Conclusion
It is quite possible that the suggested “changing nature“ of mental ability may have an explanation in the selection of items in the four original schedules set up by Gesell and in their scoring usage. Most studies of these tests give them small credit for later predictive value, stating their value lies in neurologic and intellectual evaluation of the infant at the time of testing, rather than any agreement with later tests as the infant matures.
Later and more extended evaluation of the test items indicates that if they were treated with modern methods of scoring and standardization they might yield results that would give predictive information about infant development. More precise directions for giving the items is essential. Surely the contributions of these elaborate studies of infants deserve to be absorbed as they have been in our modern analysis of infant behavior.
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Ball, R.S. The Gesell developmental schedules: Arnold Gesell (1880–1961). J Abnorm Child Psychol 5, 233–239 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00913694
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00913694