AN ANALYSIS OF THE BINET TEST OF NAMING WORDS By Edna Willis McElwee New Yorlc City Schools
Several years ago Terman 1 made a study of the Binet test of naming words. He was interested in the number of words given, the speed with which the words were given and the relation between the number of words and mental age. The purpose of this was to
children
study
to the Binet test of
of the words and then The Binet test of
children in gence
from
analyze the responses given by naming words first as to the natuie
their association sequence. naming words was given to 200 public school as to
Cleveland,
Examination. eight years to
Ohio
The
as
part of the Stanford Binet Intelli-
chronological
ages of the group
ranged
median age of twelve years and sixth months. from 50 to 110 with a The I.Qs. ranged median I.Q. of 70. There were 90 children with a mental age between eight and nine years and 110 children with a mental age between nine and ten years. seventeen years with
a
The
actual responses given by the children were taken down shorthand by the examiner. An alphabetical tabulation was then prepared, making it possible to ascertain how many times each word was repeated by the group. The words occurring most frequently are given in the order of their frequency in the following table. The table also shows the per cent of the entire group giving each word.
in
Word
d,?g chair house book desk cat
P^il
?tove
tree paper
sh??s ta.blf
*?dow
glasses
J.
Per cent Word 84
80 68 60 58 56 55 43 42 40
37 36 35 34 34 33
Per cent Word 32 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 26
man
pen
school blocks horse
apple
ink clouds dress fire flower
26 25 24
boy
24
church
...23
ra^
haPPy watch.'. light box i Terman, Lewis M., Some Data of Educ. Psychol., 1911, 2, 29-35.
23
cow
clock hair orange street
stockings floor
girl
hat lion
lamp play picture wood wire
Per cent 22 22 22 22 21 20 2U 20 2U 20 20 20 20
20
23 on
59
the Binet Test of
Naming Words,
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC
60
significant that with the exception of happy (a word used test) all the words are names of concrete objects the child's experience. Many of these objects were visible
It is
to illustrate the
within
in the school room, or could be seen from the window. All the lists of words were then carefully scrutinized for association sequence. In the majority of cases little or no association was
apparent among the words. The lists of words which showed some form of association presented considerable variety as to the type of association sequence. All the illustrations are taken from the actual responses given by the children in the form of association was to give a list of class such as names of animals or things to eat
study. The most things in the same or things to wear.
common
One of these associations groups might be followed by another or they might be intermingled or they might be connected in some way. List I. An association group of group of parts of the body.
things
to
dress shoes
things
by
wear
body
coats
sweater
a
stockings
fingers
handkerchief
A large association group of smaller association group.
names
of
potatoes carrots
sew
spaghetti
needle tomatoes pepper
horse radish
meat
An association group of
materials connected by black
things
to eat
milk hash thread
soup
List IV.
intermingled
hair
bread
ing
to
dresses hats shoes hands face broken
a
nose
An association group of group of parts of the body.
List 11.
List 111.
by
eyes
stockings
a
followed
neck face mouth
hat hair with
wear
a
names
of colors and of writ-
rhyme.
purple red
ink cork red
yellow
pen
pink
paper
BINET TEST OF NAMING WORDS
61
List V. An association group not of things in the same class, but where there is a logical sequence between each word and the
following
word.
telephone
old
wires
young
lights electricity
people
house
Summary The Binet test of naming words was given to 200 public school children in Cleveland, Ohio. The actual responses of the children were taken down in short hand. Almost all of the words given were the names of concrete objects. Only a few of the lists of words contained of association
class.
an
was a
association sequence. The most common type group of names of things belonging to the same
Several years ago Terman 1 made a study of the Binet test of naming words. He was interested in the number of words given, the speed with which the words were given and the relation between the number of words and mental age. The purpose of this was to
children
study
to the Binet test of
of the words and then The Binet test of
children in gence
from
analyze the responses given by naming words first as to the natuie
their association sequence. naming words was given to 200 public school as to
Cleveland,
Examination. eight years to
Ohio
The
as
part of the Stanford Binet Intelli-
chronological
ages of the group
ranged
median age of twelve years and sixth months. from 50 to 110 with a The I.Qs. ranged median I.Q. of 70. There were 90 children with a mental age between eight and nine years and 110 children with a mental age between nine and ten years. seventeen years with
a
The
actual responses given by the children were taken down shorthand by the examiner. An alphabetical tabulation was then prepared, making it possible to ascertain how many times each word was repeated by the group. The words occurring most frequently are given in the order of their frequency in the following table. The table also shows the per cent of the entire group giving each word.
in
Word
d,?g chair house book desk cat
P^il
?tove
tree paper
sh??s ta.blf
*?dow
glasses
J.
Per cent Word 84
80 68 60 58 56 55 43 42 40
37 36 35 34 34 33
Per cent Word 32 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 26
man
pen
school blocks horse
apple
ink clouds dress fire flower
26 25 24
boy
24
church
...23
ra^
haPPy watch.'. light box i Terman, Lewis M., Some Data of Educ. Psychol., 1911, 2, 29-35.
23
cow
clock hair orange street
stockings floor
girl
hat lion
lamp play picture wood wire
Per cent 22 22 22 22 21 20 2U 20 2U 20 20 20 20
20
23 on
59
the Binet Test of
Naming Words,
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC
60
significant that with the exception of happy (a word used test) all the words are names of concrete objects the child's experience. Many of these objects were visible
It is
to illustrate the
within
in the school room, or could be seen from the window. All the lists of words were then carefully scrutinized for association sequence. In the majority of cases little or no association was
apparent among the words. The lists of words which showed some form of association presented considerable variety as to the type of association sequence. All the illustrations are taken from the actual responses given by the children in the form of association was to give a list of class such as names of animals or things to eat
study. The most things in the same or things to wear.
common
One of these associations groups might be followed by another or they might be intermingled or they might be connected in some way. List I. An association group of group of parts of the body.
things
to
dress shoes
things
by
wear
body
coats
sweater
a
stockings
fingers
handkerchief
A large association group of smaller association group.
names
of
potatoes carrots
sew
spaghetti
needle tomatoes pepper
horse radish
meat
An association group of
materials connected by black
things
to eat
milk hash thread
soup
List IV.
intermingled
hair
bread
ing
to
dresses hats shoes hands face broken
a
nose
An association group of group of parts of the body.
List 11.
List 111.
by
eyes
stockings
a
followed
neck face mouth
hat hair with
wear
a
names
of colors and of writ-
rhyme.
purple red
ink cork red
yellow
pen
pink
paper
BINET TEST OF NAMING WORDS
61
List V. An association group not of things in the same class, but where there is a logical sequence between each word and the
following
word.
telephone
old
wires
young
lights electricity
people
house
Summary The Binet test of naming words was given to 200 public school children in Cleveland, Ohio. The actual responses of the children were taken down in short hand. Almost all of the words given were the names of concrete objects. Only a few of the lists of words contained of association
class.
an
was a
association sequence. The most common type group of names of things belonging to the same
