In brief, then, a straight line suggesting movements in a certain direction has the effect, in the general scheme of mechanical balance, of a static position in which this movement has been carried out, with the added suggestion of the filling of the space over which such movement is suggested.
A few additional experiments were made with a point on the upper end of V. The groups of III. (a) are maintained almost exactly: F. 120 is again strikingly 'mechanical'; after F. 120 there are only two mechanical choices out of nineteen; while for F. 40, as in Exp. III. (a), out of six choices, four are either refusals or question-marked.
Exp. IV. Both lines took oblique directions, and, to get a pleasing effect, were pointed at both ends. They were of the usual size, 80×10 mm., but 1 mm. broader to allow for the effect of length given by the points. F. was fixed at 45°, as in III. (a), on the points 40, 80, 120 and 160; V. moved also on fixed points, 60, 100, 140, 180, for each position of F., but on each point was adjusted at a pleasing angle. Thus, there were four positions of V. to each of F., each with one or two angular positions; V. was always in the first quadrant.
The numbers of the table give the angular degrees of V.
F. 40, V. 60:—(1) 10 12 38 44, (2) 50 57* 60, (3) 70.
V. 100:—(1) 15 15 30 30, (2) 50 55 50, (3) 69 70*.
V. 140:—(1) 12* 14 18 18, (2) 60 60 49, (3) 72.
V. 180:—(1) 12 10 38, (2) 60 50, (3) 75. [Many refusals at 140 and 180.]
F. 80, V. 60:—(1) 11, (2) 25 35 36*, (3) 45 48 55 58 60, (4) 69.
V. 100:—(1) 16 15, (2) 24 27 35 40, (3) 52, (4) 62 74*.
V. 140:—(1) 10 15 16, (2) 22 28, (3) 40 40 59 59, (4) 70.
V. 180:—(1) 14 8, (2) 28, (3) 41 46, (4) 68 79.
F. 120, V. 60: (1) 28, (2) 42 44 35, (3) 52 58 62 65 65.
V. 100:—(1) 9, (2) 23 25, (3) 38 40 40 42 58, (4) 68 70.
V. 140:—(1) 10, (2) 20 26 21* 24 29, (3) 34 42 42 44 55*, (4) 75.
V. 180:—(1) 17 26, (2) 40 42 46, (3) 62 64 70 70*.
F. 160, V. 60:—(1) 20 39, (2) 18, (3) 58 60 64 68 70.
V. 100:—(1) 23 25 30 38, (2) 44 44 49, (3) 55 58 65.
V. 140:—(1) 5, (2) 31 35 40 40 32, (3) 54 55 68.
V. 180:—(1) 50 50 58 60, (2) 75.
The tendency to mechanical balance would, according to our previous analysis, lead the variable to take a direction which, in its suggestion of motion inward, should be more or less strong according as it were farther from or nearer to the center than the fixed line. Such motion inward would, of course, be more strongly suggested by an angle less than 45° than by an angle greater than 45°, and it seems that the angles chosen are in general in harmony with this expectation. For the positions where F. is nearer the center than V. there is a preponderance of the angles less than 45° (cf. F. 40 and F. 80, V. 100 and 140; F. 120, V. 140, 180). When V. passes over to a position farther from the center than F. (e.g., from F. 80, V. 60, to F. 80, V. 100 and from F. 120, V. 60, to F. 120, V. 140) the change is marked. In every case where F. is farther from the center than V. (i.e., F. 80, V. 60; F. 120, V. 60 and V. 100; F. 160, V. 60, V. 100 and V. 140), there are to be noticed a lack of the very small angles and a preponderance of the middle and larger angles. F. 160, V. 140 and 180 seem to be the only exceptions, which are easily explainable by a dislike of the extremely small angle near the edge; for it appears from the remarks of the subjects that there is always a subconsciousness of the direction suggested by the lower pointed end of the line. For the outer positions of both lines, a large angle would leave the center empty, and a small one would be disagreeable for the reason just given; and so we find, indeed, for F. 160, V. 100, 140, 160, the middle position the favorite one.
The representation of action may be translated into experimental terms by expressing it as a line which changes its direction, thus seeming to be animated by some internal energy. The forms chosen were three curves 'bulging' from a straight line in differing degrees, and two straight lines with projections. C and O were the subjects. The results are given in outline.