A Study of Association in Insanity

by Grace Helen Kent; A. J. Rosanoff

Mental disorders do not always so manifest themselves as to incapacitate the subject for his work or to necessitate his sequestration in a hospital for the insane. It is, therefore, not surprising that in applying the association test to over a thousand subjects selected at random we have obtained a small number of test records which show various types of abnormal reactions. Among the subjects who furnished such records some are described as eccentric, taciturn, or dull, while others are apparently normal but come of neuropathic stock. A few of them are persons wholly unknown to us.

We reproduce in full from the normal series, containing abnormal reactions.

CONSECUTIVE No. 746.—State hospital attendant Efficient in his work but is generally regarded to have married very foolishly. Sound reactions; numerous unclassified reactions.

Table—brought……..19
Dark—some…………19
Music—leaf………..19
Sickness—water…….19
Man—book………….19
Deep—desk…………19
Soft—ground……….
Eating—bark……….19
Mountain—tree……..
House—paper……….19
Black—light……….
Mutton—horse………13
Comfort—hat……….19
Hand—sick…………13
Short—swallow……..19
Fruit—mass………..19
Butterfly—leaf…….15
Smooth—wing……….13
Command—man………. 1
Chair—left………..19
Sweet—sick……….. 2
Whistle—whirl……..10
Woman—where……….12
Cold—coal…………
Slow—some…………15
Wish—whirl………..15
River—rice………..19
White—waist……….
Beautiful—brought….15
Window—women………10
Rough—row…………19
Citizen—sir……….10
Foot—fall…………19
Spider—spice………10
Needle—knee……….10
Red—roam………….19
Sleep—sorrow………19
Anger—August………19
Carpet—covered……. 2
Girl—great……….. 9
High—his………….12
Working—map……….19
Sour—slur…………10
Earth—eat…………19
Trouble—through……12
Soldier—solder…….10
Cabbage—cart………19
Hard—him………….12
Eagle—earth……….13
Stomach—stall……..10
Stem—stair………..10
Lamp—left…………19
Dream—dread……….
Yellow—waist………15
Bread—book………..15
Justice—gem……….19
Boy—bird………….19
Light—left………..10
Health—heart………17
Bible—base………..19
Memory—moth……….19
Sheep—shrill………19
Bath—bend…………19

Cottage—cart………10
Swift—swell……….10
Blue—beard………..11
Hungry—heart………15
Priest—path……….19
Ocean—oar…………10
Head—him………….12
Stove—still……….10
Long—left…………15
Religion—rest……..19
Whiskey—whirl……..15
Child—charge………19
Bitter—bought……..10
Hammer—hemp……….10
Thirsty—Thursday…..10
City—salt…………10
Square—squirrel……10
Butter—bread………
Doctor—daisy………19
Loud—lark…………19
Thief—twist……….19
Lion—lesson……….10
Joy—jar…………..19
Bed—beard…………10
Heavy—health………10
Tobacco—toboggan…..10
Baby—bird…………15
Moon—mill…………19
Scissors—setters…..10
Quiet—quart……….10
Green—great………. 9
Salt—sorrow……….10
Street—stem……….10
King—cart…………15
Cheese—chart………19
Blossom—bed……….19
Afraid—frill………10

CONSECUTIVE No. 220—Laundryman in State hospital. Nothing abnormal has ever been observed in his case. Numerous perseverations.

