Clever Hans Part 3

[Footnote K: See page 126 on the corresponding reaction-time in the case of man. Similar tests have been made in the case of animals in only one instance, and that for dogs, by E. W. Weyer.[5] But, as might have been expected, they did not yield any satisfactory results.]

That the tapping--as well as all other movements of the horse--was nothing other than a reaction upon certain visual stimuli, was proved beyond a doubt by the fact that the voluntary execution of the head-jerk and of other movements--which we will describe in more detail later on,--brought about all the proper responses on the part of the horse.

Thus, artificial synthesis became the test of the correctness of a.n.a.lytical observation.

To elucidate; if the questioner retained the erect position he elicited no response from the horse, say what he would. If, however, he stooped over slightly, Hans would immediately begin to tap, whether or not he had been asked a question. It seems almost ridiculous that this should never have been noticed before, but it is easily understood, for as soon as the questioner gave the problem he bent forward--be it ever so slightly--in order to observe the horse's foot the more closely, for the foot was the horse's organ of speech. Hans would invariably begin to tap when I stooped to jot down some note I wished to make. Even to lower the head a little was sufficient to elicit a response, even though the body itself might remain completely erect. Of thirty tests made in this position, twenty-nine were successful. Hans would continue to tap until the questioner again resumed a completely erect posture. If, for instance, I stooped forward after having told the horse to tap 13, and if I purposely remained in this position until I had counted 20, he would, without any hesitation, tap 20. If I asked him to add 3 and 4, but did not move until 14 was reached, he would tap 14. Twenty-six such tests gave similar results.

The reaction of the horse upon such a signal for stopping showed slight modifications according to the time which elapsed between the last tap and the signal for stopping. These modifications, which had hitherto been paraded as expressions of the horse's psychical power may be ill.u.s.trated by the following schematic figures (Figures 1-4). In all of them the dotted line _c-d_ represents the ground level; _d_ shows where the horse's right forefoot was located before he began tapping; _a_ and _c_, respectively, indicate the place to which the foot is lowered during the process of tapping. The unbroken line gives the direction of the back-step.

If Hans, having raised his foot from _a_ to _b_--preparatory to tapping,--receives the signal at or just before the moment he lowers the foot, he immediately swings it in a wide circle from _c_ back to its original position at _d_, (Fig. 1). As a matter of fact _a_ and _c_ coincide, but are juxtaposed in the diagram for the sake of schematic utility. This was the usual form of the back-step.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1.]

If the signal for stopping is given a little after the last tap (Fig.

2), i. e., at the time that the foot is already being raised for another tap, then the back-step occurs as _a-b-d_. The horse thus gives, at the moment it receives the signal for stopping, a changed impulse to the moving foot. The curve, therefore, has a kink at _b_, and the back-step occurs with seeming hesitancy,--Hans appears not quite certain of his result.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 2.]

If the signal be given somewhat later still (Fig. 3), i. e., when the foot is being lowered to complete a tap, Hans is still able to put on the brakes--as it were--and draw back his foot before it reaches the ground. The whole process gives the impression that the horse was just about to make a "mistake" of one unit, but at the last moment had bethought himself of the correct answer.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 3.]

Finally, if the signal be deferred still longer, it becomes impossible to prevent the extra tap. The back-step again has the same form as in figure 1; Hans has made a "mistake" in his answer by one unit too many.

Conversely, if the head-jerk of the questioner occurs too soon; i. e., at the moment the horse has raised his foot for the final tap to the height _b_, (Fig. 4), then the tap is not completed,--but the foot, without touching the ground, makes the curve _b c_{2} d_, back to its original position. Hans has again made a "mistake" in his answer,--this time by one unit too few.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 4.]

All these variations go to show one thing: Hans never knows in advance which tap is to be the final one. These variations in his reactions occurred often without having been intended by the questioner. But to bring them about at will required skill, on account of the shortness of the time involved in the reaction.

