

heard to say: "C is just; C can make us behave." One child (IQ 164)

exclaimed in admiration, "C knows _everything_."

On the other hand, C arouses some feelings of jealousy and

antagonism as well as admiration because he does not hesitate

to contradict erroneous statements or to rectify imperfections

in what others say or do. He is not very tactful in human

relationships.

The virtues most frequently ascribed to C by those who know him

well are reliability, honesty, bravery, and loyalty. He is a

stickler for the exact; no statement is right unless it is exactly

right. It is easy to see how this trait might antagonize average

children of C's age, and even teachers and others in authority.

MENTAL MEASUREMENTS

Measurements of general intelligence of C have been made as follows:

DATE BIRTHDAY STANFORD-BINET ARMY ALPHA POINTS

AGE OF C MA IQ On October 30, 1922,

Sept. 26, 1922 9-3 17-7 190 he scored 146 points

April 18, 1923 9-10 18-6 188 (Form 9)

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS

Measurements of C's physique have been made as follows:

DATE WT. HT. CRANIAL

(LBS.) (STAND., IN.) CIR. (IN.)

Sept. 26, 1923 60.5 53.9 . . .

Jan. 8, 1924 . . . . . . 20.7

C is one of the few of the bright children studied who does not

exceed Baldwin's norms in physique. However, at the age of 11 years

7 months he was 57 inches tall and weighed 69.9 pounds. His

appetite for food has never been very satisfactory, but in spite

of this his general health has been good.

EDITOR'S SUPPLEMENT

The author's original write-up of Child C terminated at this point,

in 1923. But during the following 16 years she remained in constant

contact with C, interviewing him and testing him periodically, and

in many ways sponsoring his secondary, collegiate, and professional

education. Many pages of these records are in her files, accompanied

by collections of C's work, newspaper notices, correspondence,

photographs, and data from further interviews with the parents.

It seems best to summarize these records chronologically, and with

some brevity, since it would not be at all feasible to reproduce

the material in full.

_October 15, 1923_

C filled out an "Interest Blank" at P. S. 165, Manhattan, where he

was then in the eighth grade, at the age of 10 years 4 months. He

was at this time, or had been, class monitor and editor of the

class paper. "Likes and dislikes" were expressed, strongest

"preference" of subjects, and judgment of "what is easiest."

_Liked very much_ were literature, reading, spelling, mathematics,

French, games and sports, and geography.

_Most disliked_ were painting, water colors, etc.; penmanship;

composition.

"_Easiest_" and also "_best liked_" was English literature.

_Preferred kind of reading_ was encyclopedias, biography, current

events, and history.

_Things most like to do_ were studying, general reading, sedentary

games, playing alone.

_Most disliked things to do_ were using tools or working with

apparatus and machinery, drawing, dancing, practicing

music.

[[This dislike for manual activities remained with C. In later

years, although his drawings in science courses were admirable,

he made an unsatisfactory laboratory assistant when set to using

the typewriter or mimeograph, or to drawing graphs and charts

not for his own use.]]

FIG. 2. A SKETCH BY c.

[The sketch is a bit of a doodle, headed by the word "GOSSIP,"

followed by the first row, which begins with a pair of

shoes set toe-to-toe (the phrase, "OF SHOES" is set to the

right of them), and a large steam ship ("AND SHIPS", to the

left). The next row consists of a stick of wax (labeled "WAX",

with "AND SEALING WAX" above it). The last row beings with an

open head of cabbage ("AND CABBAGES" to the right), and has a

crown at the end ("AND KINGS", is set to the left of it).]

FIG. 3. A PAGE FROM ONE OF C'S NOTEBOOKS.

[This figure shows two biological diagrams of what appears to

be a cross-section of the mucus membrane of the esophagus. The

following regions of the first are labeled (in descending

order): tunica mucosa; tela submucosa; tunica muscularis; and

tunica adventitia. The following areas of these regions are

labeled (also in descending order): papilla of tunica propria;

epitheum, tunica propria; lamina muscularis mucosae; ducts

of deep oesophageal gland; blood vesses of submucuous layer;

portion of myenteric plexus, showing ganglion cells; smooth

muscle; striated muscle; and branch of vagus nerve. It conforms

with modern diagrams of the esophagus.]

