Harvard Psychological Studies Part 61

The following experiments will deal with the as yet quite undetermined elements of suggested movement, perspective and intrinsic interest. By combining objects expressing them, each with another simple object of the same size, another equation will be obtained in which there is only one unknown quant.i.ty, the sizes of the objects being equal and the influence of relative position being at least clearly indicated.

1. Movement.

The experiments on suggestion of movement were made by _C_, _O_ and _P_. Suggestions of movement in pictures are of two kinds--given by lines pointing in a direction which the eye of the spectator tends to follow, and by movement represented as about to take place and therefore interpreted as the product of internal energy. Thus, the tapering of a pyramid would give the first kind of suggestion, the picture of a runner the second kind. Translated into terms of experiment, this distinction would give two cla.s.ses dealing with (A) the direction of a straight line as a whole, and (B) the expression of internal energy by a curve or part of a line. In order to be able to change the direction of a straight line at a given point, a strip of tin two inches long was fastened by a pivot to the usual clasp which slipped up and down on the vertical black strip. The tin strip could be moved about the pivot by black threads fastened to its perforated ends. A strip of cardboard glued upon it would then take its direction. The first experiments, made with the usual 8010 strip, proved very disagreeable. The subject was much disturbed by the blunt ends of the strip. The variable (pivoted) line was then slightly pointed at the upper end, and in the final experiments, in which both are oblique, both strips were pointed at each end. In Exp. III. a line pointing at an angle from the perpendicular was set over against a line of the same dimensions in the ordinary position.

Exp. III. (_a_) F. (8010) pointed up toward center at 145, V. (8010).

F. 40:--(1) 39 48 48, (2) 60 66 68, (3) 97 97, (4) 156* 168*.

F. 60:--(1) 45, (2) 60 62 65 68 90, (3) 90 94, (4) 117 128 152 155.

F. 80:--(1) 50 44*, (2) 74 76 77, (3) 94 100 106 113 115 116, (4) 123 124* 140 165* 169*.

F. 100:--(1) 36 58 60 65* 65 74 77 80 87, (2) 98 108 118, (3) 114* 168 186* 170 136*.

F. 120:--(1) 40 46 54 60 63 76 96 97 111, (2) 115 120 126*

137*, (3) 170 170*.

F. 140:--(1) 45 52 65 65 76 76 86 90, (2) 109 111, (3) 125 140*, (4) 168*.

F. 160:--(1) 38 50 50 60, (2) 80 90 96 98 98, (3) 176*.

F. 180:--(1) 21 23, (2) 54 70 84 90, (3) 100 100 108 114 120, (4) 130 145*.

F. 200:--(1) -2, (2) 33 37 50, (3) 106 110 to 120 115 120 130 132 138 142.

The most striking point about these groups is the frequency of positions far from the center when F. also is far out. At F. 120, a position at which the mechanical choice usually prevails if F. is smaller, a very marked preference indeed appears for positions of V.

nearer the center--in fact, there is only one opposing (first) choice.

Now, if it is not the wide s.p.a.ce otherwise left which pulls the variable in,--and we see from a note that the subjects have no feeling of a large empty s.p.a.ce in the center,--it must be that F. has the same effect as if it were really smaller than V., that is, mechanically 'light.' We see, in fact, that the moment F. has pa.s.sed the point, between 80 and 100, at which both lines close together in the center would be disagreeable, the preference is marked for inner positions of V., and I repeat that this cannot be for s.p.a.ce-filling reasons, from the testimony of F. 200 (3).

And this 'lightness' of the line pointed in at 45 is indeed what we should have expected _a priori_ since we found that objective heaviness is balanced by a movement out from the center on the mechanical principle. If movement out and objective heaviness are in general alike in effect, then movement in and objective lightness should be alike in effect, as we have found to be the case from the preceding experiments. The inward-pointed line does not actually move in, it is true, but it strongly suggests the completion of the movement. It enters into the 'mechanical' equation--it appears to balance--as if it had moved.

The point, however, in which this 'lightness' of the inward-pointed line differs from that of the small or short line is its s.p.a.ce-filling quality. It suggests movement in a certain direction, and, while giving the mechanical effect of that movement as completed, seems also in a sense to cover that s.p.a.ce. We see from F. 180 (3), (4), and 200 (3), that the subject does not shrink from large s.p.a.ces between the lines, and does not, as in Exp. I. (_a_), 4 and 5, bring the variable, which in both cases is evidently 'heavier,' to the center. This must be from the fact that the empty s.p.a.ce does not in this experiment feel empty--it is filled with energy of the suggested movement. This view is confirmed by the dislike which the subjects show to the position F.

40; F., being 'lighter,' but the object of attention as close to the center, might well balance V. far out. But as if the whole variable field would be in that case 'overfilled,' the records show 50 per cent. of refusals to choose for this position.

In brief, then, a straight line suggesting movements in a certain direction has the effect, in the general scheme of mechanical balance, of a static position in which this movement has been carried out, with the added suggestion of the filling of the s.p.a.ce over which such movement is suggested.