Whenever the signal for stopping--which we have just discussed--was followed by the complete erection of the head and trunk, Hans would definitely cease tapping. If, however, the questioner failed to a.s.sume a completely erect position, or if he stooped forward ever so slightly, the horse would follow the back-step of the right foot with an extra tap of the left foot. Besides occurring in tests in which Mr. von Osten a.s.sumed the role of questioner, this fact was also noted when the Count zu Castell and Mr. Schillings acted as subjects. Since the extra tap just mentioned was not given like the others with the right foot forward, but with the left foot upon the spot, it was possible for the horse to execute it with a greater show of energy. This simulated a high degree of mental certainty on the part of the horse, as if he wished to indicate that this was the correct solution of the problem and it would have to stand. In spite of all this, many errors would creep in. It was possible to prolong this extra tap and thus make it appear more dilatory. We need hardly add that henceforth it was within the power of the experimenter to have the tapping executed entirely with the right foot or with the final extra tap of the left foot. Hitherto the view had been current that this lay solely within the pleasure of the horse.

If the questioner still inclined forward, still remained in the bent posture after Hans had given the final tap with his left foot, the horse would immediately begin to tap once more with his right foot, which had, in the meantime, become ready for further action. If the head jerk was then made, Hans would bring his right foot back, give the extra tap with his left foot, then resume tapping with the right and thus continue until the questioner once more resumed the erect posture. Thus the horse on one occasion when I wished him to tap 100, gave--contrary to my desire--the following response; 39 with the right foot, 1 with the left, 24 with the right, 1 with the left, 35 with the right, and 1 with the left. Later it became possible for me to cause him to tap 1 right, 1 left, 1 right, 1 left, etc. I could even get him to tap exclusively with the left foot by standing at his left rather than at his right as had been customary with his questioners. These taps with the left foot were executed in a far less elegant fas.h.i.+on than those with the right foot, and with a great waste of energy. Hans had become a right-handed individual--as it were--as a result of long habit.

With regard to the distance at which the experimenter directed the horse, the following may be said: The usual distance was one-quarter to one-half meter. This holds for all tests. .h.i.therto described. Seventy tests which were made for the purpose of discovering the influence of change in distance showed that the reaction of the horse upon the customary signal of the head-jerk was accurate up to a distance of three and one-half meters. At a distance of three and one-half to four meters there suddenly occurred a fall of 60-70% in the number of correct responses. At a distance of four to four and one-half meters only one-third of the responses were correct, and at a distance beyond four and one-half meters there were no correct responses. The greater number of these tests were made in our presence by Mr. von Osten, who was under the impression that we were testing the accuracy of the horse's hearing, whereas we were really testing the accuracy of his perception of movements.

With regard to the different positions which the experimenter might a.s.sume with reference to the horse, the following may be noted: The normal position was to the right of the horse. If the experimenter stood immediately in front of Hans, the latter's reaction would be just as accurate, though he would always turn his head and make desperate efforts to see the questioner, even though he was held in short by the reins. When a position immediately behind the horse was taken--a somewhat dangerous proceeding, since Hans would at once begin to kick--no response could be obtained until he succeeded in turning far enough around to get the questioner within view. If he was restrained from turning completely around, he would at least turn his head,--and always to the right. One might even turn his back upon Hans during the tests, for the signal for stopping was not obtained from the face of the questioner, but from a movement of the head. The following incident will show to what extent the horse had become accustomed to seeing the questioner in a certain definite position. For a long time I had been in the habit--without exception--of standing close to the horse's shoulder. Mr. von Osten, on the other hand, would stand farther back.

When, on a certain day, I a.s.sumed the latter position, the horse would not suffer it, but would move backward until he had his accustomed view of me.

