490 PSYCHOLOGY. 



appearances in successive order. To the infant, sounds, 

 sights, touches, and pains, form probably one unanalyzed 

 bloom of confusion.* 



AVhere tlie difference between the successive sensations 

 is but slight, the transition between them must be made as 

 immediate as possible, and both must be comj^ared in mem- 

 ory, in order to get the best results. One cannot judge 

 accurately of the difference between two similar wines, 

 whilst the second is still in one's mouth. So of sounds, 

 warmths, etc. — we must get the dying phases of both sen- 

 sations of the pair we are comparing. Where, however, 

 the difference is strong, this condition is immaterial, and 

 we can then compare a sensation actually felt with another 

 carried in memory only. The longer the interval of time 

 between the sensations, the more uncertain is their discrim- 

 ination. 



The difference, thus immediately felt between two terms, 

 is independent of our ability to identify either of the terms 

 by itself. I can feel two distinct spots to be touched on 

 my skin, yet not know which is above and which below. I 

 can observe two neighboring musical tones to differ, and 

 still not know which of the two is the higher in pitch. 

 Similarly I may discriminate two neighboring tints, whilst 



remaining uncertain which is the bluer or the yellower, 



or lioic either differs from its mate.f 



AVith such direct perceptions of difference as this, we 

 must not confound those entirely unlike cases in which we 

 infer that two things must differ because we know enough 

 about each of them taken by itself to warrant our classing 



* The ordinary treatment of this is to call it the result of the fusion of 

 a lot of sensations, in themselves separate. This is pure mythology, as the 

 sequel will abundantly show. 



f " We often begin to be dimly aware of a difference in a sensation ot 

 group of sensjitions, before we can assign any definite character to that 

 which differs. Thus we detect a strange or foreign ingredient or flavor in 

 a familiar dish, or of tone in a familiar tune, and yet are wholly unable for 

 a while to say what the intruder is like. Hence perlwips discrimination 

 may be regarded as the earliest and most primordial mode of intellectual 

 activity." (Sully: Outlines of Psj'chology, p. 142. Cf. also G. H. 

 Schneider: Die Unterscheidung, pp. 9-10.) 



