44

EMPLOYMENT  PSYCHOLOGY

this  standard  is  determined  is  one  of  the  most  interesting
and  important  steps  in  applying  the  results  of  an  experiment. ­

The  curves  on  the  following  page  are  drawn  for  each  of
the  three  significant  tests.  Before  these  curves  were
drawn,  the  inspectors  tested  were  divided  into  two  classes,
the  piece-workers  and  the  day-workers.  The  pieceworkers ­
  are  represented  by  the  solid  line,  and  consist  of
those  who  have  made  good  as  inspectors.  The  day-workers
are  represented  by  the  dotted  line,  and  consist  of  those
who  were  too  dull  or  slow  to  make  piece-work.
When  the  results  of  the  tests  are  represented  in  this  way,
their  practical  significance  for  the  employment  office  becomes ­
  immediately  apparent.  On  the  basis  of  their  performance ­
  in  the  tests,  the  day-workers  and  piece-workers
separate  themselves  into  two  distinct  groups,  the  dayworkers
  on  the  right  and  the  piece-workers  on  the  left.
The  nearer  the  curves  approach  the  left,  the  quicker  and
better  the  work  in  the  tests.  This  is  shown  by  the  numbers
on  the  horizontal  line.  These  numbers,  as  has  been  stated,
express  the  number  of  seconds  taken  to  do  the  test  including ­
  corrections.  The  day-workers,  for  the  most  part,
took  so  many  more  seconds  that  their  curve  is  very  far
to  the  right.
Now,  if  the  employment  manager  had  taken  as  the
basis  for  selecting  applicants  the  time  represented  by  the
points  at  which  the  two  curves  cross,  what  would  have
been  the  result?  The  applicants  represented  by  the
larger  curve  would  have  been  accepted  while  those  represented ­
  by  the  smaller  curve  would  have  been  rejected.
In  brief,  those  applicants  who  subsequently  proved  their
ability  by  becoming  piece-workers  would  have  been
selected,  while  those  who  subsequently  proved  their