Finally we sought to discover by what movements the horse could be made to cease tapping. We discovered that upward movements served as signals for stopping. The raising of the head was the most effective, though the raising of the eyebrows, or the dilation of the nostrils--as in a sneer--seemed also to be efficacious. However, it was impossible for me to discover whether or not these latter movements were accompanied by some slight, involuntary upward movement of the head. The upward movement of the head was ineffective only when it did not occur as a jerk, but was executed in a circuitous form,--first upward and then back again. Such a movement was occasionally observed in the case of Mr. von Osten. The elevation of the arms or of the elbow nearest the horse, or the elevation of the entire body was also effective. Even if a placard, with which the experimenter tried to cover his face, were raised at a given moment, the horse would make the back-step. On the other hand, head movements to the right and to the left or forward and back, in fine, all horizontal movements, remained ineffective. We also found that all hand movements, including the "wonderfully effective thrust of the hand into the pocket filled with carrots", brought no response. I might also change my position and walk forward and then backward some distance behind the horse, but the back-step would only occur in response to the characteristic stimulus. After what has been said it is easy to understand how vain were Mr. Schillings' attempts to disturb the horse and how naturally he might conclude that Hans was not influenced by visual signs. Mr. Schillings simply did not know which signs were effective.

While the horse could thus be interrupted in the process of tapping by movements which were executed at the level of the questioner's head, yet movements below this level had the opposite effect. If Hans showed that he was about to cease tapping before it was desired, it was possible to cause him to continue by simply bending forward a trifle more. The greater angle at which the questioner's trunk was now inclined caused the horse to increase the rate of tapping. The rule may be stated thus: The greater the angle at which the body inclined forward, the greater the horse's rate of tapping, and _vice versa_. It was noticeable that whenever Mr. von Osten asked for a relatively large number--in which case he always bent farther forward than in the case of smaller numbers--Hans would immediately begin to tap very swiftly. Not being entirely satisfied with these observations, the following more exact measurements were taken. I asked the horse to tap 20. From 1 to 10 I held my body at a certain constant angle, at 10 I suddenly bent farther forward and retained this posture until 20 had been reached. If there existed a relations.h.i.+p between the angle of inclination and the rate of tapping, then the time for the last ten taps ought to be less than for the first ten. Of 34 such tests 31 were sucessful. The following are two specimen series.

The first series consisted of ten tests of 15 taps each. In all cases my head was bent at an angle of 30 to the axis of the trunk, but I constantly changed the angle of inclination of the trunk. It was not possible to measure this angle accurately on account of the rapidity with which the whole test had to be made. I was able, however, to differentiate between them with enough accuracy to designate the smallest angle (about 20) as belonging to Grade I, and the greatest angle (about 100) as belonging to Grade VII. By fixing certain points in the environment, it was possible to get approximately the same angle repeatedly. The time from the third to the thirteenth tap was, in all cases, taken by Prof. Stumpf by means of a stop-watch. The tests were taken in the following order:

Grade of inclination: I VI II II IV V VI VII Time for 10 taps: 5.2 4.6 5.0 5.0 4.8 4.8 4.6 4.4 sec.

From this series it will be seen that in the case of the same angle of inclination (II and VI were repeated and III was omitted) the same rate obtained in the tapping. In two other tests I constantly increased the angle of inclination during the 15 taps, and Hans gradually increased the rate of tapping accordingly.

In a second series I had the horse tap 14, five times. I myself took the time of the taps up to 7 by means of the stop-watch, while Prof. Stumpf took the time of the taps from 8 to 13. At 8 I suddenly bent forward a little more and retained this position until tap 13. The results were as follows:

Taps 2 to 7 (Pf.): 3.2 2.2-2.4 2.4 2.2-2.4 2.4 seconds.

" 8 to 13 (St.): 2.6 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.2 seconds.

Such good results, however, were possible only after a number of preliminary practice tests had been made. The experiment was especially difficult because the horse was often on the point of stopping in the midst of a test. This was probably due to some unintentional movement on my part. In such cases I could induce him to continue tapping only by bending forward still more, but this effected also, as we have seen, an increase in his rate of tapping. Such tests, of course, could not give unambiguous results.

The rate of tapping was quite independent of my rate of counting. Thus, if I counted aloud rapidly, but bent forward only very slightly, the horse's tapping was slow and lagged behind my count. If I counted slowly but bent far forward, Hans would tap rapidly and advance beyond my count. Thus we see that his rate of tapping was in accordance with the degree of inclination of my body and never in accordance with the rate of my counting, i. e., it was quite independent of every sort of auditory stimulation.

