TABLE VI. TWO WORDS: CONCRETE—ABSTRACT SPOKEN
Time—15 seconds.
Characters—same as Table I.
| (I) Desert—Hate | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. | | | | | | | + | + | + | |||
| M. | | | | | | | | | – | – | |||
| F. | + | + | + | ||||||
| H. | | | – | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ro. | | | | | – | – | | | | | | | | | |
| Bl. | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | ||
| By. | | | | | | | + | + | + | + | + | + |
| Bs. | – | | | | | | | | | | | |||
| Br. | | | | | | | + | + | ||||
- (1) Desert—Hate.
- (2) Lamp—Justice.
- (3) Pen—Fatigue,
- (4) Gate—Fear.
TABLE VI—continued
| | | – | + | α | β | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. | { | 10 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 55.5% | 11.2% | 33.3% | ||||
| M. | { | 7 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 28.0% | 32.0% | 40.0% | ||||
| F. | { | 3 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 18.7% | 50.1% | 31.2% | ||||
| H. | { | 17 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 50.0% | 47.1% | 2.9% | ||||
| Ro. | { | 15 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 57.7% | 42.3% | |||||
| Bl. | { | 4 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 14.2% | 53.5% | 25.1% | 7.2% | |||
| By. | { | 4 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 11.8% | 61.8% | 23.5% | 2.9% | |||
| Bs. | { | 5 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 2 |
| 21.8% | 4.3% | 65.2% | 8.7% | |||
| Br. | { | 11 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 52.3% | 38.1% | 9.6% | ||||
| Totals | { | 76 | 90 | 54 | 2 | 3 |
| 33.8% | 40.0% | 24.0% | .8% | 1.4% |
Number of subjects, 9; number of sections, 4; number of experiments, 34; number of associations, 225.
Reversing the order by placing the concrete noun second, it gains in influence. We are told by the subjects at this point, "The choice seems to be determined by the concreteness of the word." (H.) "The abstract soon exhausted itself as a word-suggester." (Ro.) There was fusion in 24% of the associations of the first group, and 22.2% in the second. There are six cases where the second alone prevails, two for the first starting-point and four for the second. There are eleven cases of fusion beginning before the sixth word and continuing throughout the series. There is much partial fusion, with the second predominating in influence.
The results again emphasize the fact that the influence is transferable, also that normally the second has the advantage; furthermore, they illustrate the preponderance of the concrete word as a starter of associations, and that the abstract term when it exerts an influence tends to fuse rather than persist in having separate associations; all of which shows that concrete terms produce more vivid impressions than abstract ones, and would, when it is possible to use them, be of direct aid to the learner.