SEGUIN FORM BOARD TEST

(SFBT)
Manual

A 5
3

10.

Prasad Psycho Corporation

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 TABLEOF CONTENTS

Descriptive and Historical Sketch

Preliminary Studies

Application to Retarded and Defective Children

Indian Norms
15

Appendix
17

Conclusion
20

References
21
DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL SKETCH

The form board has been used for several years, and clinical psychologists continue to
regard it as one of their best general tests. It appeals to the child's interest, affording
him/her a short and fascinating task which calls for his/her best effort, and it helps to free
him/her from the fear and self-consciousness which often interfere seriously in a mental
examination. At the same time the test gives the examiner a good general view of the
child's mentality ("g" factor) and it usually indicates more or less clearly the nature of
defects.

A 3

Q 10
5 6

Fig, 1- The Form Board- the forms are designated by numbers as follows: 1. Semi-
circle. 2. Triangle. 3. Cross. 4. Elongated hexagon. 5. Oblong. 6. Circle. 7. Square. 8.
Flattened oval. 9. Star. 10. Lozenge.

The ten geometrical figures, as nearly uniform in size as their variety of form will allow,
are cut through an oak board 18 x 12 x 1.5 inches. The board is finished in their natural
color and the blocks are painted black. The whole is carefully finished in order to give it
an attractive appearance, an important feature in a mental testing device. This description

applies to what may be called the standard form board, the type now in most general use.
N A we Ntrnat dr trammN MapaNes, ltard iu his ettorts to train the
W An mt UN A NN Af Ais derives a band two teot square upon whieh
wY NY Nt Nh Asdend NqNr a rel circle, a bue triangle, and a black
i A? at the sane dNnN and eolors were to be nmatohed with
these
nt at vartNIS NIHN and oolous Were also useed.
t A u his wnd M sdoveloping senses. tHe was the tirst
NR NN uNNtally ketiient children were not always deceased perso
or
N NRe sarg aYsaat er iereloymnent. Soguin constructed a number ot
AN s t h n are still usexd at tte Seguiu School. Oue consists of
N
«qUAAe na the surtare of which are cut four cireular
d
vREy Nween an ied and three inches in diameter.
aind
e r ar d ular dknds one ineh thick. Board and blocks are sott
w RY aY s ox a t Aeder Segun board is ot hard wood, is
T &nd ust deseridnd and has a dozen variously shaped
a d d a t dad te dlrks ae of light eolored wood on one
a side and ot
wd w se edet Tte u m doands that
Seguin himself used was six
akt a a r ad i a due BoNds and blocks are all of the same wood and
a d a seris oTdn boands gradei as to diticulty and he had such

idi a tde durd o îs preseRt size, substituted the star and the
R N d s m r Vard ndrad them to sucd sizes and
at n ed riR a ms a r iS oWa. and proportions
dispensad with the handles.

Da Towa
dn eaaR aS the riary deature of test and
Nr N a te dex oda cddds the so uses
trm doard ability. The ernors would refer to
aa R a o a s aN is Owa. She takes
a oord
s a i in ad a te isl n which all of the nunmder of
v n se is Nad that the hild canaN of the blocks are
replaced without
r f rplace them. In addition she notes
e*vex Sd arta other eanares but her
proxaure is planned to give

Gird vsies aN A R of a e
required by the child for
E tHe s dre als ani kes the eplacing the blocks of
tine of
the shortest of the three as
the child's form board index. He also takes a record of the handling of the blocks and
attaches some importance to the number of errors.

Professor Lightner Witmer is most interested in the child's first attempts at the task. His
procedure varies for different children, but he usually places the board before the child
with no explanation except a mere statement as, "Let us see whether you can do this", or
"Put the blocks in". Then he watches closely to catch the child's first reactions and to see
how he attacks this new kind of problem. Successive trials are usually given and the
method varies the procedure depending on the way that the child reacts and the particular
features of his mentality on which the examiner desires more light. The child takes usual
interest in the task; he is often allowed to continue it while details quite apart from the
general purpose of the test are studied. For instance after the blocks are in place the
examiner may say in a low tone, "Now take them out", thus getting at the child's word-
hearing ability. The record of the test as kept by Witmer usually consists of observations
dictated while the test is being given.

These three methods are distinguished because they emphasize three different features of
the form board test; errors, time, and reaction to a new task. In each some attention is
given to the features emphasized in the others, so they are not entirely distinct. Other
methods are modifications of these three.

