Jimmy and Johnny Study

The Johnny and Jimmy study was a study based on two twin boys by Myrtle B. McGraw at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center beginning in 1930. The purpose of the study was to see if having a child begin to exercise from an early age would improve their overall development. As new born babies, Jimmy was larger and stronger and mental developed faster than Johnny. They conducted such tests as having each child hold onto the same bar while it was lifted in the air and Jimmy held on much longer than Johnny who fell relatively quickly. They also show how Jimmy’s reach and grasp skills were developed months before Johnny’s as was his creeping skills. Because of this they choose to train Johnny in such activities as swimming, climbing, skating, tricycle riding, and organizational techniques as well as many others. During this time Jimmy was kept in his crib for the majority of the day. Johnny thrived in these activities while Jimmy took longer to catch up to Johnny’s level. Although Jimmy did catch up to Johnny in every activity over time, you can see while watching the film of the study that even at the age of twenty two Johnny was much more athletic and coordinated. Watching the videos of the study it seemed cruel and amazing at the same time. I do feel that it is cruel to intentionally stunt a child’s growth regardless of the end goal. However, it did show how much a child could learn with the right practice and motivation. Seeing the way Johnny could climb up a forty two degree slope at only ten months, or the way he could coast down a five degree slope on roller skates and be able to turn with such balance and control was nothing short of incredible. But the most amazing part of the study might be the “manipulating pedestals” portion of the test. Although Johnny did not fully complete the task successfully until he was twenty one months old I do believe he did a great job at figuring out what needed to be done at only eighteen months. Although he