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Show Tests Prove Fitness of Wills As Opponent for Dempsey i ( .-Vv ( WlK, Hi Steatoses ioov SO mm tun no - ' oo HW MO SWSSSSS aawtuoja jo? r . 453 WJ I I . I"saj I "I Professor Holmes, chart of Wills' tawt, -wrid Wills. By Joteph Hoi men, Af. A Psychological Research Laboratory, Columbia Univaraity. (Capyrlffht. 1922. N. E. A. ttervlc.) COJ.I-MniA t'NIVEKfUTY, New York, May I. For the first time psychological tests have been employed to determine a man's fitness for the prise ring. The subject of these teeta, which I have Just mnde for N. K. A. service, waa Harry Wills, who la a leading colored heavyweight pugilist and who la seeking; a title bout with Jack IetiTpsey. i The teats given to Wills were of three kinds, pamely: Testa of motor ability, testa of perception end testa of ' the higher mental processes. The first two kinds of testa are those wlch are practically uninfluenced by education and are dlagnoatlo of the particular abilities which are i of grvateet significance In his work aa a puglllnt. The norms or standards or averages with which he la ! com pn red were gotten by testing college atudenta who .comprised a highly selected group. Since Wills' education educa-tion Is very limited, having gone only aa far aa the alxth I grade, the results of the testa dependent on degree of I education should be discounted considerably. trlala waa .169 aecond. which la faater ihant the average time of college atudenta, which la .IHO second. Reaction time to sound Wills' average for fifty trials waa .140 second. The average la .150 second. TESTS Or PERCEPTION. TNU of vi.u.1 perception, dot. with th. tarhlstoscop. Heore, II. Avtraft, a. Thl. Indicate, a keenness of visual perception that 1. nearly twice th. average. Form board teat ticore, 13. Average, 13. The reaction time teat, and the coordination test are also indicative of keenness of perception. , TESTS Or HIGHER PROCESSES. Rubstltutlon test Score, 16. Average. 2&S. 1(1. cor. of two-third, of the average, 1. ... he I. below average in thl. teat. Color naming te.t Score, 70. Average, ht. II. la below average here, being in the poorest quarter of college student.. Number checking test Score, 87. Average, 10S. muiuK iLoio. The motor test, with the result, and their slgnflcanc. ar. aa follows: Tnprlng teat flcore. 470. Average, 171. Wills score Is not only far supeslor to ths average, bat Is equal to th. highest ecor. made by any college atudent. Coordination te.t Score, 126. Average, R3. Thl. score Is one-half again as great aa the average and exceed, ths highest scor. of college students by many point.. Hteadlness test Thl. test consisted of holding .stylus In small hole, in a metal plats ao that th. stylus did not touch, th. aide. When the sides of th. hole, were touched an electrlo counter recorded. There were flv. hole., decreasing In six. from ls-64 to 7-64 of an Inch In diameter. The number of touches recorded waa. for th. first two holes 0, for th. third I. for th. fourth 18, and for th. laat and smallest hoi. 21. This record Is so far above the range of college student, or peop). In general that we can only say that It la very superior and Indicates a phenomenal degre. of nervous and muscular control. Reaction tlm. to light Wills' average time of fifty Here he la also n the poorest fourth of college student. Directions test rlcore. 14. Average. 1. Thl. .cor. Is one-half th. average, placing him In the lowest fourth of college students. Language teat Score. 10. Average, 24. Her. his .core I. about on.-half the average. Theas laat tests Involve language, and success In them Is greatly dependent on education. Therefor, these must be greatly discounted In th. case of Wills, who undoubtedly un-doubtedly has greater Innate ability than these tests Indicate. HI. real ability 1. fairly shown by th. test, first listed. Hummed up, these test, show: That Wills' eyes and ear. function more rapidly than those of the average man. That his brain records sensations and transmit, orders to th. mu.de. much faater titan that of th. ordinary man. That the coordination of eye, brain, nerves and muscles Is nearly perfect. In a word. Wllla has natural ' physical and mental power, which place him far above the ordinary man, and should prove a dangerous opponent for Jempeey |