48 KNIGHT DUNLAP 



memorize the series: that is, the words are already familiar, as 

 words; but the series has not been learned. 



The exact reaction for each of these words will vary according 

 to the person perceiving, and according to his age and stage of 

 education. It might be assumed that the reaction will in every 

 case terminate hi vocal activity, but this assumption is very prob- 

 ably incorrect. In very many cases however, possibly in the 

 majority of cases, the reaction will be vocal, and we may use this 

 reaction to illustrate the process of association, which will be the 

 same in principle whether the reactions are vocal, or whether 

 they terminate in movements of the fingers and hand (as in writ- 

 ing) , or of muscles of other part of the body. The reactions must 

 in every case be muscular in termination, or no associations can 

 be formed between them. 



The simple diagram of figure 1 will serve to illustrate the serial 

 connection of the words as well as it illustrated the connection of 

 the dance movements. Let A, B, and C be the first three stimu- 

 lus words: then A', B', and C' are the receptor-processes initiated 

 by these stimulations, and the lines A' -a, B'-b, and C'-c are the 

 arcs of the neural transits which terminate in the speaking (audi- 

 bly or silently) of the words. Since the several muscles of the 

 throat, face, and neck which participate in the pronunciation of 

 words are supplied with sensory nerve terminals, the linking 

 together of these reactions occurs precisely as does the linking 

 together of the steps of the waltz. The afferent current initiated 

 at a' by the contraction a of the first word, is drained off in the 

 cerebrum into the circuit B'-b of the second word: the afferent 

 current from b' is drained into the circuit C'-c of the third word, 

 and so on. Ultimately, the series is so linked together that, given 

 the proper start, the series of words will be repeated accurately 

 with no further necessary stimulation either by the sound or 

 sight of the words. 



The association of words may be facilitated by factors which 

 as hi the case of the waltz, control the selection of terms. The 

 series coffee, tea, sugar, cream, spoon, cup, will be facilitated by 

 previously formed associations between the terms. The learning 

 of the series bean, lean, queen, seen, mean, green, will be affected 



