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oderate ability to profit by trial and error was shown; but for his age the performance on this type of test was poor。 On our ‘‘Puzzle…Box;'' which calls for the analysis of a concrete situation; a test that is done by boys of his age nearly always in four minutes or less; Adolf failed in ten minutes。 He began in his typically aggressive fashion; but kept trying to solve the difficulty by the repetition of obviously futile movements。 On a ‘‘Learning Test;'' where numerals are associated in meaningless relation with symbols; Adolf did the work promptly and with much self…confidence; but made a thoroughly irrational error; inasmuch as he associated the same numeral with two different symbolsand did not see his error。 His ability to mentally represent and analyze a simple situation visually presented in our ‘‘Cross Line Tests'' was very poor。 In this he failed to analyze out the simple parts of a figure which he could well draw from memory。 This seemed significant; for the test is practically always done correctly by normal individuals; at least on the second trial; by the time they are 10 or 12 years of age。 A simple test for visual memory of form also brought poor results。
As an extreme contrast to the above results; the tests that had to do with language were remarkably well done。 A visual verbal memory passage was given with unusual accuracy; also an auditory verbal passage was rendered almost perfectly。 Considering that the former has 20 items and the latter 12 details; this performance was exceptionally good。 Also; the so…called Antonym Test; where one is asked to give as quickly as possible the opposite to a word; the result; considering his foreign education; was decidedly good。 Three out of twenty opposites were not given; apparently on account of the lack of knowledge。 The average time was 2。3 seconds。 If two of the other time…reactions were left out; which were probably slow from lack of knowledge; the average time would be 1。6 seconds for 15 opposites。 This shows evidence of some good mental control on the language side。 Motor control was fair。 He was able to tap 75 of our squares with 2 errors in 30 seconds; just a medium performance。 A letter written on this date contains quite a few mis…spelled short words: ‘‘My father Send me to This Court for The troubels I had with my sister;'' etc。
While awaiting trial Adolf; stating that he was desirous of doing so; was given ample opportunity to study arithmetic。 After a few days he told us unhesitatingly that he now could do long division; but he utterly failed; and; indeed; made many errors in a sum in addition。 He had acquired part of the multiplication table。
Study of his range of information brought out some curious points。 He told of some comparative merits of law schools; had some books on home…taught law; and was a great reader of the newspapers。 In the latter he chiefly perused reports of court cases。 He was quite familiar with the names of various attorneys and judges。 He could give the names in contemporary politics; and knew about sporting items。 His knowledge of the history of this country was absolutely deficient; but he does not hesitate to give such statements as the following: ‘‘The Fourth of July is to remember a great battle between President Lincoln and the English country。'' Again he makes a bluff to give scientific items; although he has the shallowest information。 When it comes to athletics; much to our surprise; we hear that our flabby boy is a champion。 Of course; he knows some of the rulers in Europe and by what route he came to New York; but he informs us that Paris is the largest country in Europe。
Adolf says he plays a very good game of checkers; that he had played much; but on trial he shows a very poor game; once moving backwards。 When purposely given chances to take men he did not perceive the opportunities。
We asked him to analyze out for us a couple of moral situations; one being about a man who stole to give to a starving family。 He tells us in one way the man did right and in another way wrong。 It never is right to steal; because if caught he would be sent to the penitentiary and would have to pay more than the things are worth; and; then; if he was not caught; a thief would never get along in the world。 The other was the story of Indians surrounding a settlement who asked the captain of a village to give up a man。 Adolf thought if he were a chief he would say to give battle if the man had done no wrong; but on further consideration states that he would rather give up one man than risk the lives of many; and if he were a captain he would surely rather give this man up than put his own life in it。 He thinks certainly this is the way the question should be answered。
On our ‘‘Aussage'' or Testimony Test Adolf gave volubly many details; dramatically expressing himself and putting in interpretations that were not warranted by the picture。 Indeed; he made the characters actually say things。 On the other hand; he did not recall at all one of the three persons present in the picture。 He accepted three out of six suggestions and was quite willing to fill in imaginary details; besides perverting some of the facts。 This was unusually unreliable testimony。
Our impressions as dictated at this time state that we had to do with a young man in good general physical condition; of unusually flabby musculature; who showed a couple of signs that might possibly be regarded as stigmata of inferiority。 Mentally; the main showing was irregularity of abilities; in some things he was distinctly subnormal; in others mediocre; but in language ability he was surprisingly good。 No evidence of mental aberration was discovered。 The diagnosis could be made; in short; that the boy was a subnormal verbalist。 His character traits might be enumerated in part by saying that he was aggressive; unscrupulous; boastful; ambitious; and a continual and excessive liar。 In the exercise of these he was strikingly lacking in foresight。 This latter characteristic also was shown in his test work。 The abilities in which he was overbalanced gave him special feelings of the possibility of his being a success and led him to become a pathological liar。 From the family history the main suggestion of the causation of the mental abnormality is in illness during developmental life; but neither ante…natal nor hereditary conditions are quite free from suspicion。
At the time of this first trial Adolf maintained a very smart attitude and tried to show off。 He had succeeded in having two witnesses subpoenaed in order to prove that he did not hit his sister; but on the stand it came out that one of them was not there at all; and the other; who was a little girl; stated that she saw Adolf hit some one。 Just why the boy had these witnesses brought in was difficult to explain。 Perhaps he had the idea that some one ought to be called in every case; or perhaps he thought they would be willing to tell an untruth for him。 His statement in court did not agree with what he had told us and was utterly different from what his sister stated。 It came out that he had struck her on a number of previous occasions。 It was shown clearly that the bo