Sl , II \i;oLD C. BINGHAM 



/. Importance of method 



In the preceding section I have discussed in considerable 

 detail the method and technique of my experiments. I do this 

 ause I believe an accurate solution of an animal problem 

 • Upends upon the adoption of a favorable method. It is one 

 of the greatest tasks that confronts the experimenter. He 

 must use an apparatus by means of which he can accurately 

 control the conditions of his study. He must also show alert- 

 ness by controlling these conditions in such a way that his 

 animals behave normally. Much animal stupidity, so-called, 

 is really a reflection of human ignorance. Experimenters fre- 

 quentlv lack animal intelligence by setting human problems for 

 an animal to solve. 



An animal frequently shows ingenuity in an unexpected direc- 

 tion, and if the experimenter be not alert he misses the most 

 important part of the behavior. How many times this is the 

 case, we cannot tell, for we only know of the cases where we 

 did not miss the significant fact. A perfect method would make 

 it impossible for the animal to pick up cues that were not inten- 

 tionally offered by the experimenter. But it is through experi- 

 ence that we approach a perfect method for there is always the 

 possibility of finding defects even in the best methods. 



The importance of method was impressed upon me very 

 forcibly through an incident in my experiments with the first 

 group of chicks. I had inexcusably blundered by making the 

 original conditions of discrimination too difficult for the birds. 

 They were being tested on o 28+ — o 7+ discrimination. The 

 subjects were allowed to go through the discrimination chamber 

 and experiment box during the preliminary tests without regard 

 to the position of the right or wrong stimulus; that is, both 

 exits were open. When the training series were begun the 

 fitness of the two stimuli were made markedly unequal and 

 were irregularly varied from the first. 



riment was begun with six subjects. As a partial 

 result of my initial bungling, I had, at the end of a few days, 

 only subnets 2 and 3 in suitable condition for experimental 

 work. At the end of two and one-half weeks No. 2 gave up, 

 but No. 3 persisted. At the end of the 24th series it had suc- 

 ively made three perfect series (see table 2). At the end 

 four mor< it had reacted perfectly to the o 28+ — o 9+ 