Direct observation and a comparison of the records of the time Hans required in giving to his master responses involving small, medium and large numbers, with the records of the time which he required to respond to my questions when I bent only slightly, moderately or very far forward, proved that the increased rapidity in tapping in the case of large numbers, which many regarded as an evidence of high intelligence, (see page 20), was, as a matter of fact, brought about in the way described. The two series (in each of which the time measured was for 10 taps) are quite in accord. The horse did not tap faster because he had been given a large number by Mr. von Osten, but because the latter had bent farther forward.

From all this it readily appears why it was possible to cause Hans to increase his rate of tapping but not to decrease it. To do the latter would involve a decrease in the angle of inclination of the body. This would necessitate the erection of the body. As we have seen, this was the signal to which Hans reacted by ceasing to tap. And as a matter of fact we never knew the horse to decrease his rate of tapping in the course of any single test, except in the case of very large numbers, and then it was probably due to fatigue. Mr. von Osten insisted that Hans often slowed down toward the end of a test, "in order to obviate mistakes", but all the tests in which he tried to demonstrate this to us, were unsuccessful. In spite of all exhortation, Hans would tap either uniformly or somewhat more rapidly as soon as his master--in all probability unconsciously--bent somewhat lower. Only once was such a test successful. Mr. von Osten--upon our request--asked the horse to give a certain large number. In this instance the decrease in the rate of tapping was due to fatigue and had nothing whatever to do with the desire on the part of the horse to avoid error. Furthermore, Mr. Hahn, who had visited Hans twenty times and had made careful notes of his observations, corroborated my statement when he said that he himself never noted the decrease in rate mentioned. Contrary statements may perhaps be due to the fact that the tense state of expectancy on the part of the observer made the interval between the last taps appear subjectively somewhat longer.

So much for the technique of the tapping. Now a word about the numbers which Hans tapped. (I refer only to the results obtained in series which involved no volitional control). The number 1 was very difficult to get.

Hans usually tapped 2 instead. Thus even in the case of Mr. von Osten he responded five times with 2, and only in the sixth test did he react correctly. As far as other questioners were concerned, 1 was seldom ever obtained, except in the case of Mr. Schillings and myself. The numbers 2, 3 and 4, on the other hand, were very easily obtained and, above all, 3 seldom failed. 3 seemed to be the horse's favorite number and was very frequently given instead of other numbers. Thus, one-sixth of all the horse's incorrect responses which were given to me were in terms of the number 3. The numbers 5 and 6 were a little more difficult to obtain and above 10 the difficulty increased rapidly. Indeed, I never saw Hans respond with a number exceeding 20 to any questioner, Mr.

Schillings and Mr. von Osten excepted. I saw the nine vain attempts of Count zu Castell to get the number 15, and Count Matuschka's eight unsuccessful attempts to obtain the number 16 as a response. But even with Mr. von Osten and Mr. Schillings such failures were not infrequent.

Thus, Mr. von Osten tried five consecutive times to obtain the number 24. I myself did not fare any better at first. But the following table shows what practice can do. If we compare the percentage of correct responses (involving the numbers 1 to 7--for which alone I have sufficient material, viz., 80 to 100 cases), obtained in the first half of our tests, with that of the second half, we get the following:

For number: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In first half of tests: 49, 92, 89, 86, 74, 62, 53% " second " " " : 92, 95, 92, 98, 97, 86, 96%

From this we see how hard it was at first to get the number 1 and that failure was as frequent as success, and how much easier it was on the other hand to get the numbers 2 and 3 (and which, therefore, do not show any great improvement in the second half of the tests). Beyond the 3 the percentage of correct responses decreased and the number 7 stood at the same level as the number 1. In the second half of the tests, all these differences disappeared and errors were infrequent and seldom exceeded +1 or -1. These results of practice are not to be accredited to the horse, but to the experimenter, who was at first quite unskilled. This difference in results does not appear in the case of Mr. von Osten, for his initial practice had been had many years previous. The values obtained in his case were very constant throughout our experimentation and generally showed something like 90% of correct responses. To be sure, in his case also, the number 1 was somewhat unfavorable, (79% were correct responses). But the percentages obtained in his case showed no improvement whatever throughout our experimentation. We need scarcely add that with the voluntary control of the giving of the signs, in the case at least of such small numbers as are here discussed, no errors, whatever, occurred.

