DELAYED REACTIOX 61 



sponsible for this simulation of a reaction to the shock." " 

 The above reaction, noted by Yerkes, and other similar cases 

 in the literature are reactions to present stirnuli. Where the 

 mouse ran to the entrance of the box, but did not enter, the 

 explanation undoubtedly lies in the inability of the stimulus 

 to set off the proper reaction. As Yerkes suggests, the stopping 

 of the animals half way to the box was probably due to the 

 contact with the wires. The same general t}=pe of behavior 

 described above for the raccoons and children occurred during 

 certain periods of time with my own rats and the dogs. In 

 ever}' case, however, it was due to a habit of turning around 

 when released. This habit w^as executed in the same fashion 

 no matter which was the proper box to choose. As opposed 

 to the tests where either present objective stimuli or habit are 

 involved, the reactions of the children and raccoons were, as 

 far as could be determined, perfectly spontaneous, i.e., deter- 

 mined by intra-organic conditions that varied for the different 

 boxes. These cases belong in the same class as that of ]\liss 

 Washburn's cat described above (p. 20). 



F's father, a trained psychologist, informed me that the 

 child was just reaching the stage where her memory for objects 

 and events had begun to take on definite form. When brought 

 in from a ride in the park or a visit to a friend, she could very 

 seldom remember the details of the event, indeed not more 

 than half the time could she remember the gross fact of having 

 been somewhere. This occurred even with what were to F 

 very interesting experiences. Sometimes, it is true, the diffi- 

 culty lay with the lack of control of language ; but this was 

 not always the case. After her playmate had gone for some 

 time, if F was asked who had been there, not only could she 

 frequently not tell, but at times she was bewildered even by 

 the suggestion that anyone had been to see her at all. On the 

 other hand, some cases were noted where F remembered an 

 event for several days. Phrases, also, that she had heard but 

 once were often spontaneously repeated for the first time sev- 

 eral days later. The present tests thus found the child in a 

 very important stage of mental development. Definite memo- 

 ries, of the adult human kind, were still hanging in the balance 

 with the chaos of the preceding period. As far as the lengths 

 « Yerkes, R. M. The Dancing Mouse. 1907, New York, p. 130. 



