ii2 Animal Intelligence 



The question was whether after a while A would remind 

 the cat of B, and cause him to do C before he got the sense- 

 impression of B, that is, before the ten seconds were up. If 

 A leads to C through a memory of B, animals surely can 

 have association of ideas proper, and probably often do. 

 Now, as a fact, after from thirty to sixty trials, the cat does 

 perform C immediately on being confronted by A or some 

 seconds later, at all events before B is presented. And it is 

 my present opinion that their action is to be explained by 

 the presence, through association, of the idea B. But it is 

 not impossible that A was associated directly with the im- 

 pulse to C, although that impulse was removed from it by 

 ten seconds of time. Such an association is, it seems to me, 

 highly improbable, unless the neurosis of A, and with it the 

 psychosis, continues until the impulse to C appears. But 

 if it does so continue during the ten seconds, and thus get 

 directly linked to C, we have exactly a representation, an 

 image, a memory, in the mind for eight of those ten seconds. 

 It does not help the deniers of images to substitute an image 

 of A for an image of B. Yet, unless they do this, they have 

 to suppose that A comes and goes, and that after ten sec- 

 onds C comes, and, passing over the intervening blank, 

 willfully chooses out A and associates itself with it. There 

 are some other considerations regarding the behavior of the 

 cats from the time the signal was given till they climbed up, 

 which may be omitted in the hope that it will soon be pos- 

 sible to perform a decisive experiment. If an observer can 

 make sure of the animal's attention to a sequence A-B, 

 where B does not arouse any impulse to an act, and then 

 later get the animal to associate B with C, leaving A out this 

 time, he may then, if A, w r hen presented anew, arouses C, 

 bid the deniers of representations to forever hold their 

 peace. 



