RAPIDITY OF HABIT-FORMATION IN THE KITTEN 331 



over the wires. The experimenter determined which electric 

 box should be light and which should be dark by placing a cover 

 over one of the openings. The cardboard cover was shifted 

 in the same order as in the experiment with the dancer (table 

 1, page 461). 



The kitten was placed in the nest box by the experimenter 

 and a plain glass cover put over the box to prevent the kitten's 

 climbing out at the top. The only way left for the animal to 

 escape was to pass through an opening into the entrance chamber 

 and thence through the electric box and out at an exit at the 

 rear of the experiment box. A mirror was placed so that the 

 experimenter could see the kitten without the kitten's seeing 

 the experimenter. The play instinct caused the kitten to be 

 very restless and, thus, it soon attempted to make its escape. 

 If it chose the light box it was allowed to pass through undis- 

 turbed; but should it choose the dark one it received an electric 

 shock. This shock usually caused a hasty retreat, but should 

 the animal attempt to pass on over the wires the experimenter 

 forced it to return into the entrance chamber not allowing it 

 to escape through the dark box. 



Each of the 18 kittens used was given ten tests each day until 

 it succeeded in choosing the light box correctly for three con- 

 secutive days. If the kitten should enter far enough into the 

 dark box to receive a shock it was recorded as a mistake but 

 in order for the trial to be counted a test the kitten must escape 

 from the box. The principal motives for the kitten's escape 

 were the instinct of play and the gregarious instinct. The 

 animals were given their usual meals during the day, but I 

 always fed them at the close of the experiment. 



Each kitten was just six weeks old when I began to train it. 

 All were of the same stock of cats. I conducted three sets of 

 experiments. First set was done with the condition of visual 

 discrimination rather difficult, using a medium and relatively 

 strong stimuli. For the second set the condition of discrimi- 

 nation was less difficult. For the third set the condition of 

 visual discrimination was fairly easy. 



At the beginning of the training of a set of kittens I allowed 

 each one to pass through the electric boxes a number of times 

 without turning the electric current in either box. This was 

 to teach the kitten that there was a way out of the box and also 



