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EMPLOYMENT  PSYCHOLOGY

of  method,  attempts  have  been  made  to  transform  it
into  a  reliable  and  scientific  method  of  character  analysis.
In  fact,  there  has  been  no  hesitation  on  the  part  of  those
making  this  attempt  to  dignify  their  method  by  calling
it  a  science.  This  so-called  science  has  received  wide
publicity  and  has  been  accepted  by  many  prominent  and
hard-headed  business  men.  It  attempts  to  place  observation ­
  on  a  scientific  basis  by  assuming  that  certain  observable ­
  physical  characteristics  are  identified  with  certain
definite  mental  qualities,  and  by  asserting  as  a  corollary
that  a  visual  observation  and  measurement  of  the  physical
characteristics  enable  the  observer  to  gauge  a  person’s
mental,  moral,  and  emotional  qualities.  The  smattering
of  scientific  phraseology  in  the  presentation  of  this  method
is  just  sufficient  to  impress  those  who  have  only  a  superficial ­
  knowledge  of  the  scientific  facts  involved.  For  instance, ­
  one  of  the  statements  made  is  that  scientists  have
proved  that  a  large  head  indicates  a  large  brain  and  consequently ­
  a  capable  mind.  Now,  as  a  matter  of  fact,
scientists  have  worked  over  this  point  for  fifty  years  or
more  without  reaching  such  a  conclusion.  After  having
measured  thousands  of  heads  and  investigated  thousands
of  cases,  their  general  conclusion  is  that,  although  there
may  be  a  general  agreement  between  size  of  the  skull  and
intellectual  ability,  the  agreement  is  too  indefinite  to
apply  to  individual  cases  or  to  use  as  a  basis  for  practical
predictions.  (For  a  short  and  comprehensive  account  and
bibliography  on  this  point,  see  G.  M.  Whipple,  “  Manual
of  Mental  and  Physical  Tests”,  Vol.  I,  pp.  79-91.)  On  the
other  hand,  biologists  and  physiologists  tell  us  that  mental
power  is  determined  not  so  much  by  the  size  of  the  bead  or
the  expansion  of  the  brain,  as  by  the  convolutions  and  the
quality  of  the  brain  structure.  Another  claim  advanced  is