We started out in our investigation with the idea of making
an attempt to combine qualitative and quantitative methods in
assessing some traits of temperament. Many of the purely
qualitative surveys have given most important and valuable
information in this field, but their value is mainly clinical;
without some sort of objective standard against which they can
be measured, tile psychologist cannot safely generalise on the
basis of qualitative information alone. But the psychometric
procedure must not lead to psychologically meaningless abstractions.
It is important that the rich complexity of human nature should
not be split up and distorted into isolated statistical ciphers;
and that broad quantitative generalisations should not be allowed .
to obscure the individual personality Gestalt.
First of all we made use of the questionnaire method in our
preliminary experimentation, and concluded that only with
reference to relatively 'non -affective' items, such as opinions
and interests, do questionnaires elicit any sort of reliable
information; and even with those, the subjects must be of good
education. Unless utilised under personal interview conditions,
questionnaires devised to obtain information of a more intimate
nature, are likely only to measure what the individuals personally
interpret as the meaning of the traits. The present writer is
of the opinion that the questionnaire method should be scrapped
in the meantime, except in so far as subjects are definitely
asked to set down what they consider the meaning of such questions
to be, and not to what extent they think the traits are
characteristic oi themselves. In this way, we might possibly
accumulate more evidence of certain "real" and fairly constant
reactions.
As a result of watching the performance test behaviour of
a girl suffering from high frequency deafness, the writer decided
to use a battery of performance tests on a group of selected
subjects to see if, on the basis of observation alone, and with
as few a priori assumptions as possible, she could isolate some
aspect of temperament while yet preserving its relation to the
temperament "whole". In order, as it were, "to start with the
sausage instead of the pig", she gave some performance tests and
puzzles to a small group of highly intelligent, sophisticated
adults to see what differences, if any, she could observe during their performance. Intellectually, their behaviour was all on
the same high level, but different emotional reactions were
revealed by means of the subjects' introspections, and above all
there were well-marked differences in psycho-motor behaviour.
A battery of performance tests was chosen, difficult enough
(tneoretically) to reach adult level. A new performance test
devised by the writer was included, fulfilling the criteria of
both length and difficulty, and also designed to reveal (if
possible) differences in 3- dimensional visual perception, in
which point the investigator happened also to be interested.
In order to exercise some degree of control over intelligence
(so that its influence in the temperament situation could to
some extent be "known") the performance test battery was given
to a group of subjects who were 13 years of age, and not yet 142
and wnose I.Q. level was superior. In spite of such homogeneity,
very significant correlations were found between the tests used.
The latter also included Progressive Matrices, N.I.I.P. Space
Perception, and a battery of three verbal tests, these all being
administered as group tests, and designed to give the writer
supplementary information to the performance test results.
In order to exercise some degree of control over intelligence
(so that its influence in the temperament situation could to
some extent be "known ") the performance test battery was given
to a group of subjects who were 13 years of age, and not yet 14,
and whose I.Q. level was superior. In spite of such homogeneity,
very significant correlations were found between the tests used.
The latter also included Progressive Matrices, N.I.I.P. Space
Perception, and a battery of three verbal tests, these all being
administered as group tests, and designed to give the writer
supplementary information to the performance test results.
The 6 tests with the highest inter-correlations were
subjected to a centroid factorial analysis and it was found that
only the first factor loadings were significant; that is the
correlation.. matrix could be explained statistically in terms of
one general factor. Psychologically this is meaningless. The
method of Maximum Likelihood, invented to estimate the significance
of factor loadings, might therefore be usually applied to many
previous factorial studies from which psychological conclusions
have been deduced. These psychological assumptions have often
been criticised, when founded on Thurstone's method of rotation,
because of arbitrary and subjective psychological interpretation.
It seems to the present writer, that long before the validity
of the psychology is questioned, the validity of the actual
statistical method of rotation should be doubted, for if
statistical results are not significant in the first place, no
amount of alteration of dimension can make them so.
