Journal Of Educational Psychology (volume 1)

Synopsis

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1910. Excerpt: ... L. W. Cole and F. M. Long. Visual Discrimination in Raccoons. Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, 19: 1909, 657-688. J. B. Watson. Sonic Experiments Bearing Upon Color Vision in Monkeys. Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, 19: 1909, 1-28. These two papers dealing with visual discrimination in animals are interesting evidences of the present rapid advances in the use of scientific method in comparative psychology. In both cases color vision was the particular object of experimentation and both reports are portions of more extended studies. The method which has heretofore most frequently been used in work on color vision, that of using ordinary daylight reflected from the surfaces of colored papers, was employed by Cole and Long for the study of the raccoon. Thirty-nine of the Milton Bradley colored papers and five of the Hering gray papers of equal brightness with certain groups of the colors, as determined by Rood's flicker method, were used. The papers were very carefully tested as to degree of brightness and were divided into seven groups. The papers of any one group were pasted upon ordinary drinking glasses, which were presented to the animal simultaneously in a wooden frame. The animal was to select a glass of a certain color which contained food. The position of the food glass was changed after each trial. In order to avoid the possibility that the animal might be guided by smell or any other evidence than color, many control experiments were made. As far as the evidence from the use of this method can be accepted, the authors are undoubtedly justified in their conclusion that the raccoons can be made to discriminate objects by color alone, though they are seldom called upon to do so in their natural state. A large number of tests were required to bri...