overall: .1 cm x 15 cm x 23 cm; 1/32 in x 5 29/32 in x 9 1/16 in
Object Name:
Psychological Test
Date made:
1931
Description:
Paul Hanley Furfey (1896-1992) was raised in a Catholic family in Cambridge, Massachusetts, attended Boston College, and pursued graduate work in psychology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. There he studied under Thomas V. Moore, who took particular interest in clinical psychology, particularly as used in assisting the development of children. Furfey developed some interest in this area, but also pursued his interests in languages, the priesthood, and social justice. His PhD. dissertation at CUA concerned gangs and the sociology of teenaged boys. On completing his degree, he joined the department of sociology at Catholic University.
Furfey’s investigations pointed up striking differences in the behavior of children with similar scores on intelligence tests (then given as “mental age”). To measure the maturity of children, he introduced the concept of “developmental age” and published this test for it with C.H. Stoelting Company of Chicago in 1931. The scale consisted of 196 items, divided into six tests. In every instance, the child (a boy) was to select a preference between two possibilities. Test 1 listed pairs of “things to do,” Test 2 “things to be when you grow up,” Test 3 “books to read,” Test 4 “things to have,” Test 5 “things to see,” and Test 5 “things to think about.” In this version of the test, test takers indicated a 1 or a 2 to indicate their preferences.
For related materials, see MA.316371.011 and MA.316372.21.
References:
Furfey, P. H., “Developmental Age,” <I>American Journal of Psychiatry</I>, 85 #1, 1928, pp. 149-157.
Furfey, P. H., "A Revised Scale for Measuring Developmental Age in Boys." <I>Child Development</I>, 1931, 2, no. 2, pp. 102-14. Accessed April 9, 2020
Rademacher, Nicholas K., <I>Paul Hanly Furfey: Priest, Scientist, Reformer</I>, New York: Fordham University Press, 2017.