Literary Notices. Ixxi 



preciable degeneration in GoU's column. Their upward path must be 

 via the grey matter, and probably subsequently by one of the cerebel- 

 lar tracts to the cerebellum. 



c. J. H. 



Race Difl'ereuces in Reaction Time.^ 



It would, at first thought, seem natural to expect that prompt re- 

 action to a stimulus would be associated with highly developed mental 

 powers and perfect education. A moment's reflection would show that 

 this is not the case. Strong intelligence implies a wide degree of co- 

 ordination and education implies a development of inhibitory and select- 

 ive processes. Both these tend to delay the psycho-motor reaction time 

 and this may occur when the actual rate of translation of the stimulus 

 is high. 



Dr. Bache, having discovered that in the Indian and Negro races 

 the reaction time is shorter, explains it by supposing that the lower 

 automatic mechanism is more highly differentiated in the lower races 

 and that in proportion to intellectual advancement there is a compensa- 

 tory waning in the efficiency of the automatism of the individual. We 

 question if it is necessary to seek so radical a differAce as above indi- 

 cated, c. L. H. 



Wellesly College Psychological Studies.^ 



The "Minor Studies" communicated by Mary W. Calkins em- 

 brace in the present instalment a brief discussion of the "continued 

 story " by Mabel Learoyd and and notes on Synsesthesia by the editor. 

 The former is a series of notes on a special form of imaginative process 

 which in some form must be found in every experience. The degree 

 to which the narrative element is disassociated from the ego seems to 

 be the point requiring study. We look in vain in the paper for any 

 analysis or suggestions as to the bearing of the facts though the latter 

 are not wholly unsuggestive. 



The statistics given are clearly valueless as there seems to be suf- 

 ficent ambiguity as to the term " continued story" to quite invalidate 

 the rephes. Let us inquire, for example, whether the boy with a me- 

 chanical turn and who spends an hour or two each night in building a 

 steamboat till sleep overpowers him, resuming the process on the follow- 

 ing night has a continued story. He will reply "no," but the im- 



^Bache, R. M. Reaction Time with Reference to Race. Psych. Rev., II, j. 

 ^Am.Joum. Psych. VII, i. 



