| Choices of all 6 boxes when food was placed in Tri., Sq., Hex., or Cyl. boxes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food in Tri. | Food in Sq. | Food in Hex. | Food in Cyl. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Animals | Tri. | Sq. | Ob. | Hx. | Cyl. | El. | Tri. | Sq. | Ob. | Hx. | Cyl. | El. | Tri. | Sq. | Ob. | Hx. | Cyl. | El. | Tri. | Sq. | Ob. | Hx. | Cyl. | El. | |||
| (U) | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 3 | |||
| (V) | 9 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | |||
| (W) | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 6 | |||
| (X) | 11 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 6 | |||
| (Y) | 11 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 5 | |||
| (Z) | 8 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 5 | |||
| Total, | 55 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 23 | 22 | 30 | 53 | 31 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 19 | 55 | 30 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 52 | 29 | |||
TABLE X. FORM ASSOCIATION. DISTRIBUTION OF RIGHT CHOICES
| Choices from series 1 to 5 in the case of Tri., Sq., Hex., and Cyl. boxes | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food in Tri. | Food in Sq. | Food in Hex. | Food in Cyl. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Animals | 1, | 2, | 3, | 4, | 5, | 1, | 2, | 3, | 4, | 5, | 1, | 2, | 3, | 4, | 5, | 1, | 2, | 3, | 4, | 5, | |||
| (U) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||
| (V) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| (W) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |||
| (X) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |||
| (Y) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||
| (Z) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Total, | 7 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 13 | |||
It will be seen that each animal chose the right box oftener than any other one box, but not oftener than all of them; also that there was a small increase in the number of right choices from series to series. No one of the four forms seemed better discriminated than the others if we may judge from the practical equality of right choices made in each case (55, 53, 55, 52) or from the similar increase in number of right choices from series to series; the hexagonal and cylindrical boxes received fewer choices in the first series than did the triangular and square, but this was exactly counterbalanced in the last series. The triangular box was more often confused with hexagonal and square, and the square with triangular and oblong, than with the others. For the hexagonal box the cylindrical was more frequently mistaken than were the other forms, especially the oblong; and with the cylindrical the elliptical was more frequently confused than were the others, especially the oblong. In this series of tests nothing new as regards general behavior or method of learning was observed.
TABLE XI. POSITION, COLOR AND FORM ASSOCIATION
| Total | ||||||
| Right | Right choices from series 1 to series 5[215] | |||||
| Choices[214] | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Position | 57.9% | 54.2% | 55.6% | 56.9% | 63.2% | 59.0% |
| Color | 35.3% | 16.2% | 29.7% | 37.0% | 42.7% | 51.6% |
| Form | 29.8% | 17.4% | 26.4% | 34.7% | 35.3% | 35.3% |
If we compare the results obtained in these three experiments (see Table XI and Fig. 7), we shall see that the pigeons were governed much more by the position of the food-box than by either its color or its form, and that color was better associated than form. Position was a most important factor throughout, as was observed also by Porter[216] in the case of the English sparrow. Porter[217] also found that his sparrows could associate color better than form. In the position-tests the pigeons showed very little improvement from series to series (see table); almost all that the animals could learn was acquired at the beginning. The more difficult color- and form-trials, however, showed almost constant improvement, although we should have expected this to be greater in the latter case than it was. When judged entirely by the actual number of right choices in a given kind of tests, some of the birds made a very poor showing; but from the standpoint of increasing number of right choices they appeared in a wholly different light.
Thus, for example, bird F (Table VII) made only 33 right choices in a possible 120, yet their arrangement is significant, being, from series 1 to series 5, respectively, 1, 5, 7, 10, 10. It is probable that there would have been still greater improvement had the tests been continued; perhaps the animal would have become as proficient in finding its food by depending upon the color of the receptacle usually containing it, as by relying upon the position of the box in the group.
