442 AXXALs XEW YORK ACADEMY OF sCIEXCES 



ward off supernatural beings, to ameliorate abnormal physical and mental 

 conditions and to change the emotional states of normal people. 



Color acts for these ends in varioiLS ways : By magical charms or sor- 

 cery, as a scape-goat, by thinking processes, or by homeopathic and allo- 

 pathic procedure. 



Xot only are masses and individuals affected in a similar manner by 

 color, but also the masses and indiriduals of all nations and all times. 

 The experiment by Wells in the Psychological Bulletin of 1910. stating 

 that colors at the red end of the spectrum are stimulating, that those in 

 the central part are tranquilizing and those at the purple end subduing 

 agrees in its results with those to be obtained frc>m a study of ancient 

 superstitions. 



While the uses of color never have been and may never be demonstrated 

 to be of such value as to become commercialized, still there is sufficient 

 evidence to warrant us in believing that, apart from any purely utilitarian 

 or purely a?stlietic use. color has a place in therapeutics. 



Professor Eolling'worth reviewed the various reasons that have been 

 suggested in explanation of the unaesthetic value of the lower senses. 

 Such factors as abundance, ecclesiastic censorship, number of qualities, 

 sharpness of discrimination, reaction time, inertia and life-span, spatial 

 characteristics, immediate affective value, materiality, consumption of 

 stimulus, utilitarian ftmction. ontogenetic and philogenetic development, 

 vividness of imagery, organization and systematic relations within the 

 modality, social character, range of stimulus, perceptual value, tendency 

 to adaption, etc.. were considered. Criticisms were offered of the theory 

 that "'the function of art is to please"" and the intellectual character or 

 "meaning"' function of aesthetic manipulation was emphasized. 



]Mr. Van Wagenen said in abstract : Table I gives the Pearson coeffi- 

 cients ijetween the work done at various parts of two practice periods and 

 a final test period. The material consisted of a set of ten paired associ- 

 ates, the stimuli being the first ten letters r)f the alphabet arranged in 

 chance order, the associates being the next ten letters, also arranged in 

 chance order. The subjects were forty university students in a class in 

 elementary psychology, who practised two periods of thirty-two minutes 

 each, forty-seven hours apart, and for three minutes forty-seven hours 

 later. 



The three-minute test was followed by another practice period on a new 

 set of paired associates, the stimuli consisting of the original first ten 

 letters arransfed in a new chance order, the associates consisting of the 



