Remarkable persistence of thin horizons: GEORGE H. CHADWICK. Portage stratigraphy in western New York: GEORGE H. CHADWICK. The result of the ballots for officers for 1919 was as follows: President-Robert T. Jackson, Peterborough, N. H. First Vice-president-Gilbert Van Ingen, Princeton, N. J. Second Vice-president-Walter Granger, New York City. Third Vice-president-T. Wayland Vaughan, Washington, D. C. Secretary-R. S. Bassler, Washington, D C.. THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION THE American Psychological Association held its twenty-seventh annual meeting at Johns Hopkins University on December 27 and 28. Considering the fact that many of the members made other plans when it was announced in November that there would be no meeting, the sessions were very well attended, there being about seventy members present. Owing to illness the president, Professor J. W. Baird, of Clark University, was not able to preside nor to give his presidential address. 66 The papers consisted with one exception of descriptions of the war activities of the members. The program was as follows: Research in psycho-pharmacology, Dr. David I. Macht; Study of ocular functions with special reference to aviation, Professor C. E. Ferree; Revision of the definition for moron "; Captain R. L. Sylvester; Psychology of morale, Major Wm. S. Foster; Selection and training of telegraphers, Professor L. L. Thurston; Some problems of reeducation, Professor S. I. Franz; Principles underlying the classification of men in the Students' Army Training Corps, Professor T. L. Kelley; Examination of the emotional fitness for warfare, Professor R. S. Woodworth; Practical application of army trade tests, Major J. W. Hayes; Army personnel work: implications for education and industry, Lieutenant Colonel W. V. Bingham; The work of the psy chological committee of the National Research Council and of the Division of Psychology, Major R. M. Yerkes; Methods of mental testing used in the United States Army, Major Lewis M. Terman; Psychological service in army camps, Major George F. Arps; Results and values of psychological examining in the United States Army, Dr. Mabel R. Fernald; The relation of intelligence to occupation as indicated by army data, Dr. J. W. Bridges; Some possible effects of the war on American psychology, President G. Stanley Hall; Functions of psychology in rehabilitation of disabled soldiers, Major Bird T. Baldwin; A program for mental engineering, Lieutenant Commander Dodge; Official method of appointing and promoting officers in the Army, Colonel Walter Dill Scott; Psychological investigations in aviation, Major Knight Dunlap; Speech reconstruction in soldiers, Professor W. B. Swift. Saturday afternoon there was a symposium upon "The future of pure and applied psychology." Professor Thorndike expressed the opinion that in twenty years there would be as many "doing" as teaching psychology, but that both groups must be thoroughly scientific. He saw no reason why the Ph.D. degree in psychology should not represent both types. President Hall stated that psychology should be kept pure, but not so pure that it could not be helpful. Its motto should be "service 29 in the best sense of the term. Major Yerkes discussed the future relation of psychology to a permanent National Research Council. Professor E. L. Thorndike, as the retiring vice-president of Section H of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, delivered an address upon "Scientific personnel work in the army" and Professor E. F. Buchner as retiring vice-president of Section L of the American Association for the Advancement of Science spoke upon "Scientific contributions of the educational survey." A brief report of the contents of all the papers will be made in the February number of The Psychological Bulletin. Colonel Walter Dill Scott was elected president of the association for 1919 and Major Bird T. Baldwin and Major Lewis M. Terman members of the Council. HERBERT SIDNEY LANGFELD Secretary THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA THE third annual meeting of the Optical Society of America was held under the auspices of the American Association for the Advancement of Sci ence in Baltimore, December 27. The program consisted of the scientific papers listed below with a Symposium on The Future of Applied Optics and a business meeting. MORNING SESSION, 9:30 The colorimetry of white surfaces: A. P. PFUND. The measurement of reflection and transmission factors: M.. LUCKIESH. The design of lenses for aerial photography and tests of calcium as a desiccator in optical instruments: C. W. FREDERICK. Retinal fatigue for luminosity with spectral stimuli: L. T. TROLAND. A new yellow dye and light filters made from it: C. E. K. MEES and H. T. CLARKE. The contraction of photographic images: F. E. Ross. Refinements in spherometry: G. W. MOFFITT. The problem of magnification in fire control instruments, and The transmission of certain glasses in the absorbent region: E. D. TILLYER. A possible new lens material: P. G. NUTTING. A chart method of testing photographic lenses: L. E. JEWELL. Monocular vs. binocular field glasses: E. P. HYDE and COMMITTEE. A testing apparatus for stereoscopic vision: H. KELLNER. A one-term pure exponential formula for the spectral distribution of radiant energy from a complete radiator: I. G. PRIEST. Photoelectric_spectrophotometry by the Null method: K. S. GIBSON. The protection of silvered surfaces: F. L. G. KOLLMORGEN. The proper type of absorption glass for an optical pyrometer: P. D. FOOTE. Some characteristics of glasses in the annealing range: A. Q. TooL and J. VALASEK. Expansion coefficients of optical glasses: C. G. PETERS. AFTERNOON SESSION, 2 P.M. Symposium on Applied Optics, with Special Reference to the Future of the Optical Industry in this Country. I. The optical industry in war time: DR. F. E. WRIGHT. II. The readjustments of the industry to peacetime demands for, and the future of manufacturing in: 1. Optical glasses: DR. G. W. MOREY. 