PRELIMINARY STUDIES

Sylvester (1914), after a year's observation of the test in the Psychological Clinic of the
University of Pennsylvania it was applied on four hundred children and several dozen
adults, using various modifications of the three methods mentioned in the preceding
section. The preliminary studies have yielded the following conclusions.

1. Position of Child, Board and Blocks

The first of these conclusions has to do with the position of the child, the board, and the
blocks at the beginning of a trial. The following arangement was worked out. It was used
throughout the later studies and has proved to be entirely satisfactory. The form board lies
horizontally on a table, its lower edge (it is the edge next to the star recess) even with the
edge of the table next to which the child stands. The table must be low enough so that he
can lean well over the board and look down upon the center of it. Children readily adapt
themselves to height within a reasonable range, so an adjustable table is not necessary.
One of ordinary beight and a kindergarten table suffice. Most children under nine years of
age are requiring the latter. If the table is too high, the child has to look across the board
instead of down upon it and then he would be unable to see the forms- an important
pont that iS often neglected by many examiners is that the board may be too high for the
child. The blocks should be placed in three piles on the table, next to the edge of the
board on the side opposite the child, no block being in the pile nearest its Own recess. If
the child is in a position that enables him to look down upon the center of the board, he
can easily reach the blocks piled in that way. Placing them at the right of the board as is
often done is of no advantage, and in that position they cannot be picked up with the left
hand. Placing some at each end of the board is still worse for it offers the most
possibilities for varying the difficulties of handling them.

2. Kind of Form Board to be used

The second conclusion referred to the size of the board and the order of arrangement of
the forms upon it. Some have suggested that the blocks of the standard form board are too
large for small children. To test this, a two-thirds sized model of the standard board was
constructed. This board was tried with 15 six
year old children, 28 five year olds, 18 four
year olds, and 8 three year olds. Each child had two trials with the standard form board
and two with the small one, half of each
age taking them in the order, standard-small-
standard-small and the other half taking them in the reverse order.
The time
placing the blocks was found to be practically the same for the two boards.required
for
The small
board has a slight advantage in that small
children can reach the extreme corner recesses
more easily, but this is
perhaps more than offset by the finer co-ordination
fitting the small blocks into place. The small star was required for
very difficult for the clumsy
fingered little folk. The. investigator and others who observed the
work agreed that the
regular sized blocks were grasped and handled with more
was not
thought worthwhile to try a larger board for it wascertainty than the small ones.It
would have difficulty in evident that small children
reaching its corner recesses. The
question of
substituting other forms was also taken up. A re-arranging
forms on the board and of the
forms could be set in any order and board on which
turned at any
angle
experimenting with cardboard models it was decided that such a planned, but after
was

more than the

present investigation should undertake, and further study would involve
details would probably contribute little to the that the study of these
efficiency of the device.
3. Number of Trials to be Given

After these first preliminaries had been

Goddard's method which seemed completed, attention was given to a
to call for feature of
giving of three trials.
testing before being adopted,
namely, the
At the beginning it was necessary to set age limits for the
had been kept of the 400 children and a
children to be tested. Records
number of others of
children from 3-7 years of
 could not
age were now added. The results showed that an occasional 4 year old child
was set as the
place all of the blocks unless given assistance other than urging. So, 5 years
minimum age for the establishment of the standards. 14 years was set as
the maximum
value for testing individuals who have the
age because the form board is certainly of little
of the number of trials was
ability of that age or of a year or two younger. The question
Each child was
taken up by testing 200 children, 20 of each age from 5-14 inclusive.
the blocks and the time of each trial was recorded. The
results
given five trials at placing
arranged in two year groups are given in tables 1, 2 and 3.

The data is from the records

Table 1- Average time in seconds for each of five trials.
of 20 children of each age from 5-14

Age Average
Trial 11-12 13-14
5-6 7-8 9-10
45 29 22 18 15 25.8

34 24 18 16 14 21.1
III 31 23 17 15 13 19.6
IV 30 21 18 14 13 19.2
13 12 18.9
30 22 17

Table 2- Standard deviations for the data of Table 1

Age
Trial Average
5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14
I 13.8 5.5 |5.1 4.7 2.6 6.3
II 11.0 5.2 3.4 2.8 3.0 5.1
9.5 3.5 32 2.5 2.3 4.2
IV 7.8 3.8 | 3.2 2.5 | 2.1 3.9
7.6 3.1 | 3.3 2.4 | 2.2 3.7

Table3- Number of individuals making their shortest record on the first trial, second
trial, etc. for the five trials

