156 COLOUR VISION 



only scores of 8" and over are reckoned. That is, when the child 

 only looked at a colour 7" or less continuously, that particular score was 

 ignored. 



It would be unfair to draw up an order merely upon the total scores 

 of each colour. For such conditions as the child's mood, or the light, 

 may have been exceptionally favourable on those days when some 

 particular colour, say pink, was used, and exceptionally unfavourable 

 on the days when some other colour was used. Thus green in the table 

 has 165 to its credit — about the same as brown (151). But far more 

 seconds were scored against green (421) than against brown (275). We 

 therefore get a fairer basis of comparison by adding the score of green 

 (165) to the score against green (421), which gives us the total scored 

 during the experiments in which green was used, viz., 586 seconds : 

 and then finding what 'percentage of this total was scored by green. 

 Such percentages are given in the above table. 



From these results two kinds of inferences may be drawn, — as to 

 colour preferences, and as to the development of the colour sense. We 

 cannot of course infer from the absence of preference between two colours 

 the absence of any difference of sensation : but from evidence showing 

 that one colour is markedly preferred to another we can infer that the 

 colours are sensed as different colours, unless the preference can be 

 ascribed to differences in brightness. 



Brightness certainly plays an important part, for the three first 

 colours on the list are by far the brightest. That it is not the only 

 factor is shown by the percentage scores for violet (9"7 %), red (45*3%), 

 and brown (37 "8 %), which were of equal brightness : similarly for red 

 (45-3 %), blue (28-9 %), and green (28-2 %), which were alsoof equal 

 brightness. It is of course possible, but not probable, that the luminosity 

 values for the infant are different from those for the adult. The experi- 

 ments of Valentine confirm those of McDougall and Myers that novelty 

 has a great attraction for the child. 



When the child was seven months old Valentine commenced experi- 

 ments by the grasping method, using the same wools except that brown 

 was omitted and a grey of the same brightness as the red, blue, green 

 and violet was introduced. In 36 experiments, involving 360 choices, 

 yellow still held the first place, but red and pink were now almost 

 bracketed second. The most striking difference apparent was the drop 

 in the comparative attractiveness of brightness. White was now only 

 on a level with violet, green, blue, and black, and at least not more 

 attractive than a dull grey. Pink also scored only about the same as 



