DELAYED REACTION 33 



helplessness or lonesomeness but, as will be seen in the delayed 

 reaction tests to be described below, they never revealed a 

 high order of resourcefulness. We shall have further occasion 

 to see that their behavior was almost, if not entirely, on a par 

 with that of the rats. In learning the association, e.g., the 

 dogs would go back and forth between some two boxes for 

 many trials before investigating the third box. Often they 

 would stop and look around in an apparent attempt to find 

 the experimenter. This was never done by the rats and rac- 

 coons. Again, the brown dog fell into the most absurd habit 

 of going out of the release box. turning entirely around to the 

 left and then going to one of the boxes. This accomplished 

 no end that I could determine, yet it was persisted in for some 

 weeks. 



(c) Raccoons. — Bob and Betty were each given lo trials 

 daily. Jack and Jill received 15. Reward only was used, al- 

 though running into the wrong box and having to back out 

 constituted no little punishment here as was also the case with 

 the dogs. The experimenter was practically out of sight of 

 the animals all of the time and absolutely so in certain control 

 tests. It will be remembered that the raccoon tests were made 

 in a room illumined by a single light suspended above the prob- 

 lem box. (See p. 24). This left the remainder of the room dark 

 and thus helped conceal the experimenter. 



Bob required 120 trials to learn the association. Of these, 

 93 trials or 77% were correct. Of the last 50 trials, 96% were 

 successful. Betty was given 340 trials in the learning series. 

 The work was not properly controlled for her until the last 120 

 of these trials. She formed the habit early of looking into the 

 light boxes and seeing whether or not the wooden exit doors 

 were closed. This difficulty was finally obviated by using coarse 

 mesh wire for the doors. These could not be sensed until the 

 animal practically touched them. Of Betty's last 50 trials on 

 learning, only 79% were correct. These tests should have been 

 continued longer. Jack was given 540 trials on learning. Of 

 these, 428 trials or 79% were correct. Of the last 150 trials, 

 98% succeeded. Jill received 825 trials during the learning 

 period. Of these, 631 trials or 76% w^ere correct. Of the last 

 150 trials. 99% succeeded. (The experiment box had wire 

 exit doors when Jack and Jill were tested.) 



