HABIT FORMATION AND FEELING QUALITIES 293 



rise, (2) a middle section (see arrow in Graphs III and V) and 

 (3) a section of diminishing gain. The first section extends 

 from IP to 7P and involves from twenty to twenty-five dis- 

 tributions. During these seven periods the grosser features 

 of the work were learned and partially habituated, involving: 

 plan of the work, connections between cards and box-labels,, 

 and recognition of box position. The larger inhibitions grew 

 noticeably less, surprise being often expressed at the increased 

 number of habituated movements. The percentage of im- 

 provement of the normal subjects during these seven periods 

 was 79.5 per cent, of the first record; of the subjects using U 

 stimulus it was 78.9 per cent, and for subjects using P stimulus 

 it was 72.66 per cent, i.e., in one-third of the practice the original 

 record had been reduced by about three-fourths of its length. 



The middle section for both the normal and the combined 

 curves extends from 7P to 11 and 12P or from 40 to 50 distri- 

 butions. The immediate cause for the sudden bend in the 

 curve at 7P is due to relatively small percentage of improvement 

 at 8P. The indirect causes are several. 



First. The unstable character of the newly formed habits was 

 easily overcome by the wear and tear, incident to the distribu- 

 tion. They were disturbed by a conscious endeavor to learn 

 the stacked order and to complete the place memory of the 

 boxes. These two tasks, although begun in the maximum sec- 

 tion had to wait until the simpler and grosser ones were learned. 

 But now that the subjects were free to deliberately attack them, 

 the attempt often proved disastrous to the earlier habits. 



Second. Comparatively higher speed at this time revealed 

 the necessity for improving the technique for handling the cards, 

 for controlling the body and for eliminating wrong practice. 

 This effort proved an additional embarrassment and persisted 

 for several periods. 



Third. At this time the movements were beginning to form 

 in small groups at different parts of the 52 series, with wide 

 breaches between them composed of single and isolated move- 

 ments. This made the delivery uneven and fitful; the grouped- 

 movements being executed with rapidity and accuracy, only to 



P8TCHOBIOLOGT, VOL. II, NO. 3 