2. Photographic lenses and cameras: MR. C. W. 3. Projection apparatus: DR. H. P. GAGE. 5. Photographic goods: DR. C. E. K. MEES. 7. Spectacle lenses and optometry: MR. E. D. 8. Illuminating engineering: DR. E. P. HYDE. III. The future of applied optics and the future needs for: 1. Education and training: DR. MEES and PROFESSOR SOUTHALL. 2. Scientific control in manufacturing: DR. KELLNER and MR. KEUFFEL. 3. Testing and research: DR. NUTTING. EVENING SESSION, 7:30 P.M. Business meeting. The meeting was an enthusiastic one attended by about 80 persons. Resolutions were passed and committees appointed looking toward the closer cooperation between designers, manufacturers and users of optical goods of all kinds in America. The officers of the society for 1919 are: President Dr. F. E. Wright, Geophysical Laboratory, Washington. Vice-president-Professor F. K. Richtymer, professor of physics, Cornell. Secretary-Dr. P. G. Nutting, Westinghouse Research Laboratories. Treasurer Mr. Adolph Lomb, Bausch & Lomb Optical Company. Members at Large of the Council-Professor J. P. C. Southall, Columbia University; Dr. L. T. Troland, Harvard University; Dr. W. B. Lancaster, Boston; Dr. H. E. Ives, Washington. The next general meeting of the society will be held in connection with American Association for the Advancement of Science next December. SCIENCE FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1919 CONTENTS The American Association for the Advancement of Science :— Scientific Personnel Work in the Army: PROFESSOR E. L. THORNDIKE Pumpelly's Reminiscences: PROFESSOR W. M. DAVIS Professor Williams at Yale: PROFESSOR HERBERT E. GREGORY Scientific Events: An Institute of Physical and Chemical Research for Japan; The Depleted Herds of England, France and Italy; The Use of Nitrate during the War 53 61 63 65 SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL WORK IN THE ARMY1 THE sciences dealing with human nature were brought to bear upon the problems forced upon America by the world war. Anthropology and psychology, economics and statistics, history, sociology and education, were put in service to improve our use of manpower, just as the physical and biological sciences were put in service to increase, economize and mobilize the nation's physical re sources. Consider a few illustrations. At one of the cantonments, within a few months' time, over 30,000 men were given a uniform standard intelligence-test and, as a dircet result of it, 600 men who would have been a detriment and even a positive danger to their fellow soldiers were sent away before time and money were wasted on their military education. Certain very important institutions were receiving candidates a large percentage of whom were discarded, with little but discouragement and envy to show in return for the expense of their time and the government's money. Yet these candidates were chosen by a system which already represented the acme of common sense administered by extremely able A scientific study of some five hundred cases showed where much of the trouble lay and provided a remedy. men. Under the pressure of the war the regular army scheme for measuring the qualifications and efficiency of its officers could not be operated. Nor would it have been suitable for the two hundred thousand officers taken from civil life with only a few months of military training. A workable record and rating plan was prepared by an expert in applied psychol 1 Address of the vice-president and chairman of Section H, Anthropology and Psychology, Baltimore, December, 1918. ogy, tested carefully in certain camps, and put into force throughout the army. At one of the largest naval radio schools the candidates were admitted in part through a series of tests devised for the purpose by one man of science, and their instruction was directed by methods devised by another. In one of the large munition factories, a number of psychologists were kept constantly at work studying the means of selecting the right individuals as employees and finding the optimum conditions for their work. Multiply such cases as these many many times; add to them the scientific personnel work done by physiologists and medical men; add further that done by the many modern business men whose work is so based on principles and verified by experiment that we should gladly claim them as fellow scientists -and the total would probably be the greatest increase in scientific control over the management of men ever made in any year in any country. Until the war-history of the scientific activities of the National Research