OPTIMIST CLUB

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 September 1940, Page 9

OPTIMIST CLUB

MEETING IN MASTERTON LAST NIGHT GOOD ATTENDANCE OF MEMBERS. AN INTERESTING ADDRESS. There was a good attendance at the weekly meeting of the Masterton Optimist Club held in the Y.M.C.A. rooms last night. Chief Optimist R. Bradford presided. The resignation of Optimist F. Gillions. who has been transferred to Wellington, was received with regret, and it was decided to write to him wishing him every success in the future.

A long list of charges was preferred by the Sheriff, Optimist E. J. Esler, which brought forth beneficial results to the “cat” and caused considerable amusement.

The speaker for the evening was Mr E. C. Coddington, headmaster of the Central School, who gave an address on “Intelligence testing.” Mr Coddington received an attentive hearing, and on the motion of Optimist S. L. Hatch was acco'rded a hearty vote of thanks. “Intelligence testing is a fairly recent advance in educational practise,” stated Mr Coddington, “it is only in this century that it has made rapid progress. At first there were some who looked upon it with scepticism and considered that it had no effect. However, it had proved to be of great practical practise. As Dr Thorndyke said ‘Everything exists; if it exists in some amount then it can be measured.’ Four thousand years ago a complex and advanced system of intelligence testing existed in China. In literature, it would be found in old legends, riddles, etc. But without graduation the system was hit-or-miss. Electricity exists, and although we cannot describe it, we measure its effect on mechanical appliances. The same applied to heat. With intelligence it was measured by effect.”

Mr Coddington referred to the popu-| larity of phrenology and physiology as means of testing intelligence, pointing out that they were unscientific in that they possessed no graduation scale. Then a Frenchman named Binet. evolved a standardised test for various age groups, the questions dealing with matters of every-day affairs. Intelligence was measured by general and specific I factors and the intelligence quotient. The latter was found by dividing the mental age by the actual age, and when multiplied by one hundred gave the percentage. The normal intelligence quotient was 100, or ip actual practise, 95 to 105. These tests were' not infallible, but were a good guide to the intelligence. However, they did not test character, emotion or temperament. As generally known the brilliant boy did not always make good. It was not sufficient to have only the intelligence quotient. The tests were not puzzles or tricks or questions based on school knowledge, but the child was made to realise that they were common sense tests. Of course, some false tests were sometimes given such as ‘What is the relationship of a loaf to a steam roller?’ and the answer was ‘A loaf is a necessity; a steam roller is an invention. Necessity is the mother of invention; therefore a loaf is the mother of a steam roller.’ That was but one of the forms, but it was interesting to note that such absurdity tests provided considerable thought. By intelligence testing both parents and teachers were able to obtain a good idea of the child’s capabilities.