DELAYED REACTION 41 



was not true because of position habits formed by the animal.) 

 (For the present purposes, it makes no difference whether the 

 reaction was correct or not.) The data supporting this state- 

 ment are so overwhelming that they need not be given here in 

 detail. The rat, when put into the release box during the de- 

 layed reactions, oriented immediately to the light with its entire 

 body and began a series of attacks on that side of the box in 

 an effort to get out. This attempt was kept up until the animal 

 was released, whereupon it went to the box that was straight 

 in front. Experiment served only to lengthen the period during 

 which they would attack any one side of the box. These state- 

 ments hold true for all rats. 



Both dogs were dependent upon orientation for the guidance 

 of their successful reactions. They only differed from one an- 

 other in the length of time during which they could maintain 

 a certain orientation. The dogs differed from the rats in that 

 the determining cue was the direction of the head rather than 

 of the body. For the sake of concrete material illustrative of 

 this t}^e of reaction, I shall give a summary of typical reac- 

 tions made by Blackie. Of 770 trials, given during a period of 

 two months, on delays less than 3 sees, long, 141 were unsuc- 

 cessful. On 116 of the 141, the dog had the wrong orientation 

 at the moment of release and followed it. On the remaining 

 25 reactions, the dog failed to follow its orientation and was 

 wrong. On 8 trials the dog had the wrong orientation at the 

 moment of release, i.e., was not headed toward the proper box, 

 and yet reacted correctly. However, only 3 of these trials 

 were with a 2 sees, delay and may have been due to chance. 

 The remaining 5 trials were at the second stage of delay where 

 the light was on until the animal was halfway to it. Obviously, 

 these 5 reactions signify no great abihty. These results indicate 

 that just to the extent that the dog was able to hold the proper 

 orientation during the delay, just to that extent it was capable 

 of reacting correctly. 



Let us take another typical set of results from the same dog 

 obtained on delays from 15 sees, to 5 mins. extending over 30 

 days. Two hundred and eighty-five trials in all were given of 

 which 37 were incorrect. In all 37 trials, the dog had the wrong 

 orientation and followed it. Onlv once did she have the wrongr 

 orientation and react correctlv. When Blackie entered the 



