A Study of Association in Insanity

by Grace Helen Kent; A. J. Rosanoff

Since clinically the distinction between typical cases of these psychoses can be so clearly made on the basis of the disorders of the flow of thought respectively characterizing them, it could hardly be assumed that the associational disturbances in these two groups of cases are truly related, although there may be an apparent resemblance; it must be acknowledged that we are here confronted with one of the most serious shortcomings of the association test, or at least of the present method of applying it.

CASE No. 5236.—M.B. Depressive attack. Normal record.

Table—eat…………
Dark—night………..
Music—play………..
Sickness—death…….
Man—health………..13
Deep—depth………..
Soft—hard…………
Eating—chewing…….
Mountain—high……..
House—living………
Black—color……….
Mutton—sheep………
Comfort—kind……… 2
Hand—body…………
Short—small………. 1
Fruit—garden………
Butterfly—spring…..
Smooth—rough………
Command—obey………
Chair—sit…………
Sweet—apple……….
Whistle—music……..
Woman—land………..
Cold—chilly……….
Slow—easy…………
Wish—want…………
River—water……….
White—color……….
Beautiful—grand……
Window—light………
Rough—smooth………
Citizen—man………. 1
Foot—body…………
Spider—animal……..
Needle—sew………..
Red—color…………
Sleep—rest………..
Anger—badness…….. 2
Carpet—floor………
Girl—young………..
High—low………….
Working—busy………
Sour—sweet………..
Earth—live………..
Trouble—grief……..
Soldier—army………
Cabbage—garden…….
Hard—stone………..
Eagle—bird………..
Stomach—body………
Stem—plant………..
Lamp—light………..
Dream—sleep……….
Yellow—color………
Bread—eat…………
Justice—kind……… 2
Boy—young…………
Light—day…………
Health—strength……
Bible—Christ………
Memory—think……… 1
Sheep—mutton………
Bath—clean………..
Cottage—live………
Swift—run…………
Blue—color………..
Hungry—food……….
Priest—clergy……..
Ocean—water……….
Head—body…………
Stove—fire………..
Long—tall…………
Religion—teaching….
Whiskey—drink……..
Child—young……….
Bitter—sweet………
Hammer—nail……….
Thirsty—drink……..
City—town…………
Square—four……….
Butter—eat………..
Doctor—medicine……
Loud—noise………..
Thief—steal……….
Lion—beast………..
Joy—kind…………. 6
Bed—sleep…………
Heavy—weight………
Tobacco—smoke……..
Baby—mother……….
Moon—light………..
Scissors—cut………
Quiet—kind……….. 6
Green—grass……….
Salt—table………..
Street—walk……….
King—government……
Cheese—eat………..
Blossom—tree………
Afraid—coward……..

CASE No. 6120.—M.L. Maniacal attack. Fifteen individual reactions, of which 11 are classed as normal in accordance with the appendix to the frequency tables.

Table—chair…………
Dark—light………….
Music—chorus………..17
Sickness—health……..
Man—woman………….. 1
Deep—around…………
Soft—light………….
Eating—food…………
Mountain—valley……..
House—flat………….17
Black—white…………
Mutton—beef…………
Comfort—disease……..
Hand—legs…………..
Short—tall………….
Fruit—grapes………..
Butterfly—birds……..
Smooth—rough………..

Command—president……17
Chair—assemblyman……18
Sweet—bitter………..
Whistle—birds……….
Woman—man………….. 1
Cold—warm…………..
Slow—fast…………..
Wish—well…………..
River—mountain………
White—red…………..
Beautiful—heaven…….
Window—door…………
Rough—smooth………..
Citizen—naturalization.
Foot—hand…………..
Spider—bug………….
Needle—doctor……….19
Red—white…………..
Sleep—well………….
Anger—passion……….
Carpet—cloth………..
Girl—boy……………
High—low……………
Working—pleasure……. 1
Sour—sweet………….
Earth—heaven………..
Trouble—anger……….
Soldier—mine………..12
Cabbage—steak……….17

