2o8 THE HORSE OF MR. VON OSTEN 



very modest success with Hans, goes to show that it is 

 not always the lack of sufficient authoritativeness, men- 

 tioned under heading i that is the sole cause of failure, 

 as has been claimed so often. That the horse was, to a 

 certain degree, influenced by this element of authority is 

 shown, however, by the following incident. A certain 

 gentleman, when alone in the courtyard with Hans, re- 

 ceived responses only so long as I (concealed in the barn) 

 kept the barn-door open just a little, so that my presence 

 could be known to the horse. As soon as I closed the 

 door, Hans refused to respond to the gentleman. Those 

 who possessed sufficient power of concentration and the 

 requisite motor tendency — the two characteristics men- 

 tioned under i and 2 above, — were able to obtain re- 

 sponses from the horse without any previous practice. 

 Practice merely effected a more economic distribution of 

 attention, so that the larger numbers especially were 

 more successful as a result (pages 68 and 89). Those 

 who were lacking in either of the characteristics men- 

 tioned under 2 and 3 would not be aided even by the 

 greatest amount of practice, as is shown by the case men- 

 failed completely (" Les tables ne revelent pas ce qui n'est pas dans la 

 pensee et dans la volonte de I'experimentateur ; quand on veut les 

 charger d'autre chose que d'obeir comme des membres, on arrive a des 

 erreurs continuelles.") 



P. 28, 29, 217 [72]. When of two experimenters each tries to get 

 the horse to tap a different number, then that one who is the better able 

 to compel the animal's attention, will be the successful one. (" L'un veut 

 faire prevaloire un chiffre pense plus considerable, I'autre un chiftre 



pense moins considerable Eh bien : I'operateur le plus puissant 



I'emporte." " Ainsl A est charge secretement de faire frapper 25 

 coups, B est charge secretement de I'arrSter k 18 ; A I'emporte, et les 



25 coups s'ach^vent On fait maintenant I'inverse : Best charge 



secretement de faire frapper 13 coups; A est charg^ secretement de 

 I'arrStei i 7 ; A I'emporte encore et le chiffre 7 ne peut etre depasse.") 