Trial Age Total

 13-14
9-10 11-12

40

19 68
13
19 20 18
14 17

eris of i
According toTable 1 there is a gor dacrease in ie engh
SICcessive ials, the averzge f2lling ffum 25.S seconds for the fis ial o 19.5 sexonis
æ
for the thiri trial Each age grou shows the decrease regulsiy for tie
The dectease for the fourth and the fih tials is not so marked tie i n aregs b e
192 seconds and 189 seconds respertively, and in some ofthe grous he i r s s
regniar. Veiabiliry (Stzndard deviztions, Teble 2) aiso shows a dareese mi sacessive
riais, the averages ofthe ve in order being 63, 5.1, 42. 39, ad3.7 seconds. Hare ziss
the decrease is greatest in the firs three tials and the ag D g show regue d a a s
except in the fourth and ffh Table 3 indicatas ha m i e isa vey i p r i
mOSt ofthe sihortest records being made after the second rial, anda lagr b e a te
h ral thn on any other. This evidence has less weisit wien considered in the i f
the small average time decreases for the forth and ihe fiftin tizls s hs bean notai
Table L, for with such small zverae icteases, it mut have been ht in a g a m t
of cases the last turials were shortest by only a second or two. These three zbes inäe
that in general the first rial is the most imegulza in
every way and so is the leat elibe
Like-ise the fifth trial is the most reliable, and of the fve rials each is more
relizhie
than those preceding it The third trial is so much more consistent
han the fis i è
second that ihe necessity of giving at least three tials is
obvious. But the diferenes
between the third, fourth, and fifth are
comparatively small and as will be showa frhe
on a difference of a second or two in indices is of little
that the demands for brevity and comvenience in a test consequence. It is eviddat iaE
like this more than offet the snal
gain in accuracy that would be made by giving a fourh or a fffth uial
Theresore ie
adoption of three trials for the standard method is jusified
4. Position of the Blocks in the Three Piles

Another preliminary study was the

testing of 93 totally blind children in the
Institution for the Blind. Certain features of the test
stand out more
Pennsyivaia
the blind than in those who
see, which is more
cleariy in the work of
observed was that when two difficult blocks or two rapid,
and less laborai One
feanr
that are often
up by two hands at the same time, it is interchanged piked
likely to confuse the child and to
are

making the best record of which he is capable. The prevent his

star and the cross are the most otan
 interehanged by the blind and the lozenge and the elongatod hexagon by seeing children.
This observation led to the nle that in piling the blocks for children who have visim the
lozenge and the elongated hexagon must not be placed in the same layer in the piles. This
usually prevents their being pickod up simultancously. It was also observai cseialy m
the blind that if the star is picked up early in the tmial and retuses to slip into place the
child is often contused thereby and has unneessary tnuble with the other bicls. t was
therefore decided that this, the most ditficult blok to fit into place, should never be lett
on the top of a pile. If pickod up late in the trial it cannot distarb the haniling of so many
other blocks.

S. Relative lmportanee of Touch and V'ision în the Test

The main parpose in testing the blind children was to get further evidense as to the
relative importance of the visual and the tacual senses in the fom boand test. In spite vt
the fact that the child gets no tactile impression of the messes while placing the blcds it
is the opiniom of some examiners that touch is dependad on comsidcrably by chiliren who
see. Careful obsernvation however, has shown that they usually pick up the blds vith o
effort to get a tactile inpression of them. n the tests with the smaller boani no adhantage
was taken of the clearer tactile inprssions which the smaller blacks mst have givenm.
ntnspective reports of stadents of psycholagy who wer given the test indicate that ther
is little dependence on touch. Some blindfolded children are unable to place the blacds at
all, and blindtolded aduls have great diticulty, mquiring on an averaee abut thre
minutes tor the fist tria

Table 4- Results from the Form Board Tests of totalty bînd ehildren

Number of Averae Average

Average tme în umber of
Individuals Age saonds

Bind fronm birth

Vision lost before 32 15

the age of three
Vision lost beween the ages of
three and ten 14 S7
 of the test the child
blind. At the beginning
made by the
able 4 shows the records and handling its corresponding
examining every recess
explored the board with his hands, and a record was taken of
each of which was timed
block. He was then given three trials, the shortest of
the three time
table are from
in the
the umber of errors. The data given that those who
made in that trial. It might be expected
records and the umber of errors because of have becn
the most successful in the test
have been blind from birth would be form and
themselves to it after the
the tactile sense rather than adapting
fulfill this expectation, Those
dependent on

had been learned visually, but the results do not

position the blocks, an
the longest time for placing
who had been blind from birth required
vision until after 3 years of age
of 69 seconds, while those who had retained their
average
number of errors made by the two
on only 37 seconds. The average
Tequired an average
difficult for those with congenital
groups was 4.3 and 1.4 respectively, indicative of being
The small age differences could
blindness, as compared to those with visual experience.
not have provided the factor since the
three groups differed in no other way. The
and were assisted by it in the
conclusion must be that they retained their visual imagery

interpretation of their tactile impressions. The fact that those who lack visual imagery
find the form board test difficult indicates that vision is much more important than the
tactile sense in the test.

