Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 2

by Unknown

Heights of Curves
		U	V	W	X	Y	Z
Subject	A	6.83	6.68	6.59	6.55	6.63	6.79
	B	8.64	7.26	6.41	7.79	6.39	9.75
	C	6.67	6.55	6.73	6.85	5.87	8.53
	D	21.35	21.26	21.46	21.90	21.33	21.31
	E	16.13	15.77	15.17	15.85	15.29	16.08
	F	16.90	16.97	16.14	16.52	15.81	17.91
	G	11.42	11.32	11.39	11.48	11.06	11.10
		87.94	85.51	83.89	86.94	82.38	91.48
Average		12.56	12.26	11.98	12.42	11.77	13.07
Arranged in order of height of curve
		Z	U	X	V	W	Y
		13.07	12.56	12.42	12.26	11.98	11.77

If we put the figures in the order of strongest reaction for the different subjects we get the following table:

Subject	A	U	Z	V	Y	W	X
	B	Z	U	X	V	W	Y
	C	Z	X	W	U	V	Y
	D	X	W	U	Y	Z	V
	E	U	Z	X	V	Y	W
	F	Z	V	U	X	W	Y
	G	X	U	W	V	Z	Y

It is seen from these results that, although the subjects differ, the height of the curve varies directly with the complexity of the figure. The order of the figures, which we get by measuring the height of the curves and then putting that figure with the highest curve first, with the next highest second, and so on, is exactly the same order in which we should put them if we were asked to put the most complex first, the next second, and so on. Though the individual subjects may vary somewhat from this rule, when they are all grouped together there are no exceptions.

The variations of the reactions with the different subjects may be shown very clearly in the following way, where the different figures are in the left-hand side arranged in order of descending complexity. "1st place," etc., refer to the order of arrangement of the figures by the different subjects as shown in preceding tables. Thus, Z, 3 times, 1st place, means that three subjects have in the average a higher curve for Z than for any other figure.

	1st place	2d place	3d place	4th place	5th place	6th place
Z	3 times	2 times	0 times	0 times	2 times	0 times
U	2 times	2 times	2 times	1 time	0 times	0 times
X	2 times	1 time	2 times	1 time	0 times	1 time
V	0 times	1 time	1 time	3 times	1 time	1 time
W	0 times	1 time	2 times	0 times	3 times	1 time
Y	0 times	0 times	0 times	2 times	1 time	4 times

One can see at a glance from this, how, as the figures decrease in complexity, they take their position further on in the series. If a diagonal is drawn from the upper left-hand corner to the lower right, it will pass through or near the larger numbers in the table, thus showing that the figures belong in the ordered series in the places already shown.

Next in order let us take up the measurements of the widths of curves for the same geometrical figures which we have been considering.