34 



Thaddeus L. Bolton and Eleonora T. Miller 



' The following table will show the average performance 

 increases for every period of work and for both hands of each 

 reagent. 



I,. H. 



I,, h. 



First period. . . 

 Second period 

 Third period . . 

 Fourth period 

 Fifth period . . 



1.1 



-105.2 



18.5 



43.3 



—16.3 

 25.6 



—16.2 

 30.8 



-23 

 7. 

 12. 

 34. 

 11. 



15.4 

 -17.4 



38.8 

 .87 

 129.2 



This table shows that, generally speaking, the rate of' practice 

 gain has increased throughout the whole experiment. The 

 lower average performance increases in the earlier part of the ex- 

 periment, which in some cases are negative quantities, were due, 

 first, to the lack of inurement which actually reduced the height 

 of the records for some days, and, second, to the imperfection 

 of coordination and rhythm of the movement. - The completion 

 of the process of inurement is shown by the absence of any fur- 

 ther muscle soreness, and the growing perfection of the coor- 

 dination and rhythm was shown by the gradual disappearance 

 of accessory and sympathetic movements. When this condition 

 had been brought about in both reagents, the practice gain was 

 great and more steady. It is apparent, then, that the ergograph 

 records will have slight validity until after inurement has become 

 thorough and the coordination of the movement is complete. 

 Although great fluctuations in the records are to be expected, 

 greater even than before this condition has arisen, yet they tend 

 uniformly toward an increase. The study, then, of influences 

 which are supposed to affect the ergograph records must be made 

 in view of the practice gain. These influences must be seen by 

 the way they affect the rate of practice gain. First, the reagents 

 must be thoroughly inured to the experiment and brought up to 

 the highest perfection in the coordination of the movement ; sec- 

 ondly, they must then continue their records until the average 

 increase from record to record is reasonably established, and 



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