The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

B The Educational Screen order to insure a vivid and accurate "impression" some "expression'' must precede it. Such "expression" may he in the nature of active ex- ploration as shown in the psycholo- gist's experiment of the perception of a complex figure made up of Straight and curved lines. An at- tempt to draw the figure after look- ing at it for a moment proves how inadequately it has been perceived. < >111 \- after several trials at drawing alternating with a fresh exposure of it to the eye, does the perception of it become clear, vivid and accur- ate. The psychologist believes that unless such attempts at "expression'' are made the "impression" will re- main a vague and hazy total or an unsynthesized congeries of parts. The "expression" which precedes the impression need not, however, take the form of such specific overt activity. The experiment is simply a neat demonstration of the peda- gogical principle that in order to "see" one must know what to look for. The preparatory "expression" may be an active purpose, problem or interest. Then if pictures are presented which fit in with this mental preparation or "set" the im- pressions will be vivid and accurate. Pictures as Focal Points That is, vividness, clearness, and ac- curacy of impressions are terms of relationship; they depend upon the interest and attention of the per- ceiver. They inhere not in the na- ture of the thing presented but are a function of the percipient's reac- tion to the impression or stimulus. Immediately there comes to mind to controvert this contention the well-recognized fact that the "movie" has the power of stamping vivid and all-too-minutely detailed images upon the minds of the young. Witness of this nefarious industry is the aftermath in dream-terrors, silly romantic exploits and incite- ment to crime. True as this may be it illustrates rather than refutes the thesis which we wish to main- tain, namely, that vividness of im- pression and the consequent virility and permanence of the image de- pend upon the trend of interest of the perceiver. If one is looking for something he will pitch upon what- ever falls in with this interest. The reason why impressions of crime seem to challenge the attention as if they contained their vividness and intensity within themselves, and are remembered in disastrously definite detail, is that curiosity already exists in that direction and what is pictured is seized upon as fuel to feed it; or romantic tendencies find detail and definiteness; or fear finds concrete shapes and names. In other words, temperamental "sets" arc already there and the pictures provide im- pressions which serve as focal points for attention which later in the form of images become the carrier of meanings or provide the basis for action. Thus the poet carried home the vivid images of the dancing daffodils because he found them with the poet's eye. This is not a vindi-