TRAINING IN WHITE RATS UPON VARIOUS SERIES OF MAZES 37 



evidence that uniformity of response would tend to appear 

 in a uniform situation, in whatever maze this situation 

 might occur. 



The tendency to turn into blind-alleys which have been 

 eliminated remains after the animal's last entrance into 

 them, for not only do the animals occasionally reenter 

 these alleys once or twice after they have been apparently 

 avoided for good, but the swaying inward of their bodies 

 as they pass certain blind-alleys into which they once 

 regularly entered, sometimes bringing their bodies into 

 contact with the far corner of the alley, would point to 

 the same conclusion. The successful running of the maze 

 must therefore include the overcoming of these tendencies 

 to enter blind alleys, and this practise in error-elimination 

 with its attendant resistance to the blind alleys once fre- 

 quently entered cannot but leave its impress upon the 

 reactions of the organism in any similar situation. In 

 other words, the animal comes from its first maze-learning 

 with a maze-habit formed, an integral part of which is 

 this error-elimination activity including the habitual re- 

 sistance to certain runways once frequently entered. 



In seeking an explanation of the positive transfer of 

 training, it would seem necessary to take into account 

 this practise in error-elimination, while at the same time 

 being careful not to read into the expression, " error- 

 elimination," more than is implied in the discussion above. 

 The rat which is learning its second maze forms habits 

 under the combined influence of its instinctive reactions 

 and the environment in which they are made, just as was 

 the case in its first maze-learning; and under the spell 

 of its exploring instinct it forms in the same manner habits 

 of running into blind alleys. Its problem, from our point 

 of view and little as the rat itself may realize it, is to 

 eliminate these blind alleys, so as to reach the food-box 

 as speedily as possible. The advantage which the rat 

 that has learned at least one maze enjoys as compared 

 with a rat that is attacking the same problem without 

 having learned another maze beforehand is several-fold. 

 The retarding influence of the instinct of timidity is not 

 felt as strongly nor does it continue as long, the best evi- 