[The second diagram appears to be a cross-section of the

intestinal wall, and is horizontally oriented. The left region

is labeled "gastric pit," and the right region, "Tubule of

gland." Areas of the left region are labeled "Lumen," "Mucus

(goblet) epithelial cells," and "Tunica propria." The right

region has labels of "parietal cells," "chief cells" and

also a separate cross-sectional picture labeled "tubule cut

transversely." It conforms with modern diagrams of this area

of the intestinal wall.]

_February, 1924_

At this time the Special Opportunity Class teacher (P. S. 165,

Manhattan) rated C, on a school information blank, for a long

array of "physical, mental, social, and moral traits," using

a 7-step rating scale (1 being the highest scale).

Ratings of 1 were given for--

Truthfulness Common sense

Desire to know General intelligence

Originality

Ratings of 2 or 3 were given for--

Prudence and forethought Conscientiousness

Self-confidence Permanency of moods

Will power and persever- Desire to excel

ance Cheerfulness and optimism

Freedom from vanity and Leadership

egotism Sensitiveness to approval or

Sympathy and tenderness disapproval

Ratings of below 3 (average or below) were given for--

Health Fondness for large groups

Physical energy Popularity with other children

Musical appreciation Generosity and unselfishness

Appreciation of beauty Mechanical ingenuity

Sense of humor

_September 15, 1924_

At this time the author (L. S. H.), who had known C for two

years, independently rated him on this same array of traits

by the same rating scale technique.

Ratings of 1 were given for--

Prudence and forethought Sympathy and tenderness

Self-confidence Conscientiousness

Will power and persever- Truthfulness

ance Desire to know

Appreciation of beauty Originality

Sense of humor Common sense

Desire to excel General intelligence

Ratings of 2 or 3 were given for--

Cheerfulness and optimism Sensitiveness to approval or

Permanency of moods disapproval

Leadership Freedom from vanity or ego-

Popularity with other chil- tism

dren Mechanical ingenuity

Ratings of below 3 (average or less) were given for--

Health Generosity and unselfishness

Physical energy Fondness for large groups

Musical appreciation

The only striking differences between the two sets of ratings

are in sense of humor and appreciation of beauty, in which C

was rated low by the teacher and high by the author. It appears

to the Editor, who also has a more or less intimate acquaintance

with C, that a composite of these ratings, made when the child

was 11 years old, gave an adequate portrayal of him as an adult

of 27.

_April 18, 1925_

At the age of 11 years 10 months, C was again given the

Stanford-Binet examination by L. S. H. His score was 18 years

6 months, and he was recorded as being "no longer measured"

by this test.

_January 16, 1926_

At this time C was in a private high school, being then 12 years

7 months old.

On these data his score in Army Alpha (Form 5) was 195

points.

He was given an early form of the IER Test for Superior Adults,

CAVD, and the score is given as 43.5 (perhaps this should be 435).

The comment of the scorer in the Institute of Educational Research

was: "This puts the boy well into the college graduate class. He

excels about 75 per cent of the Yale Law freshmen."

_January 26, 1927_

C was now age 13 years 7 months, and he was in the second year

of high school.

He was given the IER Scale CAVD for Superior Adults in two

installments, beginning January 30 and finishing February 13.

The score was 435 points, and the comment is, "As good as best

Yale Law School freshmen and as high as top 4 per cent to 5 per

cent of Teachers College candidates for M. A. degree."

Also in January, 1927, in the psychological laboratory of Barnard

College, C was given by the present Editor an array of tests

for which norms were available for Barnard freshmen, from the

work of F. E. Carothers (_Psychological Examination of College

Students_). The scores made are in the following tabulation

expressed in terms of the PE of the distribution of 100 Barnard

freshmen.

SCORES MADE BY C AT AGE of 13 YEARS 7 MONTHS IN TERMS OF PE OF

DISTRIBUTION OF 100 BARNARD FRESHMEN

_Unless otherwise indicated, the score is "plus."_

TEST C's SCORE

Word Building (AEIRLP) 3.22 PE

Completion (Trabue A) 3.09

Directions (Woodworth-Wells) 2.78

Word Recall (Mulhall) 2.72

Analogies (Woodworth-Wells) 1.66

Logical Recall (Proverbs) 0.49

Naming Opposites (Woodworth-Wells) 0.16

Substitution (Digit-Form) 0.07

Color Naming (Woodworth-Wells) -0.06

Cancellation (Digits) -0.15

Word Recognition (Mulhall) -0.27

Logical Recognition (Proverbs) -0.64

Number Checking -0.81

Verb-Object Associations -0.86

On those of the above subtests most nearly like the content

of present general intelligence examinations, C is clearly

above the standard for the freshmen group, being in fact at

the very top of the list, about 3 PE above average.

