Washington in 1923心理学空间k2S;TCPBi

In January, 1923, I went to Washington to help initiate some studies in civil service personnel methods in the Institute for Government Research which was supported by a foundation grant. The purpose was to assist civil service commissions throughout the country to write better civil service examinations. My assignment was to prepare materials and manuals from which civil service commissions might prepare improved examinations with the new objective methods. Some of the commissions were very receptive to the idea of having a central agency prepare materials for use in different心理学空间yjY {)j2s

(303) commissions with a considerable saving in expense and time. At that time very few commissions had psychologists and qualified examiners who were familiar with the objective methods. Much has been accomplished since that time and many of the civil service commissions now have technically trained psychologists and examiners on their staffs.心理学空间S0o$TqXE-q"_

While in Washington, in 1923, I discussed with some friends in the Navy the possibility of investigating experimentally the problem of learning during sleep. This was evidently a new idea and I was invited to carry out a preliminary experiment on learning the telegraphic code. The first experiment was made with the Navy in Washington. An instructor gave code practice at night when students were asleep. The practice was given in half-hour periods with alternate half hours free from practice. The speed was adjusted each night to about two words a minute faster than the average speed of the class during the previous day. It was found that the class completed the course in three weeks less time than was expected, and, as a consequence, there was great interest in the idea. I was invited to set up a more complete and controlled experiment at Hampton Roads, and that was done. I made only occasional visits to Hampton Roads, so that I was not there to supervise the work which was carried out by noncommissioned officers. After the experiment was under way, I received a letter from Captain Smith at Hampton Roads explaining that the experiment had probably failed because of the lack of comparability of the control group and the experimental group. The instructors of the control group were afraid that they would be judged as to their teaching efficiency if their class did not keep up with the experimental group which was getting code practice during sleep. In order to overcome such a supposed handicap, they gave several hours' additional practice daily to the control group in the hope of keeping up with the experimental group. That was about the time when I left Washington so that I could not be at Hampton Roads to set up a new experiment and to explain the procedures more adequately to the instructors.www.psychspace.com心理学空间网