THE FORMATION OF HABITS AT HIGH SPEED 173 



Characterization, Animal IV: Animal quiet. Averages: first six trials, 16.25"; 

 second six trials, 4.88." Improvement, 70 per cent. 



Characterization, Animal V: Animal quiet. Averages: first six trials, 15.7"; 

 second six trials, 8.11." Improvement, 48.4 per cent. 



Characterization, Animal VI: Animal quiet in the first six trials, and apparently 

 improving at a good rate. In the second set, however, it suddenly became 

 "cranky" and did everything except the expected; it swam around aimlessly, 

 or clawed the covering screen. Averages: first six trials, 8.18"; second six trials, 

 15.20". "Deterioration," 85.8 percent. This record is of necessity omitted in the 

 later calculations. 



Naturally there is much unevenness in these records, and at 

 times the irregularities seem to obscure the evidence that a habit 

 was formed, or to show that the exact opposite was estab- 

 lished. Nevertheless there is a fundamental harmony beneath 

 the discrepancies, and this is not destroyed even when the record 

 of animal VI is admitted. For obvious reasons, however, it would 

 be unfair to allow this animal to figure in calculations that in- 

 volve the group of animals as a whole. On similar grounds I have 

 excluded the 7th trial of animal II, for on that particular occasion 

 this individual also very clearly did not attempt to escape. If 

 with these modifications the results be taken as they stand, we 

 can construct the following table for comparisons: 



A glance at this record shows that experience, even when limited 

 to very brief periods of intense activity, has its effect, and in the 

 adults composing this group brought about on the average an 

 increase of 6.89 seconds in speed, or an improvement of 62.1 per 



