Alternative Method
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
The alternative method is a binary decision-making approach that allows only two opposite answers to a question or problem, without providing more nuanced qualitative assessment. It is commonly used in medicine for certain symptoms and in psychological testing and selection processes.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
Alternative Method, a method that allows for the resolution of some question or task only in two opposite directions, but does not provide the possibility of a more refined qualitative assessment. Only two answers are permissible: either yes or no. The alternative method is often used in medicine, for example, in relation to different symptoms (Romberg, Rinne). It is also frequently applied in psychotechnical practice when rapid orientation or selection of suitable individuals from a large number of applicants is necessary. It forms the basis for the evaluation of tests (see) in the psychological profile and other psychological research methods by G. I. Rossolimo, in the Binet-Simon metric scale, etc.
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“Alternative Method.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/alternative-method/