Medical School Studies College Man

Harvard students are now under the scrutiny of the Medical School's newest big research project. Dr. Daniel H. Funkenstein, instructor in Psychiatry, is heading a team of men and women who are investigating the college student.

The basic purpose of the study is to find out what college students, specifically Harvard students, are really like. The research is not based on examination of just one aspect of the student and the life he leads, but is concerned with the psychological, physiological, social, and physical standpoints.

By using this "Inter-Disciplinary" method of study from many angles, the researchers hope to find out just "how the student adjusts to life," Funkenstein declared.

The project, which will take at least two or three years, was started last November 1. A battery of tests given the students aims at finding out such things as IQ, manual skill, physical characteristics, and psychological attitudes. The tests consist of about 20 hours of interviews and questionnaire answering, but the examinees are paid $25 for their services.

Results of the extensive study will be used for medical purposes. It is hoped that the tests taken on healthy people will help in setting up a standard of reference for analyzing sickness.

The group ran into trouble from the beginning, Frankenstein stated, in determining how to get an accurate cross-section of students. They were undecided whether it was better to get all 300 testees from one house, or several from all the houses. The latter plan was chosen and every fourth junior was selected. This random method of selection will give the most accurate cross-section.

The project will not end, however, when the results of the tests are computed. If there is still enough money left, the group plans a follow-up of their "patients" for about five to ten years, to check on what sicknesses they get, and to see how they "shape up" in general, Funkenstein declared.

Only 35 students have been interviewed so far, and no results have been tabulated. The tests, started in Winthrop House and currently at Eliet, will take a long time to complete.