7
Discrimination of shades of gray for different intervals of time.
eaual So far as the figures go, however, it would appear that Ke
fa hindered and K1 helped by distraction. The number of judgments
marked »Sicher« is too small both in distraction and undivided atten¬
tion to help decide this question, and the same holds true with regard
to the relation of A to a.
The next question that arises is, — How far do the notes in the
protocol books explain these figures? In the case of reagent Ke the
writer anticipated a great deal of visual imagery; as reagent in the
method of mean gradations he had constructed a sort of visual ladder
up and down which the variable moved, and several years later Ament
notes (Phil. Stud. XVI, p. 173) another visual scheme which Ke had
constructed in the method of minimal changes. While in the earlier
stages of the work with the larger intervals, Ke notes the presence
of visual images of the disc which serve as means of comparison, the
number of these is insignificant as compared with the references to
verbal reproduction, and in the latter part of the work references to
visual reproduction cease altogether. On the other hand, notices of
verbal associations are exceedingly frequent: »Bei Beiz 1 dunkel«, »Bei
Reiz 1 recht hell«, »Auf Grund der wörtlichen Bezeichnung«, is by far
the most frequent type of remarks. Ke is of the opinion that the
verbal images assist in the comparison, though he also notices that
their presence may contribute nothing to the act of comparison, and
he finds that, in the course of a series, there is a very considerable
falling off in the energy of reproduction. He notes almost at the
start a tendency to name the shades through »inability to hold fast
the picture«. In the course of the experimentation Ke elaborated
the following scale: — hell, ziemlich hell, ziemlich bis recht hell,
recht hell und ganz hell; dunkel, ziemlich dunkel, mittel dunkel, recht
dunkel • all used to [designate the first disc of the comparison.
Nor was this scale long in forming; on the third day of experimenta¬
tion Ke notes that »absolute« judgments play an important part, that
there is rarely a real comparison and that when the first disc appears,
he says »hell« or »dunkel«. Besides verbal and visual imagery Ke
notes sensations of tension in the eyes and forhead — the latter
probably coming from attempting to serve as reagent when fatigued,
hese tension sensations are however rarely noted, and the amount
ey served with this reagent as a vehicle of comparison is a matter