Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine what degree of retardation and acceleration the feebleminded children show in figure cognition compared with the normal children. Particularly, the following three points are comparatively investigated.
(1) The difference in euclidean expression when reproducting diamond.
(2) The difference in the form of direction cognition in the comparison of similarity.
(3) The difference in the ability of figure articulation.
The four sides of the diamond are each 5 Cms, and the upper and lower angles are each 60 degrees. The test for direction cognition in the comparison of similarity consists of a standard figure and seven comparison figures. The test for figure articulation consists of 17 questions of overlapping and embeded figures.
The mental age of the feeble-minded children is 5 or 6 years. The chronological age of the normal children is 4 to 8 years.
(1) In the euclidean experession of diamond reproduction, the feeble-minded of mental age of 6 years are equal in their results to the normal of chronological age of 6 years and clearly superior to the normal of chronological age of 5 years.
(2) In the direction cognition in the comparison of similarity, the feeble-minded of mental age of 6 years are clearly inferior to the normal of chronological age of 6 years, and tend to be behind the normal of chronogical age of 5 years.
(3) In the figure articulation of overlapping realistic figures, the feeble-minded of mental age of 5 years tend to be inferior to the normal of chronological age of 5 years, and to be superior to the normal of 4 years. In the case of overlapping geometric figures, the feeble-minded of mental age of 5 years are clearly inferior to the normal of chronological age of 5 years, and show no difference in comparison with the normal of chronological age of 4 years. In the embeded figures, it is found that the feeble-minded of mental age of 5 years are clearly inferior to the normal of chronological age of 4 and 5 years.
