EFFECTS OF STRYCHNINE UPON RATE OF LEARNING 155 



number of trials the actual amount of practice required for 

 the attainment of a given degree of proficiency and, hence, that 

 the results of the first and second experiments are more nearly 

 in accord than could be determined from the data on the num- 

 ber of trials alone. 



The results may be judged in yet another way and one which 

 gives a still more reliable basis for comparison than the average 



too 



200 



300 



400 



FIG. 2. A comparison of the total excess distance over the shortest path 

 through the maze traversed during training by rats under the influence of 

 strychnine and by normal animals. Arranged as figure 1, except that the ab- 

 scissae represent meters. 



number of trials required for learning. The method by which 

 the animals were selected for training makes it possible to com- 

 pare each animal with a sibling of the same sex trained under 

 identical conditions. Table 4 gives the results of such a com- 

 parison of the rats with their individual controls. Of the ani- 

 mals which received 0.05 mgm. of strychnine 60 per cent were 

 superior to their controls. Eighteen out of 25, or 72 per cent 



