| Commencement—Sieve | ||
| commencement | ||
| | | college | commencement |
| | | cap | college |
| | | gown | cap |
| | | boys | commencement |
| | | confetti | commencement |
| sieve | ||
| – | holes | sieve |
| – | water | sieve |
| – | flour | sieve |
| – | space | holes |
| – | concept | space |
| – | Royce | concept |
| – | time | concept |
| – | eternity | time |
| – | damnation | eternity |
| – | Hamlet | "Consummation," etc |
| – | Shakspere | Hamlet |
SUBJECT VII
| Wax—Jug—Tar—Sod | ||
| wax | ||
| | | Charley | wax |
| | | picnic | Charley |
| | | horse | Charley |
| | | saddle | horse |
| jug | ||
| – | ink | jug |
| – | clay | jug |
| – | Hegel | jug |
| tar | ||
| / | 'old tar' | tar |
| / | ship | 'old tar' |
| / | Bermuda | 'old tar' |
| sod | ||
| \ | grave | sod |
| \ | graveyard | grave |
| \ | house | graveyard |
| \ | church | house |
| \ | music | church |
| \ | white | church |
In all the experiments the subject simply knew that possibly more than one starting-point would be given. There was of course the conscious recognition on the part of the subjects that the pronounced words were starting-points, which would imply an attentive consciousness, but they were cautioned neither to favor nor inhibit the newly pronounced word nor an association in progress.
The notes are uniform in showing that often one, two or three words of the former association-series are written after the new word is pronounced. "The momentum," says F., "was great enough to carry the associations two or three words beyond the pronounced word"; while Bl. found "a tendency for the trend of associations to persist, though not strong enough to overcome the new influence." By.'s experience was slightly different. As stated before, he often wrote the word as it came into consciousness. "On hearing a new word it gets precedence over the next associations not yet formed, and there is considerable confusion and lost time unless the motor discharge of writing the pronounced word is permitted to have free expression." The tables verify the same, and also show that there are more associations during the first interval.
Does a former starting-point regain its influence? In the first division there are two cases where the first and second fuse, but no place where the first independently forms an association; in the second but one word for subject Bl. in "Quill—Bench—Chalk," and in the third not any. There was a small amount of fusion in all, since but two words are due to the combined influence of the first and third, five to the combined influence of the first and fourth, with three starting-points, and one to the combined influence of the first and third with four starting-points.
The train of associations is inhibited by a new starting-point which dominates in influence. No mention is made in any note that a former starting-point remains in consciousness for the series, but M. emphatically writes, "Absolutely no influence of the preceding word or words when the next is taken up"; and later, "As soon as the new one is pronounced the old word and the series it had brought up were immediately suppressed." Bl. comments, "How remarkable it is that each new word crowds the old trend of associations out and starts new ones"; and the graphic representation, one of which only is given here on account of lack of space, shows that there is no return to the original series.
The tables are indicative of the tendency. In the first division of the group there are three possible lines of fusion, in the second six possible lines, and in the third twelve possible lines, but we find only 13.2% for all forms of fusion in the first, 7.9% for the second, and 10.5% for the third. In the eighty-seven experiments of the series there is but one absolute return to the previous starting-point. (See Group IX, sec. 2, Bl.) The tables show the varying degrees of fusion, and while the percentages have little meaning, as there is a variable time-element, the numbers do show accurately the number of words and the relative and continued influence of each starting-point.
We conclude that, when the present content of consciousness is a series of associations, the newly given impression establishes itself sufficiently to inhibit the associations of the previous series.