Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1910-03-11
Animal Psychology.



eestors made their beds In rushes.
and that instinct, inherited from un.
eountable generations, causes the do
nestle dog 10 turn about in invisible
rushes before composing himself fof
sleep The dog wears o grave face
during the movement, but evidently
goes through no mental process. No
great scientific knowledge is required
to study instinct in animals; at least
to obtain results of considerable in
terest; but animal psychology re-
quires special preparation and elabor-
ate experimenting, and the results OBJ
tained bear intimately upon the rela-
ton Of man to the brute creation.
The naturalists. as Professor John
B. Watson, Of JONAS Hopkins Univer-
sity tells us in an article entitled "The
New Science of Animal Behavior" In
Harper's Magazine, have assumed that
animals go through a mental process,
that is to say, that they think, be-
cause they act under certain circum.
stances as human beings do:
Animals high and low in the ZOO
logical scale were accredited with all
the sensations which man possesses,
and with many which man does not
possess. 1t was affirmed that
animals consciously remember their
past acts that they have emotions
similar in most respects to those dis
played by man. 1t was even affirmed
that the sentiments of justice. char
ity, religion and other Social virtues
are not wholly wanting"
Professor Watson declares that the
conclusions Of the naturalist founded
upon observation or derived from an.
ecdotes told by others are of no value
to science. Science demands conclu.
sions that are based on experiments
methodically carried out to determine
whether the animal really knows
what 1t is doing and acts in certain
way because II goes through mental
process. Principal Lloyd Morgan, OF
Bristol College. England. cut loose
from the aneodotal school" twenty
years ago and began to experiment
with dogs and birds. His facilities
were limited and his investigations
attracted little notice The study has
since been taken up by men who have
ingenious apparatus and complete la.
boratories to work with. Their ex.
periments comprehend not only the
higher vertebrates but all living or
ganisms, Professor Watson has dem.
onstrated that monkeys can distiu
gulsh between colors. After training
a rhesus monkey. to pull
open the door to a little box, he placed
two Illuminated metal boxes, one red
and the other green. in an otherwise
dark room, the eolors being obtained
by passing sunlight through a prism.
In the red box, sometimes placed in
one part Of the darkened room and
in another, changing places
with the green box, grape was
placed back Of a closed lid or door
The green box had lid or door that
,ould not be opened by the monkey
After twenty-five days of testing Jim.
ME would go straight to the red boz
the grape, open the door
md take out the grape, ninety times
1ut Of hundred trials The assoeia-
ion between the red color and food
seems to be established. Red meant
.ood to Jimmie, and Professor Wat
ION concludes that the monkey had
required knowledge Of color. Some
)eople will not be convinced Of this
because Jimmie did not make full
core. Jimmie cannot speak for him
ielf. but 1t may be that he felt the
iced Of food more on some occasions
han on others. Many changes were
to deceive Jimmie, differ.
mt shades OF red and green, but he
vas nearly always true to red and the
grape. There was no question Of
whether he could smell Il.
Cats, according to this patient ez-
oerimenter, have little or no color
Tision. 1t is an open question so far
whether dogs have any Professor
ferkes. Of Harvard, has concluded I
hat white rats are very defective in
'olor vision.' The dog. 1t has been /
demonstrated has often a very good 1
'ar for music being able to distin.
suish between slight differences in
,iteh, Diseords cause him to howl /
With anguish, while he will often lis
en- to a well played air without pro-
est. A white rat has been taught to I
bread complicated maze construct
ID in large box, in a central cham
yer OF which is a morsel of food; after
while it went quickly and familiarity
N its way to the goal. In the Har-
ard psychological laboratory Berry
las found that the Manx cat is imita-
i've to some extent, and Haggerty re-
'orts that monkeys learn by example
more than the Manx cat. while the rat
S less initiative than the cat. On the
ither hand Thorndike reports his fail
ire to get monkeys. dogs or cats to
10 what trained animals have done
lefore their eyes. They could be
made to learn tricks only by promise
# reward or fear Of punishment.
Professor Watson observes that it
5 unfortunate that this conflict of
'videnee exists. In conclusion he
avs that studies in animal behavior,
While not fulfilling the hopes of the
'arlier students Of evolution in show
ng that animals have exalted types
II intellect, nevertheless are forcing
is to reconsider our extravagant no.
ions of the all sudieieney Of the hu-
nan mind II animals seem slow TO
earn to distinguish between colors
md to do things always the same
way 1t must be remembered that the
hild knows nothing that it is not
aught by direction or example, and
it learns very slowly, In
hort, man gets his first steps in ex-
city the same way as does the ami
nal. New York Sun.