XIII. Some Tests by the Association Reaction Method of Mental Diagnosis
By Hazel M. Leach and M. F. Washburn
In the experiments whose results are discussed below we followed the method of Yerkes and Berry (this Journal, Vol. 20, page 22), with some slight modifications; our design being to test the method on as many observers as possible. Bach observer was first given a practice series of twenty-five words, being told that on hearing a word she was to speak as quickly as possible the first associated word that occurred to her. The reaction times were taken with a stop-watch. The observer was then directed to go to another part of the laboratory and open one of two boxes that she would find there. On her return she was told that she must try by every possible means to keep the experimenter from learning into which box she had looked. Her reactions to a series of sixty words were then taken. In this series there were ten words referring to the contents of one of the boxes, and ten referring to those of the other box. These relevant words were scattered in among the others, but three or four words referring to the same object were given in immediate succession to increase their disturbing effect upon the observer. Twenty-six persons were tested, and all but one of these were observers in two experiments each, with different pairs of boxes. In one experiment, the objects in the boxes were a bottle of red ink and a watch; in the other, they were a toy snake and a rag doll. Later a pack of cards was substituted for the doll. The following were the stimulus words:
Series I. Ink bottle–watch.
- View.
- Bird.
- Lily.
- Satin.
- Stitch.
- Position.
- Walk.
- Spring.
- Tick.
- Second.
- Hands.
- Good.
- Indoors.
- Nobody.
- Sleep.
- Cow.
- Carter's.
- Fluid.
- Write.
- Meat.
- Door.
- Window.
- Evening.
- Sugar.
- Sharp.
- Blotter.
- Pen.
- Glass.
- Red.
- Smile.
- Heroine.
- Anthem.
- Columbus.
- Shop.
- Lamp.
- Time.
- Elgin.
- Hour.
- Boy.
- Castle.
- Pond.
- Drama.
- Church.
- Bottle.
- Eraser.
- Cork.
- Indian.
- Remark.
- Star.
- Clay.
- Doll.
- Fish.
- Orange.
- Gold.
- Fob.
- Mainspring.
- Nails.
- Floor.
- Box.
- Drink.
