190 
EMPLOYMENT PSYCHOLOGY 
experimenter, an intelligent grasp of the essential char 
acteristics 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 par 
ticularly 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 appro 
priate 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 striv 
ing 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 sophis 
ticated men, least of all psychologists, attach much im 
portance 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 in 
volved. 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.