Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 5.djvu/556

 540 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

a picture, a sound, a taste, etc., the direct stimulus was given and the subject asked to write her association. Instead of saying "rainbow," a color was shown ; for "thunder," a whistle was blown; for "pain," a pinprick was given; for "taste," a drop of quinine solution; for "smell," extract of ammonia was given. This test was for the purpose of ascertaining if the memory stimulated persisted longer upon direct stimulation.

Important among the many facts obtained from this test is that of the rate. The rate of association of the students was much greater. The number varied with the word given, for some suggested more vivid associations. Taking the first series as illustrative, the rate per minute was: students: "rainbow," 10.7; "thunder," 10. i; "pain," 10. i ; "ammonia," 10. 4; "sour," 12; criminals : " rainbow," 5.2 ; " thunder," 5.2 ; " pain," 5.4 ; " sour," 4.6; "ammonia," 4.8. These differences in rate appeared throughout the series. The courtesans here again showed the lowest rate.

This difference in rate is due to the fact that criminals' minds do not operate as rapidly ; they have a smaller fund of general knowledge from which to draw associations, and they discriminate more in what they write down. The difficult}' with which they write the words delays them in recording their associations.

The route of association is also interesting. There were three or four possible ones. In the first the association always went back to the word given, that is, all other ideas were related to "rainbow," for instance. In the second, one idea would grow out of another. Thus "rainbow" would suggest "blue," "blue" the color of a ribbon, "ribbon" on the subject's hat, etc., the itlea of "rainbow" being entirely lost. The third was where these two were combined. The fourth was a word-association ; thus: "lemon" would suggest "lemonade," or "sweet " would suggest "sour" or "bitter." The students showed a greater tendency toward the second. This was true, I think, because they often reproduced whole scenes or events, while the criminals adhered more closely to descriptions or enumerations of the sub- ject given. Word-associations were rather more frequent ajnong the delinquents.