The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-05-07
HOW MENTAL LAWS oPenArE.
Some Curious Studies In Regard to the
Association of ideas.

Inc ORSIdtfOuS VI y UIdu q mluu 1uInlSu
him by day and by night at home and abroad !
IN immense field for curious Investigation. |
No one can have just idea before he has |
carefully experimental upon himself of the |
crowd of unheeded, half thoughts and faint
that fit through his brain. and
of the influence they exert upon his con-
scious life. contributor to the Nine
teenth Century describes few OF the re-
suits of his own determination in re-
spect to associated ideas as follows: ut was
after many minor trials that one afternoon l
felt myself in a humor for the peculiar and
somewhat severe mental effort that was re-
quIred to carry through sufficiently pro-
longed experiment, as follows: I occupied
myself during walk from the Atheneum
club, London, along Pail Mall to st. James
street, distance of some 450 yards, in keep
ing half glance on what went on In my
mind, as 1 looked with intent scrutiny
at the successive objects that caught
my eye. The instant new
idea arose it was absolutely dismissed, and
another was allowed to occupy its place. l
never permitted my mind to ramble into
any by-paths. but strictly limited its work
to the formation of nascsnt ideas in associa-
ton with the several objects that saw.
The ideas were, therefore, too feeting to
leave more than vague impressions in my
memory. Nevertheless, retained enough of
what had taken place to be amazed at the
amount of work my brain had per-
lOlutO WcS dGdIc tunb LII Ado
travelled during that brief walk in the
most dIscursive manner throughout the ex-
periences of ny whole life; that it had en-
tered as an habitual guest into numberless
localities that it had certal My never visited
under the light OF full consciousness for
many years. and, in short, l inferred that
my everyday brain work was incompara-
bly, more active, and that my ideas travelled
far wider afield than had previously any
distinct conception of. Ny desire be-
came intensely stimulated to try further
experiments, and, as first commence
ment of them, to repeat the walk under
similar circumstances. purposely allowed
a few days to elapse before doing So during
which l ..resolutely refused to allow my
thoughts to revert to what had taken place,
in order that / might undergo the repetition
of the trial with as fresh mind as possible.
Again 1 took the walk, and again l was
aware of the vast number of extremely faint
thoughts that had arisen; but was surprised
and somewhat Inundated to find that
large proportion of them were identical
with those that had occurred on the previous
occasion. I was satisfied that their re-
currence had in only very few cases been
due to mere recollection. They seemed for
the most part to be founded on associations
SO long and firmly established, that their re-
currence might be expected in future
trial, when these past experiments should
have wholly disappeared from the memory.
feeting ideas before they had
wholly escaped, to record and anslyzs
them, and so to obtain q definite know
ledge of their character and of the frequency
of their recurrence, and such other collateral
information as the experiments might afford.
The plan adopted was to suddenly display
printed word, to allow about couple of
ideas to successfully present themselves, and
then, by violent mental revulsion and
sudden awakening OF attention, to seize upon
those ideas before they had faded, and TO
record them exactly as they were at the mo-
ment when they were surprised and grappled
with. 1t was an attempt like that of Men,
claus, in the Odyssey, to constrain the elusive
form of Proteus. The experiment ad
mits of being conducted with perfect fair
ness. The mind can be brought into qui
ecent state, blank, but intent; the word can
be displayed without disturbing that state;
the ideas will then present themselves ma
turally, and the sudden revulsion follows
almost automatically. Though l sey it is
perfectly possible to do all this, 1 must in
fairness add that it is the most fatiguing
and distasteful mental ex perience that l have
ever undergone. Its irksomeness arises from
Observation-Disclosures The chief of these
is the endeavor to witty an impression that
is only just felt, and to drag it out from
obscurity into the full light of consciousness
The exertion is akin to that of trying to
recall name that just, and only just, escapes
us; it sometimes seems as though the brain
would break down if the effort were perse-
Yered in, and there is sense of immense
relief when we are content to abandon the
search, and tc await the chance of the name
occurring to US of its own accord through
some accidental association. Additional
exertion and much resolution are re-
required, in carrying on the experiment, to
maintain the form of the idess strictly
unaltered while they are vivi6ed, as they
have strong tendency to rapid growth.
L. -
important in this as in all other similar
cases, to describe in detail the way in which
the experiments were conducted. I pro
cured short vocabulary of words and laid
it open by my side.. then put book upon
it in such way that it did not cover the
its edge hid it from my view when
sat little backward in
my chair. By leaning forward, tbs
word came into sight l also took many
petty precautions. not worth describing, tc
prevent any other object besides the WORD
Thoughts. Before began the experiment
put myself into an easy position, with per
in my right hand resting on q memorandum
book, and with watch that marked quarte
seconds in my left hand, which was started
by pressing on stop, and continued goini
until the pressure was released. This was
little contrivance of my own appended to on
OF Bensen's common chronographs. When
felt myself perfectly in repose. with my min,
blank, but intent, gently leant forwar'
and read the word, simultaneously pres-iD
the stop of the watch. Then I allowed bu
a couple of ideas to present themselves
and Immediately afterward released the stol
and gave my utmost power of attention +
appreciate with accuracy what had takel
place, and this recorded at once. Lastly,
wrote down at leisure the word that ha
been displayed, and the time show
by the chronograph to have bee
occupied by the experiment. Tn
number OF words used in the e1
periments is IS, which had been gon
through, as described, on four separate occs
sions, at intervals of about . month. TIL
IS words made q total of 800 separate trial
and gave rise between them to sos ideas i
the space of $50 seconds. There were, hov
ever, SO many cases of recurrence that th
plumber of different ideas proved to be onl
279. Twenty-nine of the words gave rise
the same thought in every one of the TO,
n - L L. + -