The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-13
m WE REMEMBER EvENTSi
,coRyELL CONTENTION lTMEM-
orr IS SHORT.


4 NFnffGsOIA IL wv
-. In Cornell University are carrying on q
y =, cxperlments, which, in time, may come
"h.n,e our conception Of things material and
.s..tso For instance. one of the board con-
- ~. ,bo, memory, as we now consider II, Is an
49,, Il, ane. II is held that a mar does not
"~.uher his dead and gone rclatives-hls sis
~. hts Cousins or his aunts; that, contrary to the
- =, "Aux ltaliens." one Is not reminded OF
Naanosvcnts by the sense OF smell: that music,
.owever reminiscent it may sound, 10 largely q
-,,,sr NJ habit, when IL Is used merely as a We
siolc tor memory. From what can be gathered
.-oo The findings OF Prof. Tichener and his as
.,.,,nts YOU are reminded OF bygone events by
o,h.r things. which you use as progressive
heIners. so to speak. to aid your jaded intellect.
~ NM il ulainer, your veteran Of the late war
-, ron,cmber the battles through which he
osoI Tho memory Of the battles stayed with
r., tor a short period after they took place.
M, m. details OF the fights became indistinct
.f,sr A very short lapse Of time. AT the emo Oh
avear he would have only a very general con-
..,,ion OF an engagement. At the end OF two
,.ars he would remember not the engagement
itself, but his previous memory of 1t. At 1.-The
end Of three years his rccollcctions would revert
N what he had remembered ut the end OF two
wears. and so on until the habit OF using his pre-
yious recollectiOns became fixed. Ihen. as the
wears roll on. the new happenings or his lie
crowd out the old ones, until the latter become
distorted, and, IL he xamin old records, he
will and that his ideas of the original battles are
very Inaccurate.
This sounds like an imperfectly stated theory
n, some beginner in science who might wish
thus TO exploit a chance glimpse into IL hitherto
pnexplored Held. but the observations are borne
ont BY experiments and the experiments are
conducted with instruments, the records OF
which presumably are correct. The experiments
have been extended over q period OF years.. The
.uhiect was first asked TO remember an event
which had occurred previous to the first test. a
careful record OF the account OF the events was
made. Later, the subject was placed in q room
from which every object which might serve to
distract his attention had been removed. Even
the wall paper offered no glazing contrasts In its
color scheme. His second account OF the hap
pening was different, ever so slightly. from tho
first. AT the end OF a given period another ac-
count was recorded. Again there was a slight
difference. And after a time IL became evident
that the subject was depending on his previous
remembrances Of the event in question The
Inference drawn was that Il the iptermediate
have been more inaccurate than it was.
In the meantime. while this test OF memory of
amore or less complicated event was being car
rleG on, Inc SUBJECT was tADCTlL1tNItu upon III
order 10 ascertain in what degree he could
recollect colors. He was placed In u darkened
room and a colOr-a. shade OF red flashed on a
screen-was shown TO him. After n time he was
asked to pick out the shade which had been
shown TO him previously. He could do so when
allowed to compare the shade with others. But
again he was asked TO look at u screen which
could be automatically graduated, so that the
very highest tint OF red could be almost imper-
ceptibly changed 10 the deepest shade. Failure
TO detect the particular shade was in this case
almost a foregone conclusion. And it WIS with
alike result that a series OF notes, struck upon
the piano. were tried.
The experiments with o3ors are still being
carried on. Tne idea is 20 show that the uncon-
seious remembrance OF anything when a certain
lectusl order. Let us say that we always think
OF the opera Faust v whom the odor of violets
is present DOUBTLESS in the iirst instance the
the opera Now, Immediately after this. it was
simply a natural sequence that We should think
OF the opera when We saw the flower. To see
was TO smell. and to smell was to connec: the
odor with the Opers. Inc slightest intellectual
effort would complete the CHI in. A few occa-
into a habit. Often only one occasion Is
necessary, but the process Is as much of the in
tel'ect as 1T Is Of the ssnse OF smell; even more
the process might DC cEiied the jasmine flower
habit; To show that this habit is intellectual. a
singular experiment is now being carried on.
Surrounded by the proper influences, the sub
!ect is being allowed 10 smell an odor which in
vasiaoly reminds him OF u certain event OF the
fN = OnENSl MS odoI ia bClNB
gradually less ned in intensity and another
odor entirely different IN character is being in
t1oduced inlo the room. The subject is never
allowed TO smell the first without the second.
and The first will finally be allowed to disappear
altogether. Ii; with this new odor alone, the
subject is finally reminded Of the event above
mentioned, II will show that this odor remem-
orance is merely II habit more or less mechani-
cal IN It's action.
htNey, who can describe the commonest &C.
Sutehee VITA even an approach to accuracy"
LHtsr the Psychologists 20 further than this and
manipulation, can be made to believe that he
mas participated in events with which he IN
reality could not possibly have been connected
a. me lme OF their happening. a case in point
was reported recently. A would-oe pensioner
Sheer me government applied 10 a man under
Ioooration Of the settlement that he had been
Tm!ared by a gun carriage while on the march.
t dne second nan denied any, knowledge of
Drought up the subject again, but could not
eohyihce bis former officer OF the truth of the
SSa'emeni, At intervals. covering some years,
~ tepeateu the experiment, until finally the
mind OF the officer began to waver in favor OF
sHe private; ani II actually ended in the former
area I,Sssa the accident. Then, having consit-
sreo me matter further, he wavered again. ana
ra%a! ne came 10 the conclusion that what he
renemoered was not the accident itself, but the
TTould'ne pensioners former accounts of IL.
a ~, atter al, is only an abstract corroboration
H. oIG SAYING that a man needs only to tell
~ q sunclent number of times in order to be
'GrsoushIy convinced that IL Is true.
me point OF the observations at Cornell Is that
~ one really an event itself. The
topscity Tor SO doing would be a real misfortune
Wule person SO equipped, in view of all that
nus u crowded into the brain OF the average
pensoh during his or her lifetime. The thing
suIoiers down 10 a general impression, anu
even me edge OF this becomes blunted very
iw w we DC, not recharge our mind with new
aSes ot The event. The image OF the
swrnt Itself must perforce at last pass
S"as from US, but by often recapitulat-
ss out knowledge OF it we do something 10 pre-
h,e.t In our minds. In short, our memory OF
naappehlng Is not OF the event itself, but of our
tS,l9us memories Of IL. Mechanically illus-
hrG1ieu; me process Is the same as though several
bSSaaIu oa!IS are placed in line and then shot at
~ aHosher ball. The latter strikes one end Of
no mo a.he' ouL only the ball on the other end
through, however. "' WY
ahotGer remarkable series of experiments
th. SeIi'g carried on in Cornell has to do with
mi,J ~ " o'ets. Concentration of the human
ar,n . oFInS tlile!, and in the course OF ex-
tTnneents tue TACT has been CorrOborated that
Es w. ~ ot1Ass can be swaycd definitely by odors
crsa'''a an uy sVDnds. This does not mean the
wr"n.S ul enthusiasm such as people are
day III W. up 70 N the theatre, but that in every
slny" ~ Detiohs may be made to work fast or
varinn ~"9o'"'hS!y - hoy are surrounded by
ipg I o-Isz, or brought within hear.
eTnmnt, 'tE-hlh sounds. 1t L. found, for
nlechlpn', mat sOIne men will perform
yioIs,s" work much faster il an odor or
Wort n ictN tues the wurkrOOn. Others will
Pc" tWu slower under the same influence,
v 1 III emo 49,. go g