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EMPLOYMENT  PSYCHOLOGY

experimenter,  an  intelligent  grasp  of  the  essential  characteristics ­
  of  the  work.  Work,  for  instance,  which  is
characterized  by  the  frequent  repetition  of  the  same
movements  (like  the  work  of  operating  hand-feed  dial
machines,  inspecting,  and  assembling)  lends  itself  particularly ­
  well  to  the  application  of  tests;  for  work  of  this
kind  presents  certain  constant  and  outstanding  features
which  serve  as  valuable  guides  in  selecting  the  appropriate ­
  tests.  On  the  other  hand,  the  higher  we  go  in  the
scale  of  positions,  the  more  intricate  and  involved  are
the  tasks  concerned  until  it  becomes  finally  impossible
for  the  ordinary  layman  to  comprehend  adequately  what
the  fundamental  characteristics  of  a  given  job  are.  It
is  not  strange  that  the  psychologist  should  be  unable  to
grasp  the  features  and  details  of  such  positions;  for  even
the  occupants  of  the  positions  themselves  are  frequently
unable  to  describe  adequately  the  work  which  they  so
successfully  perform.  One  of  the  pleasant  diversions  of
successful  men  is  to  give  out,  for  the  benefit  of  the  striving ­
  youth,  public  interviews  on  the  nature  of  their  work
and  the  qualities  which  enabled  them  to  succeed;  but  the
striking  feature  about  these  confessions  is  the  inadequacy
of  the  qualities  given  for  the  success  obtained.  Few  sophisticated ­
  men,  least  of  all  psychologists,  attach  much  importance ­
  or  scientific  reliability  to  personal  statements
of  this  kind.  Such  interviews  are  calculated  to  inspire
the  young  rather  than  to  afford  a  comprehensive  basis
for  making  a  scientific  analysis  of  the  factors  actually  involved. ­
  Therefore,  both  because  of  his  own  inability
to  understand,  and  the  inability  of  the  highly  successful
man  to  describe  adequately  the  essential  features  of  his
work,  the  psychologist  is  prevented  from  intelligently
applying  tests  in  this  field.