The abilities of man : their nature and measurement / by C. Spearman.

  • Charles Spearman
Date:
1927
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The abilities of man : their nature and measurement / by C. Spearman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    288/474 page 274
    is wholly self-evident; it could be effected by a visitor from Mars (provided, of course, that he had the starting ideas). The process is therefore essentially eductive. (2) Mainly reproductive : “ White is to Snow as Black is to-.” Here, the ideas given to start with do not determine any response completely, beyond the bare idea of “ a-black- thing.” No detailed response is wholly self-evident; the visitor from Mars, however great his g, might quite well be baffled. The evoking of a correct response (as “ ink,” or “ coal,” or “ tar ”) requires therefore not only some eduction (to get to the general idea of “ a-black-thing ”), but also some reproduction (to get to such a particular idea as “ink”). As regards such isolated reproductions, the most enlighten¬ ing research seems to be that which was recently contributed by Hamid and has been already quoted in chapter xii. (p. 204). From this work we have already learnt several important differences between good and bad tests of g. But still more fundamental in this respect would appear to be the difference which separates reproduction from eduction. The author illustrates the two by the following pair of Analogies : (1) Mainly eductive : “ Blacksmith is to Horseshoe as Builder is to Design Survey Dwelling Painting (2) Largely reproductive : “ Duet is to Orchestra Playing as Partners are to Whist Company Business Finance.” In (1) the operation is based throughout upon words that may fairly be assumed as well known to all the subjects under test, so that only the superimposed eductions are “ critical ” in the sense of supplying a process that some subjects can accomplish but not others (see p. 207). In (2), on the other hand, there is obviously needed some previous acquaintance with the game of whist, an experience far from
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image