Table—house……….
Dark—range………..19
Music—eats………..
Sickness—dog………18
Man—barn………….19
Deep—hollow……….
Soft—apple………..
Eating—cranberry…..17
Mountain—water…….17
House—pig…………19
Black—rats………..18
Mutton—mice………. 2
Comfort—sheep……..13
Hand—lamb…………14
Short—birds……….19
Fruit—peach……….
Butterfly—pears……18
Smooth—grapes……..18
Command—nut……….18
Chair—bureau………
Sweet—broom……….19
Whistle—violin…….19
Woman—man………… 1
Cold—child………..10
Slow—infant……….14
Wish—night………..19
River—dark………..14
White—steamboat……17
Beautiful—tugboat….18
Window—yacht………18
Rough—ferry……….18
Citizen—water……..13
Foot—egg………….19
Spider—fly………..
Needle—thread……..
Red—spool…………18
Sleep—machine……..18
Anger—picture……..19
Carpet—bed………..17
Girl—bureau……….18
High—oilcloth……..18
Working—pen……….19
Sour—ink………….18
Earth—paper……….18
Trouble—chair……..19
Soldier—table……..14
Cabbage—beet………
Hard—cauliflower…..13
Eagle—potatoes…….18
Stomach—beans……..17
Stem—plum…………17
Lamp—wick…………
Dream—oil…………13
Yellow—stick………19
Bread—stone……….18
Justice—dirt………18
Boy—street………..
Light—match……….
Health—sickness……
Bible—book………..
Memory—leaf……….13
Sheep—wool………..
Bath—water………..
Cottage—people……. 1
Swift—fast………..
Blue—residence…….19
Hungry—beef……….17
Priest—clergyman…..
Ocean—rice………..19
Head—eyes…………
Stove—nose………..18
Long—mouth………..18
Religion—legs……..18
Whiskey—arms………18
Child—elbows………18
Bitter—day………..19
Hammer—nails………
Thirsty—saw……….13
City—plane………..18
Square—chisel……..18
Butter—file……….18
Doctor—duck……….10
Loud—goose………..18
Thief—robber………
Lion—tiger………..
Joy—bear………….13
Bed—leopard……….18
Heavy—tiger……….15
Tobacco—smoke……..
Baby—pipe…………13
Moon—star…………
Scissors—sharp…….
Quiet—noisy……….
Green—blue………..
Salt—yellow……….13
Street—green………14
King—purple……….14
Cheese—axe………..19
Blossom—handle…….19
Afraid—barn……….19

CONSECUTIVE No. 255.—State hospital attendant. Efficient, but unusually taciturn and seclusive. Sound reactions.

Table—linen……….
Dark—sunshine……..17
Music—song………..
Sickness—Saturday….19
Man—manager……….10
Deep—dark…………
Soft—sorrowful…….10
Eating—eighty……..10
Mountain—miner…….19
House—heart……….19
Black—blue………..
Mutton—mountain……10
Comfort—company……17
Hand—happy………..10
Short—slow………..17
Fruit—froth……….10
Butterfly—butter…..10
Smooth—smoke………10
Command—company……
Chair—chap………..10
Sweet—slow………..15
Whistle—whip………10
Woman—worried……..19
Cold—cow………….10
Slow—slap…………10
Wish—water………..
River—rubbed………19
White—wash………..
Beautiful—bounty…..10
Window—light………
Rough—roguish……..19
Citizen—sight-seeing.19
Foot—fool…………10
Spider—span……….10
Needle—work………. 1
Red—robe………….19
Sleep—soap………..10
Anger—angel……….19
Carpet—carriage……19
Girl—guide………..19
High—heart………..10
Working—worthy…….10
Sour—satchel………19
Earth—early……….10
Trouble—trout……..19
Soldier—socket…….19
Cabbage—currant……17
Hard—harmful………10
Eagle—early……….15
Stomach—stable…….19
Stem—stand………..10
Lamp—light………..
Dream—drunk……….10
Yellow—lustre……..19
Bread—brand……….10
Justice—judgment…..
Boy—butter………..15
Light—love………..19
Health—help……….10
Bible—book………..
Memory—mental……..
Sheep—shop………..10
Bath—bandage………10
Cottage—cot……….10
Swift—swan………..10
Blue—black………..10
Hungry—height……..19
Priest—house………
Ocean—apple……….19
Head—heart………..
Stove—strap……….10
Long—love…………15
Religion—belief……
Whiskey—whisk broom..10
Child—chap………..10
Bitter—butter……..10
Hammer—habit………19
Thirsty—thirty…….10
City—soap…………15
Square—squirrel……10
Butter—bank……….19
Doctor—dentist…….
Loud—laugh………..
Thief—thump……….19
Lion—lump…………19
Joy—jump………….19
Bed—bank………….15
Heavy—happy……….10
Tobacco—tub……….19
Baby—bundle……….
Moon—mantle……….10
Scissors—Saturday….15
Quiet—quarter……..10
Green—drought……..19
Salt—Saturday……..10
Street—straight……
King—cattle……….19
Cheese—captain…….19
Blossom—bandage……15
Afraid—flattered…..10

CONSECUTIVE No. 442.—Nothing abnormal has ever been suspected in the case of this subject; mother eccentric; sister insane. Sound reactions.