We have discussed the influence of the experimenter, i. e., the one who asked the horse to tap; now let us consider the influence of others present upon the horse.

As a general rule, other persons had no effect upon the horse's responses. This appears from the failure of nearly all tests in which all of those present--with the exception of the questioner himself--knew the number which the horse was to tap. Even when the others concentrated their whole attention upon the number, it profited little as a close a.n.a.lysis of the 136 cases, which belong under this head in our records, go to prove. Thus, in the presence of a group of twenty interested persons--during the absence of Mr. von Osten--twenty-one problems were given to the horse, the solutions of which were known to everyone but myself, the questioner. Result: only two correct responses. Only when there was among the spectators someone to whom the horse was accustomed to respond or one from whom he regularly received his food, would such an influence be effective.[L] But such cases were few. The most important were the following: I at one time whispered a number to Hans (on the occasion of the tests mentioned on page 37), and Mr. von Osten asked for it the moment I stepped aside. Hans answered incorrectly even though I stood close beside Mr. von Osten; I did not, however, think intently of the number. As soon as I concentrated my attention upon the number he promptly responded correctly. Further cases are those mentioned on page 38, in which the keeper of the horse unintentionally aided in giving four dates which were unknown to all others present, including the questioner. This single instance shows the necessity of the rule that during tests in which the method is that of procedure without knowledge the solutions should be known to no one of those present. Finally the tests made by the September-Commission and reported in Supplement III (page 255) may possibly belong under this head. Since they were not followed out any further, I am unable to render a definite judgment upon them. In most of these tests the question itself, as put by Mr. von Osten, was not adequately answered, but curiously enough, however, the number which had been given to Hans in von Osten's absence and which formed the initial number of some mathematical operation, was tapped correctly. This may possibly be explained by the a.s.sumption that this initial number had been retained in the memory of some of those present, (see page 149, on the "perseverative tendency"), and that the horse, since he had been working with some of them, responded to one of those present. Chance may have played some part also.

[Footnote L: Mr. Schillings, however, did succeed in making a number of tests with the co-operation of others who had never before worked with the horse. These tests were made under the following conditions: The horse was standing in his stall, when Mr. Schillings and another gentleman approached him. There was no one else present.

Mr. Schillings, who tried to remain as pa.s.sive inwardly, as possible, asked his partner to think consecutively of different numbers between one and 20, which thus were known to him alone. Hans was then commanded by Mr. Schillings to tap the numbers, which he did, to the great astonishment of the men, and especially of Mr.

Schillings. In like manner Mr. Sander, a staff physician in the marine, received--so he writes me--three correct responses to four questions which he put to the horse. It happened also in the case of two scientific men and finally, too, in my own case when I first came in contact with the horse, (see page 88). The horse's reaction was brought about in the same way in every one of these instances.

Mr. Schillings, in bending forward slightly, thereby started the horse a-tapping, and his companion--just as innocently--interrupted the process by means of a movement of his head, when the right number of taps was reached.

I later tried similar experiments together with Mr. Hahn. I was aware of the answer to the riddle at the time, but he was not. Mr.

Hahn stepped in front of the horse and thought intently of certain numbers. I did the questioning, that is, I got the horse to tap. In twelve tests Hans responded correctly in only two instances. In the ten others he always tapped beyond the number Mr. Hahn had in mind, e.g., 21 instead of 2, and was evidently awaiting a movement on my part. When we exchanged roles, Mr. Hahn doing the questioning and I doing the "thinking," the horse would not respond at all, although as a rule Mr. Hahn had been fairly successful in working with him alone. I had gradually gained so much influence over the horse, that he would scarcely attend to any one else when I was about--Mr. von Osten hardly excepted.

