Harvard Psychological Studies Part 32

[Label 9: Return to Red.]

[Label 10: To Green.]

[Label 11: Return to Red.]

[Label 12: To Yellow.]

[Label 13: Return to Red.]

From Yellow. From Red.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

B. 1.79 1.06 1.35 0.87 1.89 1.10 1.54 0.58 1.71 0.62 1.31 0.71 G. 1.50 1.10 1.48 0.87 1.31 0.88 1.33 0.92 1.35 0.91 0.77 0.58 H. 5.02 4.54 5.73 3.91 6.15 4.17 6.35 3.91 5.89 4.69 5.54 4.37 I. 2.29 1.31 2.54 1.19 2.29 1.27 2.85 1.10 2.50 1.21 1.65 1.31 J. 1.35 0.98 1.35 0.65 1.27 0.88 1.42 1.04 1.31 1.02 1.25 0.85 K. 3.02 1.52 3.21 2.04 2.23 1.79 2.54 1.56 2.66 1.60 2.88 1.81

Av. 2.49 1.76 2.61 1.59 2.52 1.68 2.67 1.51 2.57 1.68 2.23 1.62

TABLE III.

CHANGES TO THE FOUR COLORS.

Average time in seconds. 72 changes from and 72 changes to each color.

[Label 1: To Blue.]

[Label 2: Return from Blue.]

[Label 3: To Green.]

[Label 4: Return from Green.]

[Label 5: To Yellow.]

[Label 6: Return from Yellow.]

[Label 7: To Red.]

[Label 8: Return from Red.]

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

From blue, 2.26 1.52 2.11 1.50 2.12 1.39 " green, 2.38 1.53 2.16 1.64 2.33 1.57 " yellow, 2.49 1.75 2.61 1.59 2.52 1.68 " red, 2.67 1.52 2.58 1.68 2.27 1.62

Average, 2.52 1.60 2.48 1.59 2.17 1.58 2.33 1.55

_Changes from_ a presented color. _Returns to_ a presented color.

216 movements. 216 movements.

_From_ presented yellow, 2.52 _To_ presented yellow, 1.67 " " red, 2.49 " " red, 1.61 " " green, 2.29 " " green, 1.58 " " blue, 2.16 " " blue, 1.47

Average, 2.37 Average, 1.58

_Changes to_ a color _from_ _Returns from_ a color _to_ a presented color. a presented color.

216 movements. 216 movements.

_To_ blue, 2.52 _From_ blue, 1.60 " green, 2.48 " green, 1.59 " red, 2.33 " yellow, 1.58 " yellow, 2.17 " red, 1.55

Average, 2.37 Average, 1.58

The six subjects fall into two groups--three, H., I., and K., taking longer than the other three. As in the previous experiment H. was markedly longer than any of the others.

There were seventeen hundred and twenty-eight changes in all, including returns to the original color. There were two hundred and sixteen changes from each of the four colors as presented, to each of the other three and, of course, the same number of returns to the presented color.

The change to blue from the other presented colors was the most difficult and the change to yellow was the easiest.

The averages (216 exp. each) are,

Sec.

To blue, 2.55 " green, 2.48 " red, 2.33 " yellow, 2.17

The returns to the presented colors did not differ greatly from each other, the averages (216 exp. each) being:

Sec.

From blue, 1.603 " green, 1.597 " yellow, 1.589 " red, 1.549

From red appears to be the easiest change, and from blue the hardest.

The getting away from a presented blue was the easiest and from a presented yellow the most difficult, as seen by these averages (216 exp. each):

Sec.

From yellow, 2.54 " red, 2.49 " green, 2.29 " blue, 2.16

The returns to the presented colors show that it was hardest to get back to the presented yellow, easiest to get back to the presented blue, the averages (216 exp. each), being:

Sec.

To yellow, 1.67 " red, 1.61 " green, 1.58 " blue, 1.47

The facts as to blue and yellow shown by these four tables of averages may be expressed also in this way:

If a blue square was shown, it was easier to change the blue memory image into the other colors, and also easier to get back the blue memory image after such changes, than if any other of the three colors was presented.

If another color than blue was shown it was harder to change the memory image of that color to blue than to any of the other colors, and also harder to get back to the memory image of that color from blue than from any of the other three colors.

If a yellow square was shown, it was harder to change the yellow memory image into the other colors, and also harder to get back the yellow memory image after such changes than if any other of the three colors was presented.

If another color than yellow was shown, it was easier to change the memory image of that color to yellow than to any of the three other colors, and also easier to get back to the memory image of that color from the yellow than from any of the other three colors except red.

If we combine _all_ the changes into a color (both changes from another presented color and returns to this color previously presented) we find that changes to green are hardest, to yellow easiest. The averages (for 432 exp. each) are,

Sec.

To green, 2.03 " blue, 1.99 " red, 1.97 " yellow, 1.92

The changes away from a color (both from this color previously presented and from this color to the other previously presented colors) show that it was hardest to get away from yellow, easiest to get away from blue, the averages (for 432 exp. each) being:

Sec.

From yellow, 2.06 " red, 2.02 " green, 1.94 " blue, 1.88

As for the subjects, all six found yellow the easiest to change into, one finding red equally easy.