RATE OF LEARNING IN THE WHITE RAT 9 



memory material was used. Ebbinghaus 8 employed the relearn- 

 ing method and found a strong tendency for an association to 

 function in the backward direction, but its strength was never 

 equal to that of the forward tendency. Miiller and Schumann 9 

 using practically the same method, confirmed these results. 

 Later, Miiller and Pilzecker, 10 using the method of recall, found 

 that when pairs of syllables had been learned as trochees and 

 the first syllable was shown, in 50 percent of the cases the second 

 syllable was reproduced, while when the second syllable was 

 shown the first member of the pair was recalled in only 38 

 percent of the answers. Here a backward tendency is shown, 

 but it is of less strength than that of the forward direction. 



Working in the Psychological Laboratory of the University 

 of London Wohlgemuth 11 experimented rather extensively, vary- 

 ing both method and material. He had come to doubt the uni- 

 versal application of the results obtained by the use of nonsense 

 syllables in the study of memory, and to verify the results he 

 used colors and diagrams. To make a further check on his find- 

 ings he used syllables in exactly the same way as he did colors 

 and diagrams. With five of his subjects the forward tendency 

 was the stronger, and with two the backward and forward ten- 

 dencies were about equal in strength. He concludes that the 

 forward tendency is the stronger when articulation is used in 

 memorizing, but that the two tendencies are of equal strength 

 when articulation is prevented. Just in proportion as the motor 

 element approaches complete elimination do the results indicate 

 an equal functioning strength in both directions. 



In the field of Animal Psychology there is, as we have said 

 before, very little work reported upon the problem. Carr 12 is 



8 Ebbinghaus, "Uber das Gedachtniss," Leipzig, 1885. 



9 Muller and Schumann, Experimentelle Beitrage zur Untersuchung des 

 Gedachtnisses," Ztsch. f. Psychol. u. Physiol. Sinnesory, 1894, VI. 



10 Miiller, C. E., and Pilzecker, A., "Experimentelle Beitrage zur Lehre 

 von Gedachtniss," Ztsch. f. Psychol., 1900, Erganzungsbd. i. 



11 Wohlgemuth, A., "On Memory and the Direction of Association," Brit. 

 Journ. of Psychol., 1912, Vol. V, p. 447. 



12 Carr, H. A., "Length of Time Interval in Successive Association," 

 Psychol. Rev., Vol. XXVI, pp. 335-353. 



