Animal intelligence: Experimental studiesThorndike, Edward L. (Edward Lee)
Science
Animal intelligence: Experimental studies
Thorndike, Edward L. (Edward Lee)
Animal intelligence; Psychology, Comparative
I then tried him (January 21, 1900) in CCC (double bar). He did it at
first by pushing the old bar and then pulling at the door until he worked
the second bar gradually around. Later he at times pushed the second
bar. The times taken are shown in the time-curve. I then (January 25th)
tried him in NN (hook). See time-curves on page 185. I then (January
27th) tried him in NNN (hook on other side). He opened it in 6, 12 and 4
seconds in the first three trials. I then (20 minutes later) tried him
with NNNN (double hook). He opened the door in 12, 10, 6 and 6 seconds. I
then (January 27th) tried him with PP (string across). He failed in 10.
I then (February 21st) tried him with apparatus OO (string box). For his
progress as shown by the times taken see the time-curve. His progress is
also shown in the decrease of the useless pullings at the wrong string.
There were none in the 9th trial, 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 24th, and
following trials.
No. 1 was then (February 24th) tried with OOO (string box with box on
upper string). No. 1 succeeded in 2.20, then failed in 10.00. The rest of
the experiment will be described under imitation.
He was next tried (March 24th) with apparatus QQ (chute). He failed
in 10.00, though he played with the apparatus much of the time. Other
experiments were with box RR (wood-plug) (April 5th). He failed in 10.00.
After he had, in a manner to be described later, come to succeed with RR,
he was tried in box SS (triple; wood-plug, hook and bar) (April 18th);
see time-curve. No more experiments of this nature were tried until
October, 1900.
The rest of the experiments with No. 1 and all those with No. 2 and No.
3 may best be enumerated in the form of a table. (See Table 9 on page
187.) It will show briefly the range of performances which the unaided
efforts of the animals can cope with. It will also give the order in
which each animal experienced them. F means that the animal failed to
succeed. The figures are minutes and seconds, and represent the time
taken in the first trial or the total time taken without success where
there is an F. In cases where the animal failed in say 10 minutes, but in
a later trial succeeded, say in 2.40, the record will be 2.40 after 10 F.
There are separate columns for all three animals, headed No. 1, No. 2 and
No. 3. Im. stands for a practically immediate success.
The curves on pages 185 and 186 (Figs. 27 and 28) show the progress of
the formation of the associations in those cases where the animal was
given repeated trials, with, however, nothing to guide him but his own
unaided efforts. Each millimeter on the abscissa represents one trial
and each millimeter on the ordinate represents 10 seconds, the ordinates
representing the time taken by the animal to open the box. A break in
the curve, or an absence of the curve at the beginning of the base-line
represents cases where the animal failed in 10 minutes or took a very
long time to get out.
[Illustration: FIG. 27.]
[Illustration: FIG. 28.]
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