46 RUTLEDGE T. WILTBANK 



ing of the maze already partially learned: Does the ad- 

 vantage of the experience in the new maze, consisting 

 in the formation of the association between the running 

 of the maze and the satisfaction of hunger and in practise 

 in error-elimination, counterbalance the disadvantage of 

 bringing in another habit to confuse a habit in process 

 of formation, especially when as in this case the habit 

 which is being formed is the first maze-habit of the organism? 



The groups which were used in the foregoing experiment 

 in transfer after partial learning were carried back, after 

 they had learned the second maze, to the mazes in which 

 they had had two, four, eight and sixteen trials respectively, 

 and were allowed to complete the learning. This furnished 

 eight groups of rats, four groups of which while learning 

 D were interrupted at these various points and taught E, 

 after which they were returned to D and continued their 

 learning of it; and four groups of which were trained 

 according to the same plan, except that they began in E, 

 were taught D, and then returned to E. 



The effect from the point of view of trials was beneficial 

 in all the transfers, except that in which sixteen trials 

 were given in the first maze. This may be explained 

 on the ground that in the last-named instance the habit 

 was nearly formed, and much of the benefit of the sixteen 

 trials were stored up — so to speak — in it; and when the 

 new maze-learning was effected the disadvantage which 

 it brought by inculcating particular kinaesthetic habits 

 which conflicted with the nearly perfected maze-habit out- 

 weighed the advantage gained through the additional 

 practise afforded by the new maze-learning in those activ- 

 ities which are beneficial in a general way irrespective of 

 the design of the particular maze. The work which the 

 group had done — to express it somewhat differently — by 

 means of its sixteen trials was to a large extent undone 

 by the new habit, and it took a number of trials to bring 

 the group up to the efficiency it had attained before the 

 interruption. While the new habit afforded exercise for 

 the factors making for positive transfer, still not enough 

 trials were saved as a consequence of this additional prac- 

 tise to make up for the trials lost through the conflict 