APPLICATION TO RETARDED AND DEFECTIVE CHILDREN

The first important study following the preliminary work was the testing of the children
in the special backward classes of the Philadelphia Public Schools. At that time there
were 45 of these classes with a total enrollment of about 780. Of this number some were
foreign borm children placed there until they could get a start in English, some were there
for disciplinary reasons, and some because of deafness, poor vision, or other physical
defects. These three groups were not included and a few other children were absent from
school when the tests were made, so the total number tested was 616. The ages of 11 of
these were not obtainable so their records were not included, leaving 605 students.
Goddard's method was used, modificd as to the piling of the blocks and in other ways to
accord with the conclusions drawn in the preliminary studies. In addition the child was to
be graded on as many features as possible. The teacher's estimate of the child and any
other information that she could give concerning him were also to be used. The work was
1mdertaken with three purposes; first, to determine which features of a child's work at the
form board can be satisfactorily graded; second, to find which of the obtainable facts
concerning him are of value in connection ith the test; and third, to differentiate the
characteristic ways in which cnilaren or various types work at the test, The first two of
fhese purposes were successtuly carried out but the third was
not, the 605
nroving to be such a heterogeneous group and the data so in-coordinate as to defy all children
attempts at classification. The work had an additional value in serving as a preparation for
the more careful quantitative studies of normal children. Improved ways of securing
proper testing conditions were developed with experience and the procedure of the test

itself was adjusted and smoothed.

Plan and Procedure

At the beginning, the test was explained to the child quite fully, and during the
As it
explanation the examiner put all of the blocks into place and removed them once.
had been decided to make the time element the main feature it was thought that the child
should be given every chance to make his/her best possible record. The child starte each
trial from the signals, "Ready - Go." The records of the handling of the blocks were
taken by an assistant in the form shown below.

First Trial Second Trial Third trial

686 939 9

9 725867
2 5
10110510 81508 383
8548 515
141 4
54 606 7
4 0 828
2 020
2

61 seconds 77 seconds 49 seconds

This specimen record shows that the child began by picking up block 6, trying it at recess
8, and then placing it in its proper recess. (See page 3 for form numbering.) Next blocks 9
and 3 were placed correctly. Block 10 was tried at recess 1, then unsuccessfully at its own
recess, then at recess 5, and finally it was fitted into its own recess. Two errors were
made with block 8 and one with block 1. Block 5 was tried at recess 4 and laid aside, and
then blocks 4, 2, 7, and 5 were placed in order. Thus the handling of every block in the
first trial is shown. At the foot of each column is recorded the time of the trial in seconds.
 child's co-ordination, apparent mentality, ability at
The various features noted were: the teacher: the
were obtained from
and of the hands. The following
planning ahead, use
regarded
she him
child's age, reasons for his being in the special class, whether as

school progress, and her estimate of

mentally defective or as merely retarded, his general
undertook to estimate certain
his ability at hand-work. At the beginning the investigator
other features such as interest, attention, alertness, and learning ability, but one by one

they were dropped as it became evident that they could not be estimated in such a way as

to have a bearing on the test. After some 200 children had been tested, namely poise was
added. The rest of the children were graded on this.

Age and Sex Considerations

After various attempts had been made at arranging the data, it became evident that the
time records have the most consistent variability and are therefore the best basis for
arrangement. The grouping above the 18 second records in Table 5 is more or less forced
but it is the least objectionable of any that were tried.

