MECHANICAL APTITUDE V. INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP TESTS OF MECHANICAL APTITUDE

Abstract : This paper is one of several reports on the experimental work on mechanical aptitude that has been done in the Psychometric Laboratory in the last couple of years. There were twentyfive individual tests and thirty-two group tests in this study. The tests were selected to represent current ideas about mechanical aptitude as well as a number of psychological hypotheses about the nature of these mental abilities. The analysis of the present paper deals with a comparison of two groups of boys in the Tilden High School in Chicago. A total group of 350 technical high school students were given the thirty-two group tests. In addition to the group tests these students were also given an interest schedule, a test of mechanical experience representing tool knowledge, and a test called mechanical comprehension. These three measures constituted an informal criterion for mechanical interest, mechanical aptitude, and mechanical experience. One group of forty-five boys was selected who showed exceptional mechanical interest and who had good scores on tests of mechanical experience.