The Psychological Examination of Interests for Guidance 1Address delivered at the Annual Meeting of the National Vocational Guidance Association, Atlantic City, Feb. 20-22, 1930.

The practical worker in clinic or guidance bureau has longrecognized the existence of a factor in human adjustment which he has called interest. There has been a considerable period of scientific description of this factor. Recently, within the last ten years in fact, interests have been submitted to measurement. Such measurement of interests gives every promise of contributing to the happy and efficient adjustment of the individual. The day of contented reliance upon judgements of interests alone is past. However, there is still a place for the judgment of interests, as there may always be. An analogy between the psychological examination of interests and the psychological examination of abilities may be drawn. The clinical psychologist believes that a psychological examination of abilities is incomplete without rating scales and qualitative judgments. He would administer all possible tests and measures in the field of abilities being measured. To these he would add the practical estimates of the interview and the rating scale. So, too, the clinical psychologist would administer tests and measures of interests and add to his results the judgments of the Subject under examination, and those of his employer, teacher, parents, and friends. A psychological examination of interests, then, would include data from all possible sources: the results of information tests, the results of free association tests, the inventory measures, and in addition, the judgment of leading interests from various sources. All results of the psychological examination of interests would be viewed in their relation. The best prediction in the psychological examination of interests lies where there is agreement between tests and judgments of interests.