BEHAVIOR OF RACCOONS 257 



discriminative and a "releasing" function. We are sceptical as 

 to the efficacy of the final levers in his negative series ; in speak- 

 ing of the negative series, he says "for each one, on seeing the 

 first red, would drop down from a position with both forepaws 

 on the front board to stand on all fours on the floor in front 

 of it and merely glance up at the succeeding reds." 5 Remember 

 that the experiment offered no means of punishing premature 

 responses in this series, and that our animals finally reacted 

 immediately after the first presentation. It is rather difficult 

 to identify a negative or inhibitory response and we see no 

 reason why this climbing down from the card displayer should 

 not be regarded as the negative response. 



Our factual criticisms, however, do not invalidate Cole's 

 argument in favor of imagery. His logic applied to our facts 

 would merely substitute kinaesthetic-tactual for visual images. 

 As formerly noted, his two arguments involve theoretical as- 

 sumptions, (i), His animals as well as ours during the course 

 of a premature response frequently stopped and went back to 

 the card displayer when the third lever was presented. Cole 

 assumes that this behavior was initiated by an image. The 

 assumption has two weaknesses, (a), It is more probable that 

 the act was stimulated by the noise of the lever. The raccoon 

 is very sensitive to sounds and any noise would naturally possess 

 a distractive function. This sound has been an invariable com- 

 ponent of the stimulus associated with food satisfaction, and 

 hence it would soon acquire motive power. Punishment of 

 premature responses would strengthen the effect of such a 

 stimulus. The assumption of images to explain such conduct 

 is entirely gratuitous, (b), Granted the existence of images, 

 one may argue with some plausibility that they would func- 

 tion to prevent, and not to arouse, the conduct :'n question. 

 On the assumption that the original function of an image is 

 a substitute for the corresponding sensation in a sensory-motor 

 situation, one would not expect the animal to turn back to 

 secure a sensory stimulus for which it already possesses an 

 adequate substitute. (2), As to the second argument, Cole is 

 correct in maintaining that the stimulative effects of the levers 

 upon which the discrimination was based must have persisted 



5 Op. cit., p. 260. 



