THE  SCOPE  OF  PSYCHOLOGICAL  TESTS  1CT]
assigned,  whereas  the  opposite  may  be  true  when  he  is
assigned  to  work  for  which  his  abilities  fit  him.  As  a  concrete ­
  example  of  this  fact,  we  may  cite  the  results  of
the  tests  given  to  inspectors  described  in  Chapter  III.
A  large  number  of  inspectors,  both  such  as  were  acceptable
according  to  the  tests  and  such  as  were  not,  finally  gave
up  their  work  or  were  discharged.  Nevertheless,  those
who  were  acceptable  according  to  the  tests  worked  for  a
period  nine  times  as  long  as  those  who  were  not,  thus  indicating ­
  that  they  were,  on  the  whole,  a  more  determined
group.  In  other  words,  their  greater  ability  for  the  work
of  inspection  removed  from  their  path  certain  obstacles
which  would  otherwise  have  absorbed  their  moral  resistance ­
  in  a  much  shorter  period,  as  did  happen  in  the
case  of  those  who  remained  only  a  week  but  had  not  passed
the  tests.  And  of  the  number  who  remained  at  work  for
two  months  or  more  and  who  may  therefore  be  said  to
have  manifested  the  most  desirable  moral  traits,  ninetyfour
  per  cent  were  acceptable  on  the  basis  of  the  tests.
The  conclusion  which  we  are  forced  to  draw  is  that  those
who  possess  the  necessary  ability,  as  ascertained  by  the
tests,  are  more  likely  to  develop  the  desirable  moral  traits
or  to  retain  for  a  longer  time  those  with  which  they  set
out.
There  is  one  more  aspect  in  which  tests  may  contribute
materially  to  the  solution  of  the  question  of  moral  qualities. ­
  The  power  of  suggestion  is  a  well-known  psychological ­
  fact.  A  suggestion,  properly  made,  frequently  has  the
power  to  change  entirely  an  individual’s  course  of  action.
Obviously,  the  value  of  a  suggestion  depends  upon  the
intelligence  with  which  it  is  made.  It  frequently  happens
that  new  employees  are  so  diffident  and  lacking  in  assurance ­
  that  they  fail  at  work  for  which  they  undoubtedly