SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— J. 397 



The solvent efiects of rhythm are sometimes connected with pleasurable feeling- 

 tone, which is closely linked with aesthetic experience : but a sense of movement is 

 sometimes reported, which is a coarser function. Indications arc given of the manner 

 in which rhythm may work towards solution while the style is causing conflict at the 

 same time. The final point discussed is the capacity of rhythm to select and emphasise 

 parts of the subject-matter of a piece, through the meaning shaping itself in the rise 

 and fall of the sentences : in some cases the subject is unaware that this is happening ; 

 in others he can give a shrewd analysis. 



I should like to thank the Medical Research Council for their help ; Mr. F. C. 

 Bartlett for his advice and criticism ; and Dr. R. H. Thouless for the opportunity 

 to work in his laboratory at Glasgow. 



Miss C. A. SiMMiNS. — The Mental Processes involved in learning a Foreign 



Language. 



Considered psychologically, the numerous devices used in teaching a foreign 

 language fall into three main groups : 



(1) Those which aim at giving the pupils new sense perceptions. 



(2) Those which aim at practice. 



(3) Those which aim at production on the part of the pupils. 



As soon as a pupil is required to produce, that is, to understand and to use the 

 new language as a means of conveying thought, he will make mistakes in grammar. 

 It is with the problem of grammatical accuracy that this paper is concerned. 



Grammar is organised knowledge about the way in which relations are indicated 

 in a language. The mistake in grammar is the failure to indicate a relation correctly. 



With the aim of determining which of four contrasted methods is the most effective 

 in teaching pupils to indicate relations correctly in a foreign language an experiment 

 was planned at University College, London, under the direction of Prof. Spearman. 



A course of lessons in German was given to the upper classes of four elementary 

 schools. The first five lessons were precisely the same for all four groups. After 

 this, the grammar introduced was taught to each group by a different method. 



Group A. — A thorough-going Direct Method. Grammatical difficulties were not 

 explained. 



Group B. — A modified Direct Method. Grammatical difficulties were carefully 

 explained. 



With both A and B care was taken to avoid opportunities for error, so that the 

 wrong impressions held by some to be so dangerous in learning a new language, were 

 not made. 



Group G. — The same method as Group B, except that here the girls were allowed 

 to attempt to reproduce sentences exemplifying the grammar learned. Errors were 

 made and corrected. 



Group D. — As group C, except that questions were asked requiring the applicaiion 

 of the grammar in a nexc setting. Again errors were made and corrected. 



The groups were tested in grammatical accuracy by questions given orally in 

 German, and answered by the pupils in written German. Comparable groups were 

 selected and the scores compared. 



Results. 



(1) Grammatically accurate reproduction of sentences learned. The scores made by 

 Groups C and D are consistently and significantly higher than those made by Groups 

 A and B. The success of Groups C and D may be explained in the following way : — 

 A question is a direct incentive to individual effort. A call is made upon conative 

 reserves ; there is in consequence a sharper focussing upon the problem. While 

 consciousness is still sharply focussed, the mistake made is corrected. The precise 

 relation of the relevant word to the whole sentence has become something of real 

 significance to the individual. Unless he understands clearly, he will make mistakes, 

 and to make a mistake is damaging to self-esteem. The success of the method used 

 with C and D demonstrates the efiect of Conation upon Cognition and of the individual'.? 

 response to incentive upon the clearness of his awareness. 



(2) Application in new sentences. (Transfer of Traiyiing.) Here the advantage is 

 consistently with Group D who had been given some opportunity during the lessons 

 of applying the grammar in new settings. I suggest that in this way an attitude 

 especially favourable to transfer was developed — a ' look-before-you-leap ' attitude ; 



