APPENDIX I. 



273 



(b) Unless the personal peculiarities and 

 idiosyncraeies of voluntary attention and 

 effort are directly the subject of investiga- 

 tion or are otherwise capable of estimation, 

 experiments should be as independent as 

 possible of the caprice of the subject. This 

 is particularly true of the elementary proc- 

 esses. Uncontrolled complex tests, such as 

 ergographic experiments, addition and multi- 

 plication experiments, are particularly ques- 

 tionable. One must know whether decrease 

 of achievement is due to decreased specific 

 capacity or to fatigue of general psycho- 

 logical controls, such as interest and incen- 

 tive. 



(c) All experiments should be as free as 

 possible from practice effects. Thoroughly 

 practiced processes that require no special 

 training should be chosen wherever possible. 

 This excludes most of the common reaction 

 experiments except for a few trained sub- 

 jects. Under all circumstances base-lines 

 should be complete enough to include a 

 measure of any practice effects that may 

 develop. 



(d) In all psychological experiments it is 



desirable, and in the investigation of proc- 

 esses subject to the caprice of the individual 

 it is essential, that the ingestion of alcohol 

 of one subject or set of subjects should be 

 rigidly controlled by other normal subjects 

 and by the same subjects under normal 

 circumstances. 



(e) I believe that the ingestion of alcohol 

 should be masked as completely as possible. 

 I do not know the best technique. Sugges- 

 tions on this matter are especially requested. 



(/) It seems desirable also to obtain quan- 

 titative data wherever possible of remote 

 n euro-muscular effects; especially should 

 this be studied with reference to the deterio- 

 ration of memory residua, and associations 

 established under alcoholic use, and con- 

 versely. 



(</) I regard it as extremely important 

 that experiments be made on habitual mod- 

 erate and excessive users of alcohol under 

 abstinence. It seems to me highly important 

 to study the psycho-physiology of the fact-; 

 whose extreme form is represented in I lie 

 mental complex by craving. 



SECTION I. SENSITIVITY OP THE END ORGANS OF SENSE AND MOTION. 



Since all stimuli must be given through 

 the end organs of sense, and since muscular 

 contraction is the moet accessible indicator 

 of nervous action, the influence of alcohol 

 on the organs of sense and motion is a pri- 

 mary, though probably not a very important 

 consideration. 



(a) For most accurately reproducible 

 threshold experiments I propose the use of 

 Martin's electrical threshold apparatus and 

 technique. Aesthesiometric and pain thres- 

 hold tests depend on a large number of vari- 

 ables extremely difficult to control. Sound, 

 taste, smell, and muscular sense thresholds 

 do not seem to be of sufficient probable sig- 

 nificance to warrant special investigation. 

 The pain threshold, on the contrary, is not 

 unimportant . It may be that many changes 

 in the higher complexes depend on modified 

 sensitivity to pain. Suggestions for tech- 

 nique would be especially welcome. 



(6) Since vision will be the sense most 

 used in the higher tests I recommend tests 

 for changes in visual acuity, preferably the 

 E test, after proper correction of the subject 

 for astigmatism. 



(c) The following muscle conditions should 

 be determined: (1) muscle threshold for 



electrical stimulus (Faradic current); (2) fa- 

 tigue and recuperation. The development 

 and duration of relatively permanent muscle 

 contraction as the result of work. I propose 

 the use of reciprocal innervation of the anta- 

 gonistics of the middle finger moving back 

 and forth as rapidly as possible for 30", a 

 rest of 5" and renewed innervation for f>". 

 This is a modification of the tapping test, 

 eliminating the stop; (3) steadiness of muscle 

 contraction, either visual nystagmus in 

 lateral fixation or direct measurement of 

 involuntary movements of the hand; 

 (4) velocity of muscle contraction. In order 

 to eliminate voluntary control I suggest 

 photographic registration of eye-movements, 

 for reasons explained in "The Ocular Reac- 

 tions of the Insane" 1 by Diefendorf and 

 Dodge; (5) the corresponding metabolic de- 

 mands should be measured directly or by 

 their effect on the pulse-rate. In fact, pulse- 

 rate should be taken with every test. I 

 regard this as of the utmost importance, as 

 indicated in my paper on "Mental Work;" 2 

 (6) most of these muscle and threshold ex- 

 periments should be made before and after 

 severe physical work and periods of rest. 



1 An experimental study of the ocular reactions of the insane from photographic records. Brain, 

 1909, 31, p. 451. 

 2 Psychol. Review, 1913, 20, p. 1. 



