A NOTE ON THE DIGIT TEST. By Irene Case Sherman.

According to the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale, the average adequate intelligence at seven years of age should be able to repeat five digits, and at ten years he should repeat six digits. All subjects of nine years of age or older, then, should be able to repeat at least five digits, provided the intelligence is adequate.

individual of

From the examination of 391 unselected cases1 in which the chronological age was nine years or more, the following figures were obtained for the various mental classifications: Classification

Digits Repeated

Number of Cases

3

15 40

Feebleminded.

43 2

Borderline.

3 20 50 15

Backward.

16 62 22 1 9

Adequate.

36 54

Total.

391

From the table it is

classified

seen

that all individuals

backward

excepting

one

able to repeat five digits or adequate in case in one which less than five digits were every more; excepting a of "borderline" or was made. "feebleminded" repeated, diagnosis On the other hand, feebleminded or borderline cases were frequently as

or

were

able to repeat as many as six or seven digits. From this it follows that in case an individual is able to repeat five digits or more, the digit test is of no positive value so far as the ultimate diagnosis is

concerned.

But when five

digits

cannot be

nine years or older chronologically, the test of feeblemindedness. i

Institute for Juvenile Research, Chicago, 111.

(124)

repeated by a subject digit test is a good index