A  FIRST  EXPERIMENT

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tests  into  operation,  both  on  the  part  of  the  girls  to  be
tested  and  because  of  the  confusion  that  might  be  introduced ­
  into  the  running  of  the  shop.  It  was  feared  that
the  girls  might  resent  the  experiment  as  an  infringement
upon  their  personal  liberties.  However,  through  perfect
frankness  in  explaining  to  the  girls  the  exact  purpose  of
the  tests,  and  through  the  help  of  the  foreman  and  instructors ­
  in  removing  the  air  of  mystery  and  suspicion
which  naturally  would  surround  such  an  experiment,  and
through  the  use  of  a  “matter-of-fact”  procedure  which
took  each  girl’s  acquiescence  for  granted,  but  still  refrained
from  the  slightest  indication  of  compulsion,  it  was  possible
to  carry  out  the  entire  series  of  tests  without  a  single  unpleasant ­
  occurrence.  At  the  outset,  an  instructor  took
the  girl  to  be  tested  from  her  work  and  brought  her  into
the  room  and  remained  there  while  the  tests  were  being
given;  but  after  a  short  time,  even  this  precaution  was
unnecessary.  The  experimenter  became  a  fixture  in  the
shop  and  could,  without  the  least  embarrassment  to  the
girl,  bring  her  into  the  experimental  room  for  the  tests.
Thus,  a  great  deal  of  time  and  trouble  was  spared  to  the
foreman  and  his  assistants.
The  eight  tests  chosen  for  the  body  of  the  experiment
were  as  follows:
1.  A  simple  eyesight  test  with  the  use  of  the  Lowell
chart.
2.  A  card  sorting  test.  The  subject  was  given  a  pack
of  49  cards,  upon  the  face  of  each  one  of  which  from  7  to  12
letters  were  distributed  promiscuously.  Twenty  of  the
cards  contained  the  letter  “O”  and  the  rest  did  not.  The
subject  was  asked  to  sort  these  cards  into  two  piles,  those
which  had  “O”  on  them  and  those  which  did  not.  The
time  required  for  this  performance  was  taken  and  the