Table5-The data from the 605 backward class children

Distribution by ages Sex

Time in
seconds 7 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Unfinishe
d 2
10.8 4 2
50-101 15
40-49 21 10 2
3 3 3 2
11.7 7 8
30-39 24 4
1
9.7 714
26-29 33 6 8
10.5 15 9
23-25 4 4 10.8 22 11
21-22 46 10.7 27 14
|9 |6
19-20 60 2 |8 8 10 12 11.8 2719
18 61 2 11.7 49 |11
5 13 22 8
17 49 11.9 51 10
16 68
11212 9 12.3 35 14
13 8 11 16 7
15 60
3 6 8 17 144 3 12.3 617
13.3 52 8
14 62 1 7 13 9 16 9 6113.4 54 8
13 31 1 4 13 3 1 13.3 28 |3
12 15 5 7 2 13.7 15
11 10 1 13.8 10
10 3 3 14.0 3
467 138
TOTAL60 7 26 37 63 95 111 91 9847 273 -

Table 5 (contd.) - The data from the 605 backward class children

Unfinished 6
50-101 15 36
40-49 21 1 12 17
30-39 24 10 15
26-29 33 9

23-25 41 1 9
21-22 46 12 8
19-20 60 5 13 6
18 61 12 2 10
17 49 14 2
16 8 20 13 6
15 60 13 4 8 4
14 62 25 12
13 31 21 13 4
12 15 14 10 3
11 10 10 3 3
10 3 3
TOTAL 605 158 133 57 52

The number of individuals in each time record group, their distribution by ages, and their
average ages were calculated. Even these sub-normal children showed some correlation
 and the time required for placing the blocks.
In the column of average ages
ocwcen age
Lere appeared a gradual increase of age from the 40-49
second group to the 10 second
were made not by the oldest
group, but the distribution showed that the shortest records
Dut by the fourteen year old group. The shortest records focus toward that age. After
follows:
arranging the data, the average time record for each age is as

Age Average Time

7 22.6
8 23
9 20.9
10 19.4
11 19.1
12 17.5
13 16.6
14 15.0
15 16.8
16 16.5
17 16.6

The fact that the fourteen

year old group made shorter records
older ones is as the on an
average than the
bright children drop out of school after the
the limit of age of fourteen, which is
compulsory education.
Sex distribution is of little
importance. reasons not of interest
number of girls are placed in the
For
special here, a relatively small
confirmed by these results that the backward classes. It is a matter of observation
than the boys. However, if girls of these classes, as a
equal numbers of boys and group, are more backward
backward classes they would be girls were selected from the
form board records would be approximately of the same grade of special
more nearly
children revealed no sex differences. equal. Later form board mentality and their
tests of normal

Important Features Other Than Time and Errors

The data in Table 5 (contd.) suggest that the
number of children
orOuD who used two hands of each time
successtully
comnared with normal children, was and record
simultaneously in
placing the blocks,
af the older children who usedrelatively small. Another
feature
but one hand
at a observed is that
time, changed from one to the
 with one as well as with the other.
other in successive trials, apparently succeeding
Normal children rarely change hands.

In-coordination is not so
The muscular co-ordination of 133 was very poor.
graded as
accurate
noticeable in children whose mentality is such
that they attempt no quick or
mean that all but 133
of these 605 had good
movements, so these results do not
coordination.

without losing
to work at one's maximum speed
Poise, as here used, means the ability
his efforts to place the blocks quickly,
control and getting confused. When a child in
or hesitates
numerous and inexcusable errors
hurries and gets flustered so that he makes
we have
he is lacking in this quality which
in a semi-dazed way, he does so because
old
chosen to call poise. Take for instance one
of thes backward cases, an eleven year
and the
in order were 36, 52, and 62 seconds,
boy whose record for the three trials
caused him to make errors and to
number of errors 4, 5, and 11. His efforts at hurrying
to work slowly he placed the
blocks in 21
lose time. When given a fourth trial and told
show a lack of poise as soon as they begin
seconds and made no errors. Some defectives
examiner is likely to throw them into
confusion. Later
to work rapidly. Urging by the
are sometimes momentarily
studies of normal children showed that although they
utter confusion. Practically all of them
hindered by over hurrying, they do not go into
examiner during the work. In other words, the
make better records when urged by the
to be of normal mentality. As previously
child who is lacking in poise is very likely not
classes had
no records were. of this factor until the children in several of the
kept
stated,
57 were graded as seriously lacking in
been tested. Of those who were marked on poise,
excitable defective type; others could not be
the quality. Many of these 57 were of the
because of nervous trouble. Many of
called defectives but they were mentally retarded
the average of the 57
them made numerous attempts to fit blocks into Wrong recesses,
which the examiner can observe to advantage. It is
being 7.3 errors each. Poise is a detail
in who momentarily lose control or show a
important not only in extreme cases, but many
that calls for further study.
tendency to do so. There is often some instability

before the signal "Go", the child glances at the blocks on

By planning ahead is meant that
thus ready at the signal to shoot them into
the top of the piles, then at their recesses and is
children do this, but younger
place without hesitation. Most normal adults and many
backward class children did so. An individualis
children do not. Only 52 of these
credited with planning ahead ifhe does it on one or more trials.

