Experimental Study of Associative Processes 91 



haps attracted by the smell of fish on my fingers) was most 

 likely to be taken out and experimented with and fed. Thus 

 they formed the habit of climbing up the front of the box 

 whenever I approached. Of three cats which I obtained at 

 the same time, one did not after 8 or 10 days acquire this 

 habit. Even though I held out a piece of fish through the 

 netting, he would not climb after it. It was reasonable to 

 suppose that imitation might overcome this sluggishness, 

 if there were any imitation. I therefore put two cats with 

 him and had them climb up 80 times before his eyes and get 

 fish. He never followed or tried to follow them. 



4 and 3 had been subjected to the following experiment. 

 I would make a certain sound and after 10 seconds would go 

 up to the cage and hold the fish out to them through the 

 netting at the top. They would then, of course, climb up 

 and eat it. After a while, they began to climb up upon 

 hearing the signal (4) or before the 10 seconds were up. I 

 then took 12 and 10, who were accustomed to going up when 

 they saw me approach, but who had no knowledge of the 

 fact that the signal meant anything, and gave them each a 

 chance to imitate 3. That is, one of them would be left in 

 the box with 3, the signal would be given, and after from 5 

 to 10 seconds 3 would climb up. At 10 seconds I would 

 come up with food, and then, of course, 12 would climb up. 

 This was repeated, again and again. The question was 

 whether imitation would lead them to form the association 

 more quickly than they would have done alone. It did not. 

 That when at last they did climb up before 10 seconds 

 was past, that is, before I approached with food, it was not 

 due to imitation, is shown by the fact that on about half 

 of such occasions they climbed up before 3 did. That is, 

 they reacted to the signal by association, not to his move- 

 ments by imitation. 



