Whenever, in the foregoing, we spoke of a certain degree of
concentration which had to be attained, it is not to be understood that
the same tension had to be maintained throughout the test, from the
horse's first tap to his last. But rather, that it began with a low
degree, and gradually increased as the final unit of the count was being
approached. It may best be represented by a curve whose maximum
represents that degree of tension which we have been discussing. The
rise to this maximum which, when attained, was followed by a sudden
fall, did not always occur in the same manner. Three types of curve may
be distinguished, which were first discovered in purely empirical
fashion, and later reproduced voluntarily for purposes of
experimentation by diagramming before each test the intricate curve of
the varying degrees which the intensity of concentration was to assume.
The types may be described as follows:
I. Here the tension curve rises steadily from beginning to end. This
type preponderates in the case of small numbers. Thus, when I asked the
horse: "How much is 2 plus 4?", the tension increased slowly with every
tap from the moment I began counting, until the final tap was reached,
when it was again relaxed. Externally this relaxation is noticeable as a
slight jerk.
II. In this case the curve does not rise at an equal rate, but rather
more slowly at the beginning and later undergoes a sudden increase, or
the tension increases immediately at the beginning, remains constant for
some time and then ascends to the maximum. This curve is the rule in the
case of large numbers and evidently means economy of physical energy,
for experience soon taught that a steady increase in tension from the
very beginning soon brought it to a level which cannot be long
maintained and usually leads to a premature relaxation. In the case of
very large numbers the alternation of the slight and the sudden increase
may be repeated several times, and at times it may even sink below a
level which has already been attained, thus making a wave-like curve.
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