v INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE 63 



and swim away. That is to say, it has several ways of 

 reacting to the stimulus and seeking equilibrium, and if 

 one fails it tries another. But now, when it anchors itself 

 again, it seems to have learnt something, for if again 

 touched it does not go through the stages of contracting 

 and of bending aside. It keeps to its more radical remedy, 

 and moves off again. The effect is very transient, but it 

 is there, and is amply verified for Protozoa and for several 

 of the lower Metazoa. Observe that precisely what is 

 learnt is not to avoid some object previously sought, or 

 to seek some object previously indifferent. What is tem- 

 porarily learnt is to prefer one type-reaction to another 

 the stronger, the more effective, but also that which the 

 animal is normally least ready to put into action. The 

 relation of data which, if not apprehended by the organ- 

 ism, has somehow affected it is the failure of response 

 A to remove an annoyance B, or conversely the success of 

 response C in this respect. It need not learn anything 

 about the qualities or relations of B. What has affected it 

 is the success of one of its type-reactions in relation to B. 

 The stimulus B becomes the basis of a different type- 

 reaction from that which it at first called forth. Correlation 

 is effected between a stimulus and a certain type-reaction. 

 Such correlation is observable in human action (though 

 often in combination with higher modes of response) in the 

 acquisition of skill, which is essentially a modification of 

 the means by which a result is attained. We saw that in 

 skill of any kind, though consciousness plays a part, the 

 process of acquisition is in detail unconscious. We can 

 now see that the general method is that of selective correla- 

 tion. The too violent response lands us in a fall or 

 punishes us with a cut. The insufficient movement ends 

 in a bruise on the other side. If there is no bump or cut, 

 there is at least the disappointment of failure, while the 

 chance response that hits the mark is encouraged by the 

 sudden joy of success. The result is that the successful 

 movements are selected and the failures eliminated. It is 

 reached by a process which we seek in vain to bring within 

 our consciousness. Yet conscious experience has some- 

 how operated to make this accuracy of execution possible. 