The complete test battery yielded information regarding
intellectual behaviour in general, and special abilities in
particular; and on the temperamental side well defined psycho-motor individual differences.
The writer is of the opinion that much more intensive
investigation of special abilities must be carried out, not only
because of their educational significance in a vocational sense,
but because of the tendency of a large special disability to
upset personality adjustment. A wide discrepancy between
and performance test score may indicate either special disability,
or temperamental maladjustment (preoccupation with verbal symbols
and unwillingness to carry thought into overt "performance'
reaction, for example), or possibly a combination of both.
The whole field of imagery, which psychologists have tended
to put on the historical shelf, should be re- opened and subjected
to wide experimental investigation. Visual perception is likewise
in need of further research, for the writer believes that
variations on a general normal distribution scale of 3- dimensional
visual perception are responsible at any rate for part of what
we call spatial disability with visual material. One example
of practical importance is the influence of such perception in
the geometrical field of mathematics.
The writer erected a profile for each subject on the basis
of general psycho-motor behaviour. She has done this merely
tentatively to demonstrate what she believes is a possibility,
arising from the performance test situation. She lays no claim
to "goodness" or "trueness" of classification, but merely
indicates what to her, at any rate, appears to be a useful
description of her subjects. She does, however, put forward
the suggestion that one very definite aspect of temperament can
be tested. It is the general reaction which she designates
activity", both actual and potential, and has been assessed on
the basis of mono- or duo-manipulation, combined with speed of
movement. The writer is very well aware that she is laying
herself open to the criticism of measuring only a single "level"
of personality here - the motor level. She is of the opinion,
however, that this psycho -motor "Activity" is in this particular
situation a generalized and fundamental reaction. Her reason
for this belief is that in the performance test situation the
use of hands is compulsory, only the particular mode of
manipulation being spontaneous. The sole way in which the
subject can put his thoughts into action with performance test
material is by means of his hands, and since no time limit or
need for speed is mentioned, he may proceed at his own rate.
The writer compared her own estimates on the general
Activity trait with careful teachers' ratings, and using the
chi-square technique she found that there was a significant
relationship between the two. She believes that this assessment
is of value for it permits a dynamic view of temperament.
activity by itself must in turn be interpreted in terms of
I.Q. level, special abilities, and emotional range. The writer
is strongly of the opinion that the mere estimate of I.Q. and
school achievement at the 11+ educational stage, to take but
one example, is a most inadequate sample of each child's
personality. The sooner means become available for a much
more extensive assessment, the brighter will be the outlook for
adult adjustment.
The writer therefore puts forward the suggestion that a
battery of performance tests is of value because of its 3-fold
revelation of intelligence, special abilities and temperament.
One great advantage lies in the element of control exercised
over motivation, the uncertainty of the latter being the great
stumbling block in so many investigations of temperament and
general personality reactions. If the tests are difficult
enough, they will demonstrate behaviour under conditions of
difficulty, and at the same time may reveal fundamental "constant"
tendencies, for the subject will usually assume that the aim of
the tests is to measure his achievement, and under conditions of
mental concentration may be expected to give some revelation
through psycho -motor channels of "real" generalized reactions.
The writer believes also, that in the performance test situation,
the essential unity of personality is preserved so that the
psychologist may make a total approach to the individual under
investigation.
Probably it would be doubly valuable to give each subject
two separate performance batteries at different times and take
results from the average of the two. The writer would also
like specially to mention the usefulness of the formboard type
of test, so long as it goes on long enough, as does the Kent-Shakow. With this material the subject is at liberty to use
only one hand, if he wishes to do soy but there is ample scope
for the use of both should such an inner temperamental
necessity arise.
In conclusion we must add that the method of assessment
we have described depends ultimately upon the comparability of
the behaviour shown in the miniature situation of the test with
that which takes place in the very much more complex social
setting of everyday life. she success of the method depends,
therefore, upon the possibility of being able to tap general
tendencies rather than specific reactions. With certain
reservations, the writer believes that the psycho -motor trait.
Activity does give evidence of being just such a "real"
generalized tendency.
