What is this? Antique psychology instrument...

Hello, I am currently working on identifying and displaying antique psychology instruments for the psychology department at my university, I have difficulties figuring out what exctaly this instrument was used for. It appears to be from the 1930's - 1950's, but I could be wrong. On the aluminim drum that is attached to the motor there is paper taped on with a start word followed by multiple 3 letter non-sense words. This could have perhaps been for study in language or recognition of non-sense words, but the motor is no longer operational, and to perform a full rotation, to move the drum to the next word takes some time. Here are some photos I took of it, it is made by Ralph Gerbrands Co. and the model is M1A, any informtation of possible leads would be much appreciated!

 

I just found something else about this particular instrument, at the back of it, there is a small slit in the alminum back plate that allows you to see the words one at time. I would speculate that the participant in the research would sit here, and the researcher at the other end of the instrument. The words are also right side up at this perspective.

 

I *think* it is a cumulative recorder of some sort, but couldn't find one just like it.
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/23967/0000216.pdf?sequence=1

http://aubreydaniels.com/institute/taxonomy/term/113

 

Possibly for dyslexia research, the subject writes down the word they see displayed at a steady speed (the synchronous motor would standardise the speed of display) and I suspect the toothed wheel is an arrangement to enable the words to snap into position rather than be dragged slowly past the slit.

I suppose it could be used for diagnosis of different types of neural malfunction according to typical patterns of mistakes in different disorders. It's really not hard to imagine a dozen types of possible application,and although all of them might be of no practical use, no research student worth his salt could not write a grant application based on some supposed use of this device.

Indeed it may have been invented solely for the purpose of testing graduate students to see if they had what it takes for that most vital and basic of academic activities, obtaining funding. I would consider any student who could not come up with a feasible sounding scheme to use such an apparatus unfit for any further academic work except college adminstration.

 

This is very helpful thank you so much! Do you have any ideas what the wood cylinder could be used for below the aluminum drum?

 

To provide uptake for the much longer strip of paper that would have been part of the device, providing many more nonsense words for the study. I take it the current strip has been taped to itself and has a very limited number of words visible.

Edit - Uptake may be the wrong word. The rest of the paper strip might have unrolled off of that cylinder as the top one rolled.

 

Yes there is only those words that are taped to the aluminum drum, and thank you so much for the help, this is very insightful. I may have additional instruments that I am unsure of, cause this is only the 3rd on in a long list of instruments!

 

Hi,
Could it have been for a word association test? The operator says the word and the patient says the first thing to come to mind? After my accident, under the sleep of Morpheus, an idiot came into my room and asked me to count backwards by 7s from 100. Since it took me longer than 10 secs the "tester" made notes in my chart about probable brain damage from the accident. Found out later it was a neurology extern.
greg

 

It is possible, I am going to check in at the University's library see if I can find any catalogs of old psychological instruments of any type. I have been unsucessful in finding anything about this particular model online. I would like to know when it was made which was probably 1930's-1950's from the materials and design. Thank you everyone for their input!

 

Googling Ralph Gerbrands Co images, I came up with these 2 for cumulative recorders:
http://aubreydaniels.com/institute/node/136
http://aubreydaniels.com/institute/node/132

From Wiki page on BF Skinner:
Cumulative recorder
The cumulative recorder is an instrument used to automatically record behavior graphically. Its graphing mechanism consisted of a rotating drum of paper equipped with a marking needle. The needle would start at the bottom of the page and the drum would turn the roll of paper horizontally. This cumulative recorder was used for the Skinner box to record the rat's behavior.[40] This apparatus produced consistent and accurate records of behavior.[40]

 

now all u need are rats...

 

I don't think it is a cumulative recorder, it has no needle or writing instrument to record data like that. It seems much more simple than a cumulative recorder.

 

I can't count backward by 7s unless I use fingers and toes, so I'd fail immediately.

 

I don't know what it is -- I just posted what I found by googling the company name.

 

It does seem that the Gerbrands Co. made a wide variety of devices for use in behavioral research; I've found online references to devices for feeding/training/rewarding pigeons, rats, and other animals
http://aubreydaniels.com/institute/taxonomy/term/141
as well as the cumulative recorders mentioned.
And rat levers.....

and an article on the history of cumulative recorders, which as mentioned this doesn't quite seem to be....
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3449858/

Or tachistoscopes...
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/tachistiscope-ralph-gerbrands-co-98765277

But I haven't found reference to model m1a.....

 

M1A indicates to me it was made for military use-M1A being the first model of any particular military-designated item, with some modifications because the first one, "M1" either didn't work or killed its operators, something like that. This may be for Morse code training or whatever, the operator had to key the letters presented before the next group popped up, and the timing was controlled by the instructor or was set in the machine at the factory per contract specs. If military and perhaps WWII, forget psychological research, it was for something more basic like communications.

 

That certainly seems possible.

 

The only way I could count backwards or forwards by sevens is with a calculator. Look up Dyscalculia.