Council, the various emergency boards and bureaus, and the military organizations themselves is written, nobody will be able to describe or assess this work as a whole or the particular share of it due to applied psychology. I regret also that circumstances have prevented me from speaking, as I had hoped to do, from even a partial study of the records and reports available in manuscript in Washington and elsewhere. I can speak only in a very informal way in reminiscence of the activities seen, or shared, during these eighteen months. Scientific personnel work has followed two main lines which we may call mass work and analytic work. These of course shade into each other and almost always cooperate, but the distinction will be helpful, at least for presentation. MASS WORK As a result of the prompt, energetic and patient labors of Yerkes and his associates of the psychology committee of the National Research Council, and of the subcommittee of the American Psychological Association, about seventeen hundred thousand soldiers were given a standard examination for intelligence, so devised that a small organization of examiners and clerical helpers could test and report on five hundred or more individuals a day. Within a day or two after a train-load of recruits reached a camp, it was possible for the camp psychologist to give substantial aid in such matters as: I. The discovery of men whose superior intelligence suggests their consideration for advancement, for example, to posts as non-commissioned officers. 2. The discovery of men whose low grade of intelligence renders them either a burden or a menace to the service. 3. The selection and assignment to Development Battalions of men who are so inferior mentally, that they are suited only for special work. 4. The prevention of undesirable differences of mental strength between different regiments or companies. 5. The early recognition of the mentally slow as contrasted with the stubborn or disobedient.2 The history of this work in its early stages has been related by Yerkes, and its later development will doubtless be made public. Amongst the many important contributions to knowledge of the significance of such a test, I quote one from the preliminary report recently issued. The median scores for recruits from different civil occupations are in summarized form as follows: This table shows conclusively that in the sort of ability measured by the test (1) skilled mechanics and tradesmen, men who work with tools, are in general very closely alike and very low-near the level of the unskilled laborer; (2) clerical workers are in general very highnear the level of professional men. Either the clerical worker is a man of much greater general intelligence than the blacksmith, carpenter, locomotive engineer, machinist, tool maker, gunsmith or assembler; or the ability measured by the test is very much specialized; or both of these statements are true in a more moderate form. The matter is one of great importance. In proportion as it is true that the more intelligent men seek clerical work rather than work in skilled trades, an essentially invidious class distinction will tend to have a real basis in fact; and the management of business concerns will tend to fall into the hands of men trained in the office and salesroom rather than in the shop. In proportion as this representative of our standard tests of intelligence is specialized, overweighting ability to think with words and symbols in comparison with ability to think with materials and mechanisms, our whole procedure in measuring intelligence requires a critical review; and probably the common view of intelligence requires reconstruction. No less significant is the variability within each occupational group. Taking the measurements as they stand, the 75 percentile unskilled laborer is up to the level of the median general mechanic, tool-room expert, or automobile mechanic, and up to the level of the 25 percentile mechanical engineer. The 75 percentile railroad clerk is at the level of the average accountant or civil engineer. The 75 percentile receiving or shipping cleark is at the level of the 25 percentile physician. This variability would be reduced by longer and repeated tests, but, unless the test as given has a very large probable error, it would still be enormous. It would still imply that there were in the occupations supposed to demand a high minimum standard of intelligence, a very large number of dull men; and in the occupations supposed to give little opportunity for the use of intellect, a very large number of gifted men and consequently a large unused surplus of intellect. Further information concerning the exact nature of the abilities of which the test is symptomatic is evidently important here. As one considers the use of intelligence tests in the army, the question at once arises, "If for the sake of war we can measure roughly the intelligence of a third of a million soldiers a month, and find it profitable to do so, can we not each year measure the intelligence of every child coming ten years of age, and will not that be still more profitable?" A more extended test such as will place an individual on the scale for intellect for his age with an average error of not over 0.2 the mean square deviation for his age, would |