ANTHROPOMETRY AND EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY.
ONE of the features of the International Health Exhibition held in London nine years ago was the Anthropometric Laboratory, conducted under the direction of Mr. Francis Galton. The instruments in action dealt with "keenness of sight, the color sense, judgment of eye [visual estimation of length, etc.], [keenness of] hearing, the highest audible note, breathing power, strength of pull and squeeze, swiftness of blow, span of arms, height (sitting and standing), and weight." Craniometry was purposely omitted. Instruments for measuring delicacy of touch (sensibility to pressure, etc.) were exhibited, but not used.[1] This laboratory may be taken as fairly typical of its kind. Further subjects to be anthropometrically investigated would be, e.g., sensible discrimination, reaction time, mental fatigue.[2]
Such a laboratory will form part of the anthropological exhibition at the coming World's Fair. But, in addition to it, the working of a psychological laboratory will be exemplified. That is, there will be a special exhibit of psychological instruments, and a series of psychological tests, beside the anthropometrical. These psychological tests have been provisionally determined somewhat as follows: keenness of sight, the color sense, judgment of eye (estimation and discrimination of lengths, forms, etc.), touch (discrimination, weight, pain, etc.), movement (discrimination, rate), time-sense, reaction time, mental fatigue, memory, association, etc.[3]
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- ↑ Francis Galton: On the Anthropometric Laboratory at the late International Health Exhibition. London, 1885. [Journal of Anthropological Institute, Feb., 1885.]
- ↑ F. Galton: Exhibition of Instruments for testing perception of differences of tint, and for determining reaction-time. London, 1889. Remarks or Replies by Teachers to Questions respecting Mental Fatigue. London, 1888. [Journal of Anthrop. Inst., August, 1889 and November, 1888.]
- ↑ Experimental Psychology at the World's Fair: Address delivered by Prof. J. Jastrow to the American Psychological Association at Philadelphia, Dec. 27, 1892.
