FUTURE ANALYSIS OF MEMORY 



The role which the intensity plays in the case of 

 two simultaneous processes of innervation recalls the 

 influence two simultaneous wave-motions have upon 

 each other. A superposition of two waves is only 

 possible as long- as the amplitude is not too great. 

 It looks as if two processes can occur simultane- 

 ously in our brain only when their intensity is weak 

 enough to allow a superposition. 



It is perhaps allowable to pursue this possible 

 analogy of the processes of innervation with wave- 

 motions a step farther and apply it to the process of 

 association. A process remains associated with those 

 processes in our brain which occur quite or almost 

 simultaneously. Let us imagine that every process 

 in our central nervous system has a definite form in 

 so far as it can be represented by a curve in which 

 the time-elements are represented by the abscissas 

 and the intensity of the processes by the ordinates. 

 If two processes take place simultaneously and their 

 intensity is not too strong, they superpose each other. 

 The traces which this process leaves in our central 

 nervous system correspond to the curve which is de- 

 termined by the superposition of both elementary 

 curves. If one of the processes takes place later on, 

 the other process also is reproduced by resonance. 

 On the other hand, a very complicated process may 

 reproduce simpler processes, which are contained 

 in the former as constituents and have already oc- 

 curred once before in their simple form. Our ex- 

 perience concerning sound-sensations shows indeed 