Most of the things on which C scored (slightly) below average

are simple and more or less mechanical. This result may perhaps

be confirmed by his score in Stenquist Assembling Test, Series

I, given on the same day. His T-score was 58, placing him only

a little above average (67th centile) among 13-year-old children.

It will be recalled that C was uniformly rated low in "mechanical

ability" and also

expressed a lack of interest in "working with machinery."

On this day C was also given the Rosanoff High Standard Frequency

Test (Word Association) based on Class A words only. The available

standards (Rosanoff) and also C's score

are given in the following:

Fifth grade, total value 15

First year high school 100

First year college 375

Master's degree 600

Starred men of science 800

C's score 823

_August 23, 1931_

At the age of 18 years 2 months, C was in his third year of college

(Columbia). On this date he was again given IER Intelligence

Scale CAVD, Levels M, N, O, P, Q, and his score was 446 points,

which is as high as any score recorded on this scale.

_December 26, 1932_

At the age of 19 years 6 months, in the fourth year of college,

C scored 210 points on Army Alpha, Form 8, a score equaled only

by the top 1 per cent of college seniors.

LATER SCHOOL HISTORY

Subsequent to the Special Opportunity Class, in 1923, in P. S. 165,

Manhattan, C completed his high school work, first in a private

school and later in a public high school (George Washington)

in New York City. During these years he received various academic

honors and prizes, or medals, for proficiency.

In the high school from which he was graduated in 1929, he was

vice-president of the French Club. He won a city-wide contest

in French composition, for which he received a medal. He was

elected to Arista, the high school honor society, and ranked

third in his class upon graduation, with an average grade of 94

(the two better were 96 and 94.5). In connection with his high

school work he was awarded a state scholarship of $150.

Upon graduating from high school, C applied for and competed for

a Pulitzer scholarship, and he was awarded a scholarship as the

highest-ranking boy among the competitors. This enabled him to

enter Columbia College, to which he was admitted in 1929.

He was graduated from Columbia, taking the premedical course,

in 1933, being elected to Phi Beta Kappa. During the previous year

he also won a current events contest conducted by a metropolitan

newspaper, with a prize of $150.

C was admitted to the New York University Medical College, from

which he was graduated with the degree of M.D. He is now (1940)

serving his internship in hospitals in New York City.

[1] C is now, 17 years after the recording of this comment, engaged

in the profession of medicine. EDITOR

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHILD D

Child D is a boy, born March 9, 1910. [1] He was first described

by Terman, who tested him in 1917. D, like E, was brought to the

attention of the writer by the principal of the Horace Mann

Kindergarten (Teachers College, Columbia University) as being

a child of remarkable endowment. He was at that time 7 years

4 months old and had a Mental Age of 13 years 7 months, with

an IQ of 184 (S-B).

FAMILY BACKGROUND

D is descended from Russian Jews in the paternal branch and from

English Jews in the maternal branch.

_Father_. D's father immigrated to America at an early age. He

is a high school graduate and was a student of engineering but

abandoned these studies in the third year to do newspaper work,

and later entered the advertising business in a large city.

His leisure is spent in writing, and he has published a number

of books, including three novels and a philosophical drama dealing

with religion. His first book, a novel, was published when he

was 21 years old. He was 28 when D was born.

_Mother_. D's mother went to school for only a few weeks and has

been largely self-taught. Before marriage she was statistician

and registrar in a large philanthropic organization. She has

published stories, reviews, and poems, and a book on education.

She has always taken part personally in the education of D.

She was 26 years old when D was born. D is an only child.

_Noteworthy relatives_. Noteworthy relatives beyond the first

degree of kinship include the following: a chief rabbi of Moscow,

who was exiled for aiding the Nihilists; a distinguished lawyer;

a man who by his own efforts became a millionaire; a concert

pianist; a composer and virtuoso; a writer; and "a relative

decorated for science in Poland."

The maternal great-grandfather was a famous rabbi who compiled

and published a Jewish calendar covering a period of 414 years.