In this connection I would prefer to avoid the term "rapport," which may rise in the minds of many, since it has been used so much in connection with the phenomena of hypnotism, for I would not obscure a fact that is clear by giving it a name that is vague.]

If the questioner knew the number of taps desired, (which was not the case with the tests. .h.i.therto discussed), then the environment had still less influence upon the horse--except that it caused occasional interruption. The horse's responses, therefore, did not tend to become more successful just because a number of persons were simultaneously concentrating upon the result desired. This was proven by the experiments which we repeatedly made for this purpose. Only one person at a time had any influence upon Hans. If two questioners tried to influence the horse at the same time,--other conditions being the same,--success would be for the one who had the greater control over the animal when working alone with him. Prof. Stumpf and I made the following experiment. Both of us stood to the right of the horse, each thinking of a number. In ten such tests Hans always tapped my number.

When Stumpf concentrated upon 5 and I upon 8, the horse responded with 8, i. e., the larger number. When Stumpf had 7 in mind, and I had 4, the response would be 4, i. e., the smaller number. When Stumpf thought of number 6, and I had fixed upon none, Hans tapped 35. He was evidently awaiting my signal. When I went away Stumpf again demanded the number 6, and the horse responded properly. When I returned, Stumpf's attempts again failed. On another occasion Count Matuschka put a number of questions, while Mr. von Osten stood behind him. All of the horse's responses were correct, even the one answering the question: "How much is 7 times 7?", which was difficult on account of the great number of taps required. I was able to note from the direction of the horse's eyes that he was attending only to his master and not to the Count. On still another occasion Mr. Grabow sang two tones--the second being the fourth of the first--and asked Hans: "How many intervals lie between?" I was standing erect before the horse, and was thinking intently of the number 2, but without giving any voluntary sign of any sort. Hans tapped 2, whereupon Mr. Grabow put a number of similar questions; but I no longer thought of the answers, and all of Hans's responses went wrong.

Although Hans was not influenced by others so long as a suitable experimenter was present, yet he might be disturbed and under certain conditions might be led to make the back-step in response to certain movements in his environment. The person to whom he responded would have to be close to the experimenter and would necessarily have to execute a movement greater in extent than the experimenter's. In such instances the raising of the head, arm or trunk, was a sufficient stimulus. Thus we made the following two series of tests. Mr. Stumpf stood with trunk bent forward before the horse, and at a moment decided upon beforehand, a.s.sumed an erect position. I myself stood beside Hans and asked him to tap. When I stood at the horse's neck, then Mr. Stumpfs interruption was effective. When I stood at the horse's flank, the interruption effected only a seeming hesitation, and when I moved still farther back, the horse continued to tap despite any attempted disturbance. In the second series the questioner remained constantly at the right shoulder of the horse, while the one who attempted to distract him, changed positions.

When the latter stood to the right immediately in front of or beside the questioner, the disturbance was effective in 10 out of 13 cases. But when he stood back of, and to the right of, the questioner, the attempts at disturbance were seldom successful. If he chose a place before and to the left of the horse, there was hardly any distraction (in 4 cases only, out of 13), and if he stood to the left and behind the animal, he exerted no influence whatever. Hans manifestly turned his attention, almost exclusively, to the side at which the questioner stood.

That knowledge of this _modus operandi_ made it possible for those persons to get responses from the horse, who hitherto had been unsuccessful, is shown in the case of Mr. Stumpf when he began to control his movements voluntarily on the basis of observations which had been made.

_II. Problems which Hans solved by movements of the head._

We are here concerned with the horse's head movements upward, downward, to the right and to the left, and also with nodding and shaking of the head to signify "yes" and "no". We soon discovered that these experiments, also, were successful without an oral statement of the problem,--in other words, the auditory stimulus was quite superfluous.

The tests with the blinders showed that Hans was lost as soon as his questioner was out of his view, but responded adequately the moment the questioner was in sight. Hans, therefore, had established no idea of any sort in connection with the terms "up", "down", etc., but in these cases, likewise, he reacted in response to certain visual stimuli. The nature of these stimuli I discovered at first in my observations of Mr.

von Osten and also of myself, when working with the horse.