I report this incident fully because the behavior of Jimmie was in
marked contrast with the usual behavior of the monkeys. Selfishness
seemed everywhere dominant, while clear indications of sympathetic
emotions were rare indeed. The above is undoubtedly the best evidence of
anything altruistic that I obtained.
It is possible that Tiny's action was retaliatory, but although it is
practically certain that either Gertie or Jimmie inflicted the wound on
her finger, I of course cannot be sure that the spirit of revenge
stirred her to punish Gertie so severely. Jimmie's part in the whole
affair is, however, perfectly intelligible from our human point of view,
and there seems no reason to doubt that he did experience something like
a feeling of sympathy with his mate, coupled with a feeling of
resentment or anger against Tiny.
VI
HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL DISCUSSION OF IDEATIONAL BEHAVIOR IN MONKEYS AND
APES
It is my purpose in this section to indicate the relations of my work on
monkeys and apes to that of other investigators. Although throughout the
report I have used freely the psychological terms idea and ideation, it
has been my aim to describe the behavior of my animals rather than to
interpret it or speculate concerning its accompaniments. Certain acts I
have designated as ideational simply because they seemed to exhibit the
essential features of what we call ideational behavior in man. Further
study may, and probably will, modify my opinion concerning this matter.
It is of prime importance to analyze ideational behavior so that it may
be accurately described and satisfactorily defined in terms of its
distinguishing characteristics. I had hoped to be able to present a
tentative analysis in this report, but the results of my efforts are so
unsatisfactory that I do not feel justified in publishing them.
The terms idea and ideation have been used to designate contents of
consciousness which are primarily representative. Nowhere have I
attempted to indicate different types or grades of ideational behavior
and nowhere have I found it necessary to emphasize differences between
image and idea. In general, the acts which I have called ideational have
been highly adaptive, and the learning processes in connection with
which they have appeared have differed strikingly from those of the
selective sort in their abruptness of appearance.
Extremely interesting and valuable definitions of ideation and
discussions of the characteristics of different sorts of ideas in the
light of original observations on monkeys have been presented by
Thorndike (1901, pp. 1, 2; 1911, p. 174); Kinnaman (1902, p. 200); and
Hobhouse (1915, p. 270). As these authors have contributed importantly
to our knowledge of the behavior of monkeys, their discussions of the
meaning of terms are especially valuable. Serviceable definitions are to
be found, also, in Romanes (1900), Morgan (1906), Washburn (1908), and
Holmes (1911).
_Evidences of Ideation in Monkeys_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account