This calendar contains, in regular order, the exact period of every

new moon's appearance, the sabbaths, festivals with scriptural

portions for each, and the equinoxes of the solar year according

to the prescribed and authorized Jewish laws and corresponding

to dates in the common era. The tabulations have been carefully

compiled from various works of ancient rabbinical astronomers,

with annotations in Hebrew and English.

This rabbi was also the great-grandfother of the four first cousins

of D, whose intelligence quotients have been taken, and who

rated 156, 150, 130, and 122, respectively. A second cousin

in the maternal line yielded at the age of 6 years an IQ of 157.

PRESCHOOL HISTORY

D cut his first tooth at 4 months of age. He could say words at

8 months and talked in sentences at 11 months. In November, 1910

(8 months), he said "little boy" when his shadow appeared on the

wall. D could stand, holding to chairs, at 9 months of age, and

he walked alone at 11 to 12 months. At the age of 18 months,

while sitting on his mother's lap as she sat before a typewriter,

he learned to read by looking at the letters. The records kept

by the mother indicate that he "learned to read and count in 1911."

One such record reads, "October 11, counts all day long."

At 8 months of age D strung in succession 5 yellow and 5 red balls

and then began on blue, when the activity was interrupted. In

March, 1912, he was using words to express relationships, such

as "will" and "shall" (correctly), "but," "and," "my," "mine."

At 2 years 6 months his vocabulary (incomplete) was 1690 words.

D's earliest memory goes back to 2 years of age, when he saw a rat

and thought it was "a little brownie." An example of the quality

of the questions asked by D in the first 36 months of life is one

he asked in October, 1911 (19 months): "Has every door two knobs?"

"Why?" His mother reports: "He was always asking unexpected

questions."

This child was not placed in school at the usual age because

he did not fit into the school organization. At the time he should

have entered kindergarten D could read fluently and could perform

complicated arithmetical processes. His intellectual interests were

far beyond those of even the highly selected children of a private

kindergarten. Therefore, his parents kept him out of school and

obtained the companionship of other children for him by sending

him to a playground.

D was first seen by the present writer [[L. S. H.]] while he was

attending this playground, in the year 1916-1917. It is very

interesting to note how D made social contacts with the other

children while pursuing his own interests. For instance, he

published a playground newspaper called "The Weekly Post." [2]

He composted, edited, and typed this paper, issued at intervals,

and it had a regular playground circulation.

TRAITS OF CHARACTER

No faulty traits of character have been ascribed to D by parents

or teachers interviewed. He was rated for character by Terman's

method under Terman's direction, with a result of 1.93 from

parents' estimates and 1.90 from teachers' estimates (the median

score, for comparison with average children, being 3.00). D is thus

rated by parents and teachers alike as well above the average

in character. The desirable traits most often mentioned are refusal

to lie, loyalty to standards once adopted, readiness to admit

just criticisms, unselfishness, and amiability.

MENTAL MEASUREMENTS

General intelligence tests of D show the following results:

DATE BIRTHDAY STANFORD- ARMY ALPHA THORNDIKE TEST

AGE BINET POINTS FOR FRESHMEN

OF D (POINTS)

MA IQ D Norm D Norm

Aug., 1917, 7-4 13-7 184

Jan. 29, 1921 10-11 Passed all 185 --

for Super. (Form 5)

June, 1922 12-3 Adult. 106 70-80

It is thus seen how greatly D suprasses the average child in mental

tests. In the five years which have elapsed since D's first test

there has been no tendencey to become mediocre. At the age of

7 years he showed an IQ of 184; at the age of 11 years he exceeded

by a wide margin on Army Alpha the median score for postgraduate

students in first-rate universities; at 12 years he far exceeded

the median score of college freshmen on Thorndike's test for that

group. The validity of these scores is consistently borne out by

the school history.

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS

The following measurements, as of May, 1922, were made in the

gymnasium of the high school attended by D: [3]

WEIGHT (LBS.) HEIGHT (IN.) HT.-WT. COEFF.

D NORM D NORM D NORM

76.0 82.8 64.0 57.7 1.19 1.44

D's health has always been excellent and no physical defects

are known to his parents. He is rated as very stable nervously.

His slenderness has been rated as a defect by one examiner;

although he greatly exceeds the norm in height, he falls below

in weight. He is therefore very tall and slender in appearance,

which is characteristic of his father and uncles.

MISCELLANEOUS CHARACTERISTICS

_Diversions_. At the age of 7 years D's favorite amusements were

skating, "Mechano," reading, playing ball, writing, tabulating,

solitaire, chess, and numerical calculation in all its forms.

