It would mean, then, that the apperception of the repeated group in
I (if it accords with the subject's own introspection) consists in
repeated fluctuations of attention over the five strings, with no
repose on any one more than another. The movement is back and forth
from edge to edge, and hence needs more of an end to finish it than in
a series of symmetrical units where the movement is not back and forth,
but balanced and resting on the central point. In other words, in
Group I there is a rhythm of movement within the group itself, as well
as of the whole, while in II it is balanced and coördinated from the
centre of each group, out and back, so that a longer, or at least more
important end of some description is necessary to break the rhythm, and
stop the series in I than in II.
It is noticeable also that H. and S. thought in both cases they were
making the end spaces equal to the interspaces; but after Series I,
_a_ was made 102 and 109; and after Series II 95 and 104 respectively.
This naturally raised another question: Does a series of groups, with
repetitions within each, tend to make one overestimate distances
between or at the end, or at least does one overestimate these
distances in comparison with a series of symmetrical units?
The subjects were so unanimous in preferring a larger "embankment"
after Series I than II, that it was useless to test them further on
that point, and the experiment was changed to the other question
according to the suggestion above.
A series of eight cards was prepared (125 mm. wide) on four of which
five heavy black strips were drawn equally distant from each other, and
on the others a much wider strip in the centre with another on each
side near the edges. Of the two series just made, one was composed of
what we have called "rhythmic units" and the other of "symmetrical
units."
[Illustration: Fig. 25]
The subjects were asked to arrange the two separate series so that
the interspaces should be exactly equal to the units. It will be
observed that the rhythmic unit had a black strip on each edge, thereby
apparently decreasing its size, while the edge of the symmetrical unit
was white. In this respect the comparison was hardly fair, but the
result was the following. The figures represent an average of two
trials, and stand for the size estimate of the interspaces for each
subjects respectively, in the two series.
I II
J. 132.5 130
S. 125 122
U. 133 129
H. 128 124
R. 126 122
W. 136 133
V. 129 131
Average difference of estimate of both series = 2.64. Mean variation =
1.37.
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