The Dancing Mouse: A Study in Animal BehaviorYerkes, Robert Mearns
Science
The Dancing Mouse: A Study in Animal Behavior
Yerkes, Robert Mearns
Animal behavior; Dancing mice
11 14 5 5 3 7
12 15 6 4 7 3
13 16 5 5 7 3
14 17 3 7 6 4
15 19 6 4 6 4
16 20 7 3 5 5
17 21 4 6 8 2
18 22 3 7 4 6
19 23 6 4 4 6
20 24 6 4 5 5
Twenty series, 200 tests for each of the individuals in the experiment,
yielded no evidence whatever of the dancer's ability to tell green from
blue. As it has already been proved that they readily learn to choose the
right box under discriminable conditions, it seems reasonable to conclude
either that they lack green-blue vision, or that they have it in a
relatively undeveloped state.
If it be objected that the number of training tests given was too small,
and that the dancer probably would exhibit discrimination if it were given
1000 instead of 200 tests in such an experiment, I must reply that the
behavior of the animal in the tests is even more satisfactory evidence of
its inability to choose than are the results of Table 20. Had there been
the least indication of improvement as the result of 200 tests, I should
have continued the experiment; as a matter of fact, the mice each day
hesitated more and more before choosing, and fought against being driven
toward the entrance to the experiment box. That they were helpless was so
evident that it would have been manifestly cruel to continue the
experiment.
TABLE 21
VIOLET-RED TESTS
With Odor of All Cardboards the Same
SERIES DATE NO. 7 NO. 998
RIGHT WRONG RIGHT WRONG
(VIOLET) (RED) (VIOLET) (RED)
A MAR. 7 8 2 5 5
B 7 3 7 2 8
1 14 3 7 6 4
2 15 4 6 4 6
3 16 5 5 5 5
4 19 4 6 4 6
5 20 5 5 6 4
6 21 4 6 8 2
7 22 8 2 4 6
8 23 4 6 6 4
9 24 6 4 4 6
10 25 4 6 6 4
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