THE WHITE RAT AND THE MAZE PROBLEM 21 



white and those where it was black. The following figures, 



taken from many others, show the similarity of the conduct 



in the two cases. 



Black White 



Speed in first 5 trials 8.1 ±4 min. 7.1 ± 3. min. 



Final speed .36 ± .1 min. .44 ± .14 min. 



Surplus time 46.4 ± 17.6 min. 47.6 ± . 16 min. 



Errors in first 5 trials 18.4 ± 4.4 16.5 ± 4.6 



Total errors 30 ± 6.4 39.2 ±10.5 



There are variations, as will be seen in the above table, but the 

 balance is now on one side, now on the other side of the scale. 



If there were a preference for either black or white the ob- 

 served behavior would have shown it. There would have been 

 a lingering in one path rather than the other, a choosing or 

 avoidance of the covered way, more errors in the one case than 

 the other. There was no observable conduct which would indi- 

 cate such a preference either for black or for white. There 

 must be some other explanation than that of preference. 



It is quite possible, even when it is granted that these results 

 are not due to an instinctive preference, that there may have 

 been a difference in the relative stimulative effectiveness of the 

 black and the white paths. Since the effects of training were 

 the same for both black and white the two groups may be com- 

 pared directly irrespective of the minor grouping for training. 

 The results are very similar. The differences are slight indeed 

 in comparison with the larger differences which were seen be- 

 tween the black-white and the normal mazes and may be due 

 to chance. 



The white true path seems to give a better initial direction 

 for the first trials. The animals constituting this group stayed 

 in the true path more consistently than those of the group where 

 the true path was black. But the black cut de sacs proved more 

 attractive in the end, for while following the white path more 

 total and more average errors were made than while following 

 the black. A greater number of trials was also necessary in 

 learning. The white path gave the lowest initial time and the 

 the lowest final time although the total time of the two mazes 

 was about equal. Thus while the white path probably gave a 

 better beginning both in speed and accuracy and the speed as 

 a whole was better, the record for total and final accuracy was 

 less than that of the maze when the true path was black. 



