A Third Study of Mental Fatigue in Relation to the Daily School Program

During the year 1911-12 the author gave to forty classes in New York City ten-minute tests in the fundamental operations in arithmetic at four different periods of a two-session school day. The results were compared as to quantity and quality in order to suggest the relative efficiency at those periods.1 In February and March, 1913, twenty-five-minute tests in the fundamental operations were given to sixteen classes in Lynchburg, Va., at two periods of a onesession day, and the results were compared, with conclusions similar to those from the New York tests.2 The present paper reports an experiment with twelve-minute tests in reasoning problems in arithmetic given to sixteen classes in the Intermediate School in Roanoke, Va., at two periods of a one-session day. Although rapid computation requires a continued alertness on the part of grammar-grade pupils, which can well be considered indicative of hygienic efficiency for other lines of school work, it must be granted that reasoning problems in arithmetic of similar grade involve processes and effort more generally needed in meeting school requirements. In order to carry out in the third experiment the methods of the other two, it was necessary to use two reasoning tests which could be graded accurately and as approximately equal in difficulty. The tests selected were forms 1 and 3 of the Courtis