ELIMINATION OF ERRORS IN THE MAZE* 



HELEN B. HUBBERT 



While engaged in a research problem on the learning ability 

 of white rats at different ages, my attention was directed to 

 the question of the elimination of useless movements in the 

 learning of the maze. I decided to test whether or not such 

 eliminations occur progressively, i.e., whether useless movements 

 most closely connected with satisfaction (food) are the first to 

 drop out, while the useless movements most remote from the 

 source of satisfaction (food) persist the longest. 



The observations recorded in this paper were made on four 

 groups of rats of different ages during their learning of the 

 Watson maze which, with its camera lucida attachment, is 

 described at length in a previous number of this journal. 2 The 

 process of training and the criteria of learning were the same 

 as those set forth in a previous paper. 3 



As has been pointed out by Watson, 4 according to the pleas- 

 ure-pain hypothesis, the inference of progressive elimination is 

 plain.' Food (the "satisfier") is at the center of the maze. 

 Errors in the alley nearest the food should be the first eliminated ; 

 those in the alley next nearest, second, and so on until we reach 

 those in the first alley (the one farthest from the food). Errors 

 in this alley should be the ones last eliminated. 



An examination of the plan of the maze will show that in 

 every alley except VI there are three possibilities of error, viz. : 



1. Taking the wrong turn at the alley entrance. 



2. Going too far in the alley, i.e., past the entrance to the 



next alley. 



3. Taking the correct turn, but returning ("doubling" on the 



pathway) . 

 In VI the first error is impossible because there is no stop, 

 and either turn leads to the food box. The second error re- 

 solves itself into a circling of the food box, which, however, 



1 From the Psychological Laboratory of The Johns Hopkins University. 



2 Watson, J. B. Journal Animal Behavior, vol. IV, p. 56. 

 3 Hubbert, H. B. Ibid, pp. 60-62. 



4 Watson, John B. Behavior. Holt & Co., p. 268. 



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