A few additional experiments were made with a point on the upper end of V. The groups of III. (_a_) are maintained almost exactly: F. 120 is again strikingly 'mechanical'; after F. 120 there are only two mechanical choices out of nineteen; while for F. 40, as in Exp. III.

(_a_), out of six choices, four are either refusals or question-marked.

Exp. IV. Both lines took oblique directions, and, to get a pleasing effect, were pointed at both ends. They were of the usual size, 8010 mm., but 1 mm. broader to allow for the effect of length given by the points. F. was fixed at 45, as in III. (_a_), on the points 40, 80, 120 and 160; V. moved also on fixed points, 60, 100, 140, 180, for each position of F., but on each point was adjusted at a pleasing angle. Thus, there were four positions of V. to each of F., each with one or two angular positions; V. was always in the first quadrant.

The numbers of the table give the angular degrees of V.

F. 40, V. 60:--(1) 10 12 38 44, (2) 50 57* 60, (3) 70.

V. 100:--(1) 15 15 30 30, (2) 50 55 50, (3) 69 70*.

V. 140:--(1) 12* 14 18 18, (2) 60 60 49, (3) 72.

V. 180:--(1) 12 10 38, (2) 60 50, (3) 75.

[Many refusals at 140 and 180.]

F. 80, V. 60:--(1) 11, (2) 25 35 36*, (3) 45 48 55 58 60, (4) 69.

V. 100:--(1) 16 15, (2) 24 27 35 40, (3) 52, (4) 62 74*.

V. 140:--(1) 10 15 16, (2) 22 28, (3) 40 40 59 59, (4) 70.

V. 180:--(1) 14 8, (2) 28, (3) 41 46, (4) 68 79.

F. 120, V. 60: (1) 28, (2) 42 44 35, (3) 52 58 62 65 65.

V. 100:--(1) 9, (2) 23 25, (3) 38 40 40 42 58, (4) 68 70.

V. 140:--(1) 10, (2) 20 26 21* 24 29, (3) 34 42 42 44 55*, (4) 75.

V. 180:--(1) 17 26, (2) 40 42 46, (3) 62 64 70 70*.

F. 160, V. 60:--(1) 20 39, (2) 18, (3) 58 60 64 68 70.

V. 100:--(1) 23 25 30 38, (2) 44 44 49, (3) 55 58 65.

V. 140:--(1) 5, (2) 31 35 40 40 32, (3) 54 55 68.

V. 180:--(1) 50 50 58 60, (2) 75.

The tendency to mechanical balance would, according to our previous a.n.a.lysis, lead the variable to take a direction which, in its suggestion of motion inward, should be more or less strong according as it were farther from or nearer to the center than the fixed line.

Such motion inward would, of course, be more strongly suggested by an angle less than 45 than by an angle greater than 45, and it seems that the angles chosen are in general in harmony with this expectation. For the positions where F. is nearer the center than V.

there is a preponderance of the angles less than 45 (cf. F. 40 and F.

80, V. 100 and 140; F. 120, V. 140, 180). When V. pa.s.ses over to a position farther from the center than F. (_e.g._, from F. 80, V. 60, to F. 80, V. 100 and from F. 120, V. 60, to F. 120, V. 140) the change is marked. In every case where F. is farther from the center than V.

(_i.e._, F. 80, V. 60; F. 120, V. 60 and V. 100; F. 160, V. 60, V.

100 and V. 140), there are to be noticed a lack of the very small angles and a preponderance of the middle and larger angles. F. 160, V.

140 and 180 seem to be the only exceptions, which are easily explainable by a dislike of the extremely small angle near the edge; for it appears from the remarks of the subjects that there is always a subconsciousness of the direction suggested by the lower pointed end of the line. For the outer positions of both lines, a large angle would leave the center empty, and a small one would be disagreeable for the reason just given; and so we find, indeed, for F. 160, V. 100, 140, 160, the middle position the favorite one.

The representation of action may be translated into experimental terms by expressing it as a line which changes its direction, thus seeming to be animated by some internal energy. The forms chosen were three curves 'bulging' from a straight line in differing degrees, and two straight lines with projections. _C_ and _O_ were the subjects. The results are given in outline.

Exp. V. Curve I. See Fig. 12, I

(1) Curve out (turned away from center).

(_a_) F. (8010), V. Curve.

About half the positions of V. are farther from the center than F. _O_ at first refuses to choose, then up to F. 120 puts V. farther from the center than F. _C_ has a set of positions of V. nearer the center and several second choices farther than F.

(_b_) F. Curve, V. (8010).

No position of V. nearer center than F. _O_ puts line farther out up to F. 160, then nearer than F. _C_ has a set of nearly symmetrical choices and another where V. is much farther out than F.

(2) Curve in (turned toward center).

(_a_) F. (8010), V. Curve.

_C_ is absolutely constant in putting V. farther from center than F. _O_, after F. 100, brings it slightly nearer.

(_b_) F. Curve, V. (8010).