Now, here the inherited tendency to peck at small objects led, through
the drawing down of the paper, to a new situation, of which advantage
was taken. The little drama consisted of two scenes, which may be
sufficiently described as “the corner of the pen,” and “the open way,”
this being the sequence in experience. Subsequently the first scene
was again enacted in presentative terms, and there followed first
a re-presentation of scene ii., with its associated behaviour, and
then the presentative repetition of this scene. We may take this as
a sample of the nature of a conscious situation which is effective
in guidance. We have seen the nature of the elements (sensory data,
including as essential those supplied by the behaviour itself, with a
pleasurable or painful tone) which enter into such a situation; we have
seen that they owe their primary origin to direct presentation, but
that they may be subsequently introduced indirectly in re-presentative
form; we have seen that the situation as a whole results from the
coalescence of the data. There only remains the question how the
felt situation takes effect on behaviour. And to this question,
unfortunately, we can give but a meagre and incomplete reply. All
we can say is, that connections seem to be in some way established
between the centres of conscious control and the centres of congenital
response; and that through these channels the responsive behaviour may
be either checked or augmented (as a whole or in part), according to
the tone, disagreeable or pleasant, that suffuses the situation. How
this is effected we do not fully know.
III.--LATER PHASES IN MENTAL DEVELOPMENT
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