As development has proceeded, he has continued most of these

recreations, turning more and more, however, to games of intellectual

skill. He likes other children and likes to be with them; he

has established relations with them by editing newspapers for them,

teaching them about nature, and the like. Play in the sense of mere

purposeless sensorimotor activity has not been enjoyed by him.

_Imaginary land_. From the age of about 4 years to about the age

of 7, D was greatly interested in an imaginary land which he called

"Borningtown." He spent many hours peopling Borningtown, laying out

roads, drawing maps of its terrain, composing and recording its

language (Bornish), and writing its history and literature. He

composed a lengthy dictionary--scores of pages--of the Bornish

language. The origin of the words "Borningtown" and "Bornish"

is not known. It seems possible that D's imaginary land may have

arisen out of the mystery of being born.

_Gift for music_. D has had piano lessons for several years, and

he has displayed remarkable ability to deal with the mathematical

aspects of music. A sample is shown of his musical composition,

illustrating his understanding of musical symbols and his ability

to interpret through this medium. He composed music before he had

any instruction in playing musical instruments. He read certain

booklets which came with Ampico and decided to compose. He can

compose music which he cannot himself play.

FIG 4. PART OF A COMPOSITION BY D AT AGE 8 YEARS 7 MONTHS.

[The composition is titled "Op. 1, Dog's Dance," in A Major,

with a "Tempo 75," "Moderato," in 8/8 time. The composition is

marked by 16th-note flourishes, eighth-note triplets, each stave

occasionally briefly changing from their original clef to

opposite clef (e.g., from treble to bass clef or vice versa) and

back again, a dedication ("Dedicaded [sic] to 'Brutus' my aunt's

dog,"), and the following directions to the pianist, mirroring

the dog's activity, appearing under the bass clef: "Asleep"

(1st measure), "Bell rings" (2nd measure), "Gets up" and "barks"

(3rd measure) "scampers" (4th measure), "scampers back" (6th

measure), "rests" (measures 7 & 8), "Hears footsteps" (9th

measure), "trots" (end of 10th measure), "Ball is thrown"

and "Scampers after it" (11th measure), "Ball stops" (13th

measure), "He foosle-woosles it" (14th measure), "Trots back"

and "Drops it" (15th measure), "Regrets it" and "Trots" (16th

measure), and "Drops it" (17th measure). There are very few

errors in notation for a hand-written composition of this

complexity; the errors that are made appear to be simple

oversights, such as using quarter-notes in a triplet instead of

eighth notes, using a half note when only a quarter beat remains

in the measure, and the like.]

_Gifts for form and color in drawing_. D's talent for color,

for drawing and design, has been marked from the time he could

wield a pencil. His drawings, paintings, and designs would fill

a book by themselves. A sample of his original work at the age

of 10 years is reproduced.

FIG. 5. DRAWN BY D AT AGE 9 YEARS 9 MONTHS.

[This is a drawing of a small bird. The beak is somewhat

elongated, the legs straight, and the eye quite large, appearing

similar to simplified / stylized animals on a crest.]

This conventionalized bird is a fragment from his decoration

for the chest in which he kept his "scientific work" at that

time. This oblong chest he painted Chinese red, with three figures

on the front. These were the conventionalized bird here shown, a

conventionalized nest with eggs, and a conventionalized butterfly--

all painted in striking combinations of yellow, blue, green,

and red.

D loves color, and one of his favorite playthings has been a

sample folder of silk buttonhole twists of three hundred shades.

Between the ages of 8 and 9 years he would go over and over these,

classifying the colors in various ways, scoring them for beauty,

and renaming them to satisfy his appreciation of them. Some of

these names will give an idea of his appreciation:

spotted pale dark darking green

darkling green regular green

shame blue paper white

spoiled pink apron blue

soft light pink beau yellow

meadow beauty pink visitor's green

cat black alien white

royalest red feeling blue

One of his favorite games (aged 8 to 9 years) was to assign

a numerical value to each of the 300 shades and then to list

them for "highest honors." "Royalest red" nearly always won

in these contests.

_Origination of new concepts and new words_. From earliest

childhood D has felt a need for concepts and for words to express

them that are not to be found in dictionaries. His occupation

in this field he calls "wordical work." Some examples are recorded

by his mother in the following note dated December, 1916.