The Records of Errors

 The last column in Table (contd.) shows the average number of crrors mad
5 (c ade by each
individual in all 3 trials. For the extremely long time records the average number.of errors
sS0,
tor the shortest records the average is 3, and between thesc extremes there is
Somewhat irregular corelation between the length of time record and the number a
of
CTOTS. 'These 605 backward children averaged more than 6 errors each, Whereas
Cnlaren
average less than three. Evidently a large number of crrors indicate normal
mentality. A statement of the number of times that cach low
is given in Table
6.
possible kind
of error was
made

Table 6 Distribution of the kind of errors made by the 605 backward

-

class children

Blocks Recesses
3 4 5 6 8 10
4 3 62 81 3 63
Total
20 24
4
15 242
| 32 19 9 14 12 9
7 4 75 216
9 18 16
38 62 42 184
102 3 31
23 4 99
4 45 4 299
9 5 8 6
17 58
162
|12 55 67
21 17 31
23 15 65 193
111 4
5 66 68 97 377
2 191104
61 159 24 9
35
10 409
10 |41 | 60 16 3 4 20
Total
15 305 116 8 27 61
195
276 136 203537 577 8 2 643
153151 371 96 420 2920

The upper line,for instance, indicates 4

futile attempts to fit
attempts to fit it into recess
2, 3 at recess
block 1 into its own
recess, 6
with this block. Since each of the 4,3, 62 at recess
etc. and a total of
605 children had 242 errors
each block were possible. Table three trials, a total
6, horizontally of 1815 errors with
board and vertically they represent the represent
ten blocks. The
the ten recesses of
the fom
line show the number of futile numbers in the upper horizontal
The other horizontal lines give
attempts at putting block 1 into
each of the ten recesses.
corresponding data for the other
table, by far the most frequent error was blocks. According to this
The only possible erors not made were that
of
attempting
-9 and 6-9
to put
block 10 into recess 4.
and 8 into their own recesses and futile attempts to fit block 6, 7,
Table 7- Twelve most frequent kinds of errors of the 605 backward class children
arranged according to the time records

Errors
Time in
Seconds
32
30 to 101 4 3 4 2 2 3 3
20 to 29 11 4 2 4 3
15 to 19 15 6 5
10 to 14 16 4

The data is in per cent, of the total number of errors made by each of the four time record
groups. Thus, the 4 in the upper left space means that of the total number of mistakes
made by the group, whose time records were 30 seconds or more, 4 per cent, was the 0-4
error.

One important conclusion can be drawn by arranging the data in the form of table 7 i.e.,
according to four tim record groups-those longer than 29 seconds, the 20-29 second
records, the 15-19 second records, and those shorter than 15 seconds. This is a
condensation of the grouping that is used in Table 5. The data are given in percentages of
the total number of errors made by each group. It is shown that with normal children of
all ages the 0-4 error is by far the most frequent and that the occurrence of the more
common ones does not vary significantly with age. In Table 7 the same is true of the two
groups whose time records average below 20 seconds and to a less degree of the 20-29
second group, but in the longest records group there is little tendency to make one kind of
error more frequently than another. Since
nearly all of the longest records were made by
children of quite low mentality, the one conclusion to be drawn is that if a child makes
the 0-4 error and the other common ones more frequently than others he is to be credited
for doing so. In other words, he is probably of higher mentality than a similar child whose
errors are more evenly distributed. This feature is peculiar in that it varies with the degree
of mentality but not with the age and it is therefore especially important.

INDIAN NORMS

The Seguin form board test was administered by J. Bharat Raj on a total number
of 1052
subiects (705 males and 347 females), between 5 to 15 years of age. Similarly, S.K. Goel
 uSd a sample of 1125 subjects (749 males and 376 females), between the age range of 3

to 15 years. The results are given in Table 8 and 9.

Table8 -
Number of subjects for various age groups

Age J. Bharat Raj S. K. Goel

Group M F
N M F N

50 32 18
50 28 22
17 15 50 28 22
6 54 31 23 50 30 25
7 71 41 30 60 40 20
8 99 62 37 100 65 35
9 110 74 36 100 70 30
10 143 92 51 125 80
11 116 76 40
12 171
110 72 38
120 51 150
13 111 39
123 95 28
14
125 89 36
91 69 22
15 100 71 29
42 28 14 50 33 17

Table 9- Norms for Seguin Form Board

Test

Mental J. Bharat Raj

Shortest S.K. Goel
Age Total
Shortest R.B Cattell
Time Time Total
Time
Time
Shortest Test
58.0 Time Time
220.0
36.1 48.0 50.0 216
128.0 36.0
165.0 46.0
6 161
26.8 96.5 129.0
7 25.1 27.2 35.0 123
86.7 105.8
20.0 25.0 27.0 105
72.7 88.0
9 18.0
21.0 23.0 90
66.0
18.9 74.0
10 17.3 60.2 67.0 20.0 17
17.4 18.5
60.9 68
16.5 61
11 16.1 55.8 16.2 56.0 15.0 55
12 15.5 52.7 15.7 52.8 14.0 49
13 14.5 48.6 14.5 48.8 13.0 43
14 14.3 47.4 14.2 47.2 12.5 39
15 13.7 46.5 13.8 46.6 12.0 36

It can be seen from Table 9 that the time under total time (in three trials) and the shortest
time is consistently decreasing under the successive age groups, as should be expected.
Also, the difference in time of successive age groups is minimum in upper age levels as
compared to lower age levels.

A close comparison of Indian and Western norms of Seguin form board highlights the
similarities in performance of the Indian and Western children with respect to their
scores, rather than differences. Apparently the western children seem to be favored
slightly on the speed factor, owing to better training facilities in their country. However,
the difference is not very prominent and surprisingly nowhere do we observe a difference
beyond 2 seconds in any age group. This would in fact substantiate the argument that
Seguin Form Board Test can be used with equal facility to gauge the mental development
of Indian children also. It is therefore a culture free test.

APPENDIX

Children under Five Years of Age

A group of thirty-five, four year old children the form board test, the
were given regular
method being used except that the child was handed each block and in case he spent
considerable time trying to fit it into a wrong recess he was told to try another. All normal
four year olds can place the blocks if given that much
help. The shortest time record was
20 seconds, the longest 91 seconds, and the average 46 seconds. Three of the
thirty-five
made no errors, one made 42, and the average number made was 11. Seventeen made
their best record on the second trial and eighteen on their third. Because
they were
handed the blocks and were not allowed to spend too much time
trying a wrong recess,
the effects of fatigue are not so noticeable in the time records, but the
majority showed
waning of interest and fatigue on the last trial.

Nine children between three and three and a half years of

age were tested in the same way
except that they were given but two trials. Their shortest time record was 49
seconds, the
longest 113 seconds, and the average 69 seconds. The number of errors varied between
 did better on the
Second trial than on the
than
2 and 24, the average being 16.
Six of the nine
first.

Seven children between the ages of two years

three months and two years six m o . six months,
with considerable help gave time records ranging from 52 Seconds to 148 seconds and
and a
4 and 25 tor the two trials, with an
average of
average
92 seconds. Their errors ranged between
of 17. Four did much better on the first trial than on the second. All of tha.
se
children perceived the relation of block form to recess form for at least the circle and th
square. They commonly confused the cross with the star, the oval with the semj-cirel
circle
and the circle, and the triangle, the lozenge, and the elongated hexagon with each other. f
they happened to get the lozenge crosswise over its recess, they usually would not turn it
without help. They often searched in the piles for a block for some particular recess
or
picked up the circle in preference to others. Some were tired of the test after a trial or two
but two cried because
they were not allowed to continue.

The test was tried on several children

between one and ahalf and two years of
form board was laid on the floor. With much age. The
help one child placed six blocks and
others
placed two three. Some showed unmistakably that
or

certain of the other more

they perceived the circle form and
simple ones. The majority piled the blocks one upon another
instead of attempting to fit them into
recesses. At the
board was left in one of the Philadelphia Infants' Home, a form
rooms where a dozen of these
little kids spent most of the
day, and their nurse attempted for a week to teach
them to put the blocks into
made a little
progress but all continued to pile them and not place. Some
test. one learmed to complete the

Adults

Adults placethe blocks a little more

records fall between 9 and 12 quickly than do fourteen year olds. Most of
seconds. An occasional 8 ther
individuals out of more than a hundred second record is made, and three
three trials. made records of 7
Practically all adults plan ahead. The most seconds in one of their first
is a
rhythmic altermating of the two hands, one successful handling of the blocks
picking one from the piles. When one hand fitting a block while the other 1s
simultaneously time is lost, attempts to fit two
blocks into their recesses
probably because of the
attempt divide the attention.
to
Children of Low Mentality

There is no kind of reaction to the

form board
or class of
defectives. This is partly due test that is
strictly typical of any one graae
classifications has its own basis, such
to the
fact that each
of
as
industrial capacity, our standard
linguistic ability anu
 classification
educability. Accordingly children may rank quite differently under different
for
systems, and the form board test could not be expected to label individuals directly
their place in a mental scale unless such scale had form board ability as its
basis. For
form board
diagnostic purposes it is therefore necessary first to compare the individual's
reaction with the reaction of normal children, and then after he has
thus been

approximately placed, to his reaction in comparison with that of other defectives.

study
Hence, the importance of normal standards.

All kinds of mental defectives who can do anything with the form board were included
was made before the
among the 605 backward class children. But since that study
standards for normal children were established, it is worthwhile to supplement it with the

of defectives made after the work on normal children had been

following notes on tests

completed.
individuals ranging in age from nine to seventeen
Seventy-six intellectually challenged
were given the form board test, some in the Psychological Clinic of the University of

Pennsylvania, in the Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble Minded Children at

some
Elwyn, and some in small private schools. As to the time records, the records of errors,
and the records of other items that are included in the standards given in the last section
of this monograph, these later observations of defectives seem wherever possible to
corroborate the conclusions drawn there. They show nothing that disagrees with those
conclusions. Of the seventy- six defectives, forty-two succeeded in putting the blocks into

place three times, fourteen placed them once but not three times, and twenty failed to
place all of them even once. Of those who placed them one or more times, thirty-three
required more than 30 seconds for the shortest trial. There were several times as many
errors as would have been made by normal children, and there was only an irregular
tendency to favor the 0-4 error. Very few attempted to use both hands at the same time
and but nine did so successfully. None planned ahead. A large number were lacking in
poise; some being confused by their own efforts as well as by the urging and assistance
offered by the examiner. In some cases the confusion was only temporary, poise being
regained and the work proceeding successfully for a time, but in others even after a
promising beginning, control was lost and the efforts ended in utter confusion. Some of
these defectives are at an opposite extreme from those who lack poise, being abnomally
inert and stolid. They work at the form board in a listless, indifferent manner, lacking
either the inclination or the ability to start quickly and to work rapidly. The most of these
make somewhat better records when urged strenuously. A normal child is alert but at the
same time has self-control and. poise. There is no testing device that makes a stronger
appeal to the interest of children, both normal and defective, than does the form board.
test. It is therefore a good test of attention. Practically every child gives it the best
attention of which he is capable. Twenty-four of the seventy-six defectives gave the test
 ndivided attention as long as the examiner wished them to work at it, although some.of
em worked slowly and made many errors. Fourteen gave good attention through e
thal but wandered from the task before being told to stop. Thirty-one showed varione
s
aegrees of flightiness, some attending to the test but for a few seconds at a time, and
others almost completing a trial. Some of these returned to it of their own accord, others
had to be reminded by the examiner. Three of them refused to return to it. Seven could
not be interested in the test at all, and made no effort to place blocks. Fatigue is a factor in
the case of who
many lose interest.

The emotional reaction of defectives to the form board test is extremely

Affectively, only ten of these
interesting.
seventy-six reacted like normal children. Seventeen
were
apathetic, the test
arousing little interest in them. Thirty-three found
or no
enjoyment in it, working great
many of them
enthusiastically, some talking and
chattering while at work and
expressing extreme joy when a block or blocks were
was
probably the most difficult piece of work that some of placed successfully. It
their feeling of them had ever
triumph and satisfaction in succeeding. Some of the done, hence
would of course react in the same moreexcitable ones
gave various kinds of way to any test
involving activity. The other sixteen
curious and inconsistent
half of the blocks reactions. One boy started well
were
placed he but before
began to
look backward.
Several others wept and weep hysterically and ran away refusing even
to

embarrassment and excitement.wailed, attracted to the test but forced to leave

it because of

These notes
give but a glimpse of what
For can be
instance the attempt to observed in form board
group the tests of defectives.
extended to include an seventy-six cases on the
basis
analysis of each of attention might be
power of attention, but also individual's volitional
not only his

his self complex. would cover

his effort.A full his It
report would include the
initiative, control, and the intensity of
much of this is painting
profitable
tests and means of depends on the individual case of a clinical picture of each case. How
analysis
worked out from the form are
employed. These notes are
and on the
extent to which
must be the basis board test, and suggestive of what
other
upon which each they emphasize the fact that may be
interpreted. defective's reaction to the form normal standards
board test is to be
cONCLUSsION

Seguin Form Board Test

can be
Stanford- Binet Test, R.B.
Cattell's supplemented
Culture Fair
by other
picture of the child's mental
development. Intelligencecomprehensive
Test etc. to tests such
su as
yield comple
a
nplete
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