358 ANNALS NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



of the "warming up" in a single day's work is to give relative immunity 

 to fatigue. As a psychological measure, the maximum tapping rate is of 

 little importance compared with the curve of the fatigue losses. The gen- 

 eral interpretation of the tapping test is as yet far from clear; most of its 

 phenomena, however, are probably of nervous rather than muscular origin. 

 Professor Wheeler in his paper gave many instances of the reappear- 

 ance, under unusual conditions, of instincts which had been active ances- 

 trally, but had disappeared. An instinct which seems dead in the species 

 may thus be resuscitated and serve a useful purpose. 



Dr. Scripture demonstrated a method for the detection of the emotions 

 by the galvanometer. The subject held his hands on large plate elec- 

 trodes, and after the beam reflected from the mirror of the galvanometer 

 had come to rest, emotions aroused in the subject would cause deflection. 

 Reviewing the original discovery of Tarchanoff and the recent work of 

 Peterson and Jung, the speaker concluded that the cause of the deflection 

 lay in an increased activity of the sweat glands. 



Professor Montague in his paper maintained that intensities are true 

 quantities, since they are susceptible not only of the relation of more and 

 less, but also of the relation of whole and part. The component parts of 

 an intensive quantity are synthesized by "superposition," and not, as in 

 the case of extensive quantities, by "juxtaposition." It is usually supposed 

 that intensive quantities are simple and without parts. This misconcep- 

 tion results from a failure to see that superposition is as truly an additive 

 synthesis as is juxtaposition. The paper gave examples of the addition of 

 several types of intensities, such as velocity, density, temperature and pain. 

 The fundamental rule for the addition of intensities is: So combine the 

 quantities as to keep the extensive factors of the whole equal to the exten- 

 sive factors of each of its parts. For example, if two densities are to be 

 added, the volume of the sum must be equal to the volume of each of the 

 components. This could only be accomplished by superposing one volume 

 upon another in such a way as to make them interpenetrate. The rule for 

 adding intensities has its analogue in the rule for adding extensive quan- 

 tities, according to which we are bidden to combine the quantities in such 

 a way as to keep the intensive factors of the whole equal to the intensive 

 factors of each part. 



Professor Miller devoted himself mainly to the consideration of the 

 various psychological methods by which habit and character can be al- 

 tered. He mentioned, among such methods, practise, h}'pnotic sugges- 

 tion and attraction. 



The Section then adjourned. 



R. S. WOODWORTH, 



Secretary. 



