ANIMAL PSYCHOLOGY 173 



Objective and Subjective are two of the most important. The for- 

 mer is the term applied to all things which come under the senses. That 

 is, a thing is objective when it can be observed and measured in the 

 laboratory. It is anything, in other words, which occupies space. Sub- 

 jective refers to those things which make no observable difference in 

 space and which cannot therefore be measured in terms of the rule and 

 scale of the laboratory. For example, changes in the mental world, 

 such as thought and feeling, are subjective. In the classic sense, sub- 

 jective means the act of mind itself or what is in the mind, while ob- 

 jective refers to the matter with which the mind works. 



An illustration of these two terms as they are commonly used comes 

 to mind. Suppose a neurologist were to examine the optic nerve and 

 the optic centers of the brain of a student while the latter is reading 

 a letter. The neurologist could probably tell that the optic nerve and 

 center were functioning, but he could never tell what the latter con- 

 tained, nor could he see what emotions were called forth in the mind 

 of the student. The movement in the nerve and nerve center would be 

 objective, while the emotional impression made on the student would be 

 subjective. 



Not only would the neurologist be unable to observe the emotional 

 impression made upon the student, but he would be unable to tell why 

 certain vibrations which, as far as observation goes, are all alike, should 

 produce sensations of red or green in one case, and another color in 

 another case. 



All our emotions, longings, ambitions, thoughts and ideas, as long 

 as they remain mental states, are subjective, while when they express 

 themselves as acts they become objective. 



Psychology is the study of the subjective world. The word 

 Pschyology (Greek psyche=soul+Logcs=discourse) actually means 

 the -study of the soul, but. since laboratory methods have come into ex- 

 istence in psychology, and laboratory men think only in terms of meas- 

 urable substances, it is commonly said to be the study of mental phe- 

 nomena. 



Since the laboratory methods of studying everything objectively 

 under set conditions has made its way into psychology, the workers in 

 this field have become divided into various camps or schools. First, 

 come the Behaviorists, who insist that the results of mental activity are 

 actions and reactions to given stimuli, and it is only these results which 

 can be measured, and which, therefore, may validly be used as data on 

 which to form any theories of the mental life of animals. Second, come 

 the Introspectionists, who follow the classic method of antiquity. They 

 insist that the only real way of studying mental life is to introspect 

 to look into our own mental life and try to understand how and why 

 we do what we do under varying conditions. They insist that we must 

 analyze our own thoughts, motives, and emotions, and then if an animal 



