The chief point of superiority of adults to human children, and of these to animals, can be seen in the adjacent table. It is in the _first trial_ that the superiority of the adults shows most clearly. They get a better start, and adapt themselves to the situation more promptly. Their better start is due to (1) better understanding of the situation at the outset, (2) more plan, (3) less tendency to "go off on a tangent", i.e., to respond impulsively to every opening, without considering or looking ahead. The adult has more inhibition, the child more activity and responsiveness; the adult's inhibition stands him in good stead at the outset, but the child's activity enables him to catch up shortly in so simple a problem as this little maze. AVERAGE NUMBER OF ERRORS MADE, IN EACH TRIAL IN LEARNING A MAZE, BY RATS, CHILDREN AND ADULT MEN (From Hicks and Carr) Trial No. Rats Children Adults 1 53 35 10 2 45 9 15 3 30 18 5 4 22 11 2 5 11 9 6 6 8 13 4 7 9 6 2 8 4 6 2 9 9 5 1 10 3 5 1 11 4 1 0 12 5 0 1 13 4 1 1 14 4 0 1 15 4 1 1 16 2 0 1 17 1 0 1 The table reads that, on the first trial in the maze, the rats averaged 53 errors, the children 35 errors, and the adults 10 errors, and so on. An "error" consisted in entering a blind alley or in turning back on {315} the course. The subjects tested consisted of 23 rats, five children varying in age from 8 to 18 years, and four graduate students of psychology. The human maze was much larger than those used for the rats, but roughly about the same in complexity. Since rats are known to make little use of their eyes in learning a maze, the human subjects were blindfolded. The rats were rewarded by food, the others simply by the satisfaction of success. The puzzle boxes used in experiments on animal learning are too simple for human adults, but mechanical puzzles present problems of sufficient difficulty. The experimenter hands the subject a totally unfamiliar puzzle, and notes the time required by the subject to take it apart; and this is repeated in a series of trials till mastery is complete. In addition to taking the time, the experimenter observes the subject's way of reacting, and the subject endeavors at the end of each trial to record what he has himself observed of the course of events.