Copying A Diamond

PROCEDURE. On a white cardboard draw in heavy black lines a diamond with

the longer diagonal three inches and the shorter diagonal an inch and a

half. The specially prepared record booklet contains the diamond as well

as many other conveniences.



Place the model before the child with the longer diagonal pointing

directly toward him, and giving him _pen and ink_ and paper, say: "_I

want you to draw one exac ly like this._" Give three trials, saying each

time: "_Make it exactly like this one._" In repeating the above formula,

merely point to the model; do not pass the fingers around its edge.



Unlike the test of copying a square in year IV, there is seldom any

difficulty in getting the child to try this one. By the age of 7 the

child has grown much less timid and has become more accustomed to the

use of writing materials.



Note whether the child draws each part carefully, looking at the model

from time to time, or whether the strokes are made in a more or less

haphazard manner with only an initial glance at the original.



After each trial, say to the child: "_Is it good?_" And after the three

copies have been made say: "_Which one is the best?_" Retarded children

are sometimes entirely satisfied with the most nondescript drawings

imaginable, but they are more likely correctly to pick out the best of

three than to render a correct judgment about the worth of each drawing

separately.



SCORING. The test is passed if _two of the three_ drawings are at least

as good as those marked satisfactory on the score card. The diamond

should be drawn approximately in the correct position, and the diagonals

must not be reversed. Disregard departures from the model with respect

to size.



REMARKS. The test is a good one. Age and training, apart from

intelligence, affect it only moderately. There are few adult imbeciles

of 6-year intelligence who are able to pass it, while but few subjects

who have reached the 8-year level fail on it.



This test was located in year VII of the 1908 scale, but was shifted to

year VI in Binet's 1911 revision. The change was without justification,

for Binet expressly states, both in 1908 and 1911, that only half of the

6-year-olds succeed with it. The large majority of investigations have

given too low a proportion of successes at 6 years to warrant its

location at that age, particularly if pen is required instead of pencil.

Location at year VI would be warranted only on the condition that the

use of pencil be permitted and only one success required in three

trials.