Excerpt from A Study of Memory for Connected Trains of ThoughtAs a matter of fact, it is only by addressing itself to peculiarly educational problems that experimental psychology is apt to gain any results of substantial educational importance. The teacher, reading over the dreary tables of data that record ex perimental results, finds, it is true, a little that is significant for his purposes. Possibly it would be unjust to say that this is so little that it does not repay the effort expended in its search. Certainly, where the investigations were conceived in the ih terest of education, we may expect and get something. The so-called child-study movement has aimed to place teaching on a scientific basis. As a rule, however, it has been scarcely scientific enough itself, and many of its results are insufficiently criticised. But it would be hard to measure the effect of the Spirit and attitude of child study upon ways of thinking and methods of work of teachers, and upon the curriculum gener ally. However unscientific from the point of View of a labora tory science, it was, nevertheless, as a rule more accurate and conclusive than mere common sense, and though it may have worshipped idols, they probably replaced the fetishes of a more debased superstition. The teacher who endeavors to apply the theory of culture epochs will very likely work more intelligently than one who simply follows in blind routine the grind of centuries.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.