DELAYED REACTION 57 



in learning the association that the other animals did, but a 

 different method when it came to delays. There may thus be 

 a difference in intelligence due to varying abilities in the use of 

 some one instrument of adjustment or due to varying abilities 

 in the use of different instruments of adjustment. Blackie and 

 the rats would illustrate the first case ; the children and rac- 

 coons in comparison with the other animals would illustrate 

 the second. So much for the possible meaning of the learning 

 times of the different animals and children 



E. Delayed Reactions. — M, age 8 years, was given 38 trials 

 on delay. The first 2 only were at intervals less than i sec. 

 The others ranged from i sec. to 28 mins. and extended over 

 7 days. Fifteen trials were on intervals of 10 mins. and over. 

 Only two errors were made, one at 5 mins. and one at 20 mins. 

 The latter was probably caused by ill-humor. Longer delays 

 might doubtlessly have been secured had it been desired. The 

 only attempt was as follows: On four days (not consecutive 

 ones), M was asked which button she pushed last the day before. 

 Three times she answered correctly. 



M did not need to keep any part of her body constant during 

 the delay. On the trials involving more than 10 mins. delay, 

 she was sent out of the room and put with the other children. 

 During the delays she conversed freely with the experimenter. 

 Any "purpose to remember" that the subject formed was formed 

 on her own initiative. Great care was taken — and I believe 

 effectively so — to insure that no suggestions be secured from 

 extraneous sources. As early as the 15th trial on delays M 

 volunteered the information that she remembered where the 

 light was in order to push the proper button. Several times she 

 reacted correctly and then volunteered that she had guessed 

 which button to push. 



Several extra trials were given in which the problem was 

 changed. The light was now placed successively over two 

 different buttons, the last button being the noisy one. This 

 problem brought out a type of reaction very often seen in the 

 animals. M would start toward one box and then turn and go 

 to another. In the regular series, hesitation occasionally oc- 

 curred and M wavered between two boxes. 



Hd, aged 6 years, was given 47 trials on delays. Only the 

 first two were less than i sec. long. The others ranged from 



