V. TRANSFER OF TRAINING BETWEEN A MAZE COMPLETELY 

 LEARNED AND ONE ALREADY PARTIALLY LEARNED 



We have just considered the transfer of training as 

 between a maze partially learned and a maze in which 

 the rat has never run and which is completely mastered. 

 Now we shall consider transfer of training as between a 

 maze completely mastered and one which has been partially 

 learned before the transfer is effected. The plan was to 

 give two, four, eight or sixteen trials on D, then master E, 

 and then return to D and complete its learning. A similar 

 process was carried through beginning with E, then master- 

 ing D, and then completing the learning of E. 



In the absence of any such data as are presented in the 

 experiments herein described and by other experiments 

 in the same general field, it might have been contended 

 with some reason that the learning of the new maze would 

 blot out the effects of the partial learning of the old, so 

 that the animals would have to rebegin it. But, con- 

 sidering the evidence set forth above which is strongly 

 in support of the positive transfer of training, the con- 

 trary presupposition might be formed, that the effect of 

 such an interpolated maze-learning would prove beneficial. 

 It might seem accordingly, on the one hand, a serious 

 hindrance to the acquirement of a habit to break off 

 the formation of that habit at a certain point in order 

 to acquire completely a different habit before resuming 

 practise upon the former. On the other hand, we have 

 found ample evidence to believe that the beneficial effects 

 of learning one maze can be carried over to the learning 

 of another, and consequently we should expect that the 

 animal will return to the learning of the original maze 

 with some results of his training in the new maze which 

 will prove available in the old. It becomes therefore a 

 question of relative advantage and disadvantage, so that 

 it may be asked with regard to the completion of the learn- 



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