Hard—soft…………..
Eagle—parrot………..
Stomach—pelvis………17
Stem—flowers………..
Lamp—light………….
Dream—empty…………17
Yellow—black………..
Bread—brown…………
Justice—done………..
Boy—baby……………
Light—heaven………..
Health—wealth……….
Bible—love………….
Memory—remembrance…..
Sheep—goat………….
Bath—water………….
Cottage—house……….
Swift—slow………….
Blue—green………….
Hungry—I……………
Priest—minister……..
Ocean—sea…………..
Head—neck…………..
Stove—electricity……17
Long—broad………….
Religion—Presbyterian..
Whiskey—medicinal…… 2
Child—boy…………..
Bitter—sweet………..
Hammer—saw………….
Thirsty—water……….
City—Middletown……..17
Square—Madison………
Butter—bread………..
Doctor—love…………15
Loud—soft…………..
Thief—burglar……….
Lion—animal…………
Joy—ecstasy…………
Bed—couch…………..
Heavy—lead………….
Tobacco—smoke……….
Baby—boy……………
Moon—stars………….
Scissors—cotton……..17
Quiet—noisy…………
Green—yellow………..
Salt—pepper…………
Street—Dean…………17
King—God……………17
Cheese—Roquefort…….
Blossom—apple……….
Afraid—never………..

CASE No. 6367.—J.N. Depressive attack. Only two individual reactions, both classed as normal; undue tendency to give non-specific reactions.

Table—cup…………17
Dark—light………..
Music—song………..
Sickness—pain……..
Man—child…………
Deep—high…………
Soft—hard…………
Eating—tasting…….
Mountain—valley……
House—room………..
Black—white……….
Mutton—lamb……….
Comfort—peace……..
Hand—foot…………
Short—long………..
Fruit—apple……….
Butterfly—moth…….
Smooth—rough………
Command—obey………
Chair—table……….
Sweet—sour………..
Whistle—song………
Woman—love………..
Cold—warm…………
Slow—fast…………
Wish—well…………
River—water……….
White—black……….
Beautiful—grand……
Window—glass………
Rough—smooth………
Citizen—man………. 1
Foot—hand…………
Spider—fly………..
Needle—thread……..
Red—blue………….
Sleep—rest………..
Anger—passion……..
Carpet—rug………..
Girl—child………..
High—low………….
Working—labor……..
Sour—sweet………..
Earth—ground………
Trouble—overcome…..17
Soldier—brave……..
Cabbage—lettuce……
Hard—soft…………
Eagle—bird………..
Stomach—heart……..
Stem—tree…………
Lamp—light………..
Dream—sleep……….
Yellow—red………..
Bread—roll………..
Justice—peace……..
Boy—child…………
Light—sun…………
Health—wealth……..
Bible—good……….. 1
Memory—good………. 1
Sheep—lamb………..
Bath—water………..
Cottage—house……..
Swift—fast………..
Blue—white………..
Hungry—eat………..
Priest—man……….. 1
Ocean—water……….
Head—arm………….
Stove—warm………..
Long—short………..
Religion—good…….. 1
Whiskey—none………
Child—good……….. 1
Bitter—sour……….
Hammer—noise………
Thirsty—water……..
City—country………
Square—round………
Butter—salt……….
Doctor—good………. 1
Loud—noise………..
Thief—man………… 1
Lion—beast………..
Joy—good…………. 1
Bed—good…………. 1
Heavy—weight………
Tobacco—smoke……..
Baby—child………..
Moon—sun………….
Scissors—knife…….
Quiet—rest………..
Green—red…………
Salt—water………..
Street—city……….
King—man…………. 1
Cheese—butter……..
Blossom—flower…….
Afraid—fear……….

CASE No. 5162.—W.H. Recurrent attacks, mixed in character; at time of test patient was in a normal interval. 5 individual reactions, of which 1 is classed as normal, 1 as a derivative, 2 as non-specific, and 1 as a sound reaction; undue tendency to give non-specific (common) reactions.