University of Texas Bulletin No. 2325: December 15, 1923 THE STEREOGRAPH AS A VISUAL AID BY JOSEPH J. WEBER, PH.D., Head of the Visua! Instruction Division of the Bureau of Extension PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY FOUR TIMES A MONTH, AND ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AT THE P09TOFFICE AT AUSTIN. TEXAS, UNDER THE ACT OF AUGUST 2•. 1912 The bene.fits of education and of useful knowledge, generally diffused through a community, are essential to the preservation of •a free govern­ment. Sam Houston Cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy. . . . It is the only dictator that freemen acknowl­edge and the only security that free­men desire. Mirabeau B. Lamar THE STEREOGRAPH AS A VISUAL AID BY JOSEPH J. WEBER, PH.D., University of Texas INTRODUCTION Photography, like printing, is now one of the practical arts; and visual aids are an instrument of civilization just as books are. By visual aids we mean maps, charts, graphs; diagrams, art prints, photographs, stereographs, lantern slides, and moving pictures. With these may also be classed the more realistic models and museum exhibits. This bulletin has a two-fold mission: (1) to present some important psychological truths regarding the value of the stereograph as an aid in the learning process, and (2) to offer a few practical suggestions as to its most effective use in connection with the daily school work. The two aims will be taken up under the headings Psychological Principles and the Maple Sugar Industry. PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES The Principle of Self-Activity. Telling does not effect learning; neither does the mere showing of pictures. Both telling and showing are simply sensory stimuli, one to the ear and the other to the eye; and, while they are very help­ful in stimulating thinking, they constitute only a minor step in the learning process. The major step is something different-it involves aggressiveness. Children learn pri­marily by physical reactions to environmental stimuli or by mental responses to challenging situations, or both-in short, by adaptive self-activity. For example, they learn how to tie knots not merely by being told how or by watch­ing someone else tie them, but actually by trying to tie knots and succeeding several times until the habits have become fixed. In a similar manner, they do not learn to know what honesty means by being merely told or shown the word. They must go through a variety of challenging experiences themselves before the meaning of honesty finally dawns upon them. Children learn mainly by doing. Self-Activity Must Issue from an Internal Purpose. But this self-activity, as is implied in the word "adaptive," must have an end, aim, or purpose to guide the process of adapta­tion. There must be an internal motive to tug the learner toward a definite goal. There must be a genuine interest, _manifesting itself in a desire to accomplish something: Accordingly, if learning is to be effected in the most eco­nomical manner, the pupil must be deeply interested in the topic to be learned; he must be imbued with a definite pur­pose to master the subject matter; and he must be thrilled with visions of conscious struggle and intellectual conquest. To be concretely specific, as an illustration, the pupil must plainly "ache to know all about the maple sugar industry." The Function of Experience. Psychologically the func­tion of experience is to initiate and strengthen neural con­nections between the situations which life presents to a human being and the specific responses which he makes to these situations. For instance, life presents to the little boy green apples; he eats his fill-and acquires a vivid memory. The experience forms neural connections between green apples and their consequences and thus effects a se­vere bit of new learning. Henceforth the boy may regard green apples with misgivings. In a similar manner, life, in the form of playmates, presents baseball to him; he participates, and enjoys the sport. And again experience effects new learning, but in this case highly satisfying. In the life of every other human being, experience is the real teacher. Experience forms the basis of all learning. Vicarious Experience. There are two kinds of expe­rience, the actual or real and the make-believe or vicarious. Learning to leave green apples alone is commonly the re­sult of a real experience. Learning to avoid poison, on the The Stereograph As a Visual Aid other hand, is almost always the result of a vicarious ex­ perience. For instance, we hear of some · person who died from a draught of poison. Then we contemplate the pos­ sibility of having drunk' poison ourselves, writhing in agony, and dying ; following which, we firmly resolve to exercise the greatest caution or abstain entirely. The ex­ ample just mentioned is one which, from the standpoint of type of experience, may be termed auditory vicarious. An­ other and far commoner type is the ·visual vicarious, of which we have legion. Comprehending a scene projected upon the motion picture screen constitutes a visual vicarious experience. But the motion picture screen is not the only medium which effects such vicarious , experiences. Any photograph or other realistic representation has that power. In fact, the most nearly realistic visual experience is the one we attain when we gaze at a double photograph through · what is known as the stereoscope. See Figure 1. The Stereograph. The double picture shown in Figure 1 is called a stereograph. Contrary to appearance, the two Fig. 1. The Stereoscope, with View University of Texas Bulletin similar halves are not identical. One is just a little dif­ferent from the other. In making the stereograph, two views of a scene are photographed at one time by means of a "two-eyed" or bifocal camera: Really two cameras are used. They are built into a single frame, with the two focal openings about three inches apart, just a little more than the width between two ordinary human eyes. When the slightly divergent prints are later mounted on a card and viewed through the stereoscope, we see the scene ele­ments in their true relationship, just as they would have appeared to us had we stood where the bifocal camera was when the picture was snapped. Instead of two separate photographs, we see apparently the actual scene, with some of the objects in the foreground, others behind them, and still others in the distance. The stereograph is the only photographic medium, practical so far, which effects the illusion of perspective, solidity, and reality. Advantages. When seen through the stereoscope, the stereograph produces a pleasing and compelling illusion of frozen reality. In addition to depth, it has also the ad­vantages of durability, low cost, freedom from distraction, ease of correlation with subject matter, and handy use as a reference, or so1:1rce of learning. It is my belief that the stereograph is the best visual aid for solitary individual study. Fig. 2. Showing in percentage the comparative effectiveness of two lessons, one aided by correlated views and the other unaided.* ls the Stereograph an A~ to Learning? What evidence have we that the stereogtaph makes teaching more ef­fectiye? In reply, may I ~uote my own findings? An ex­ *Weber, The Educative Value of Stereographs, Photographs, and Lantern Slides. (In preparation.) 7 perimental study conducted at Lawrence, Kansas, in 1921­1922, with approximately 150 pupils from grades 3 to 6, <>onclusively demonstrates the fact that the use of correlated views with certain lessons on the manufacture of glass bottles and manila hemp rope increases the effectiveness of instruction by about 8 per cent. There are at least five reasons for this gain: in a visually aided lesson, the pupils are more interested in the topic, they learn the facts in less time, they do it with less effort, the learning is more vivid, and the results endure longer.. See Figure 2. Ignorance of Method. Very few teachers, however, seem to know how to use the stereograph. Many methods have been advocated; but most of them are. wrong in principle. They are usually hopeless attempts to make the study of the stereograph a routine group activity. This is a waste of time and effort for at least two good reasons : (1) we have a better aid for group instruction in the lantern slide; and (2) there is a conflict of attention and interests in the teacher's untimely commands, "Change scopes," when the pupil is reveling in a fairyland of illusion. Only directive and suggestive remarks or questions can assist the pupil in his observation, and these had better appear in print on the stereograph or on the blackboard or precede the in­spection orally. A Suggestion. Probably the best method of using the stereograph is to place it with two or three ster~oscopes on a table in the corner of the classroom or in the library, where it can be consulted as a reference, just like the dic­ tionary, the encyclopedia, or any other source. The teacher may lay out a few correlated views for each lesson; or bet-· ter, a pupil or two may be given the privilege of selecting them for the use of the class. Any member of·the class who goes to the table, then, to look at the stereographs will have an inner motive for his act. In accordance with the principles of purpose and self-activity, this metholfered in those centers in the State where there is a demand for them. Group Study Courses are available for study clubs. 3. The Diviaion of Home Economica. Conferences and clinics are held relative to the health and nutrition of children of pre-school age, as well as .for children of school age. Budget making and budgetary spendmg are taught to groups where such service is de­sired. 4. Division of Government Research. Information relative to the problems of municipal, county, state, and national government may be had from thi_s division. 5. The Division of Package Loan Liibrary. This division collect& material on all important present-day subjects and loans it, free of charge, to schools, women's clubs, libraries, community and civic organizations, and individuals. When demand for them arises, special libraries are often made up on subjects on which librariea are not already prepared. 6. The Photographic LaborAtory. This laboratory is prepared to make lantern slides, produce negatives, and do technical pho­tography. The laboratory is also prepared to make motion picture films. 7. The Divi•ion of Tradea and Industries. Courses in trade analysis, lesson planning, methods of teaching, practical teaching, related subject work, and history of industrial education are given in industrial centers, by members of the division working in co­operation with the State Board for Vocational Education. 8. The Diviaiion of Visual Instruction. Lantern slide sets are distributed for educational and recreational purposes. Motion pic­ture films are distributed through the division, and information rel­ative to Extension service has been prepared and will be mailed free upon application. 9. The University lnteracholaatic League. Educational contests are promoted among the public schools of Texas in public speaking, essay-writing, and spelling. It is the purpose of the League also to assist in organizing, standardizing and controlling athletics. A bul­letin for use in the spelling contests is issued, also one briefing the subject for debate and giving selected arguments, one of use in pre­paring contestants for the Music Memory contests, and one contain­ing the Constitution and Rules including a thorough description of all the contests undertaken. Each member-school is entitled to a year's free subscription to The Interscholastic Leaguer. "THE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION CAMPUS IS THE STATE OF TEXAS." Address general inquiries to T. H. Shelby, Director, Bureau of Ex­tension, University of Texas. Address all inquiries relative to Stereographs, Lantern Slides, Moving Pictures, and Projection Equipment, to Division of Visual Instruction, University